Halestorm Discuss ‘ReAnimate 2.0: The CoVeRs eP’

In addition to cranking out a slew of their own radio hits, Halestorm have always had a soft spot for cover tunes. On Oct. 15, the band will release 'ReAnimate 2.0: The CoVeRs eP,' which features their own distinctive takes on an interesting range of songs.

With tunes originally performed by Judas Priest ('Dissident Aggressor'), AC/DC ('Shoot to Thrill'), Fleetwood Mac ('Gold Dust Woman'), Marilyn Manson ('1996'), Daft Punk ('Get Lucky') and Pat Benatar ('Hell Is for Children'), the band proves one more time how much they love to pay homage to their influences and their music contemporaries.

Loudwire recently caught up with Lzzy Hale, Arejay Hale, Joe Hottinger and Josh Smith -- or as you know them, Halestorm -- to talk about the new EP. Check out our chat with the band below:

First of all, as it seems, you are always on tour. How has the road been treating you?

Lzzy. Busy but great. We finally accomplished our goal of playing all 50 states.

Congratulations.

Joe: Thank you. Anchorage, Alaska, was the 49th and then we played in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Wow, it's almost as if you played them in order of when they became States.

Arejay: Right! (laughs). We've been telling our booking agency for years that we want to play all 50 states -- in order!

Josh: But first we wanted to play all original 13 colonies and then start with the State of Delaware (laughs).

You recorded the new covers EP while you were in L.A. earlier this year for the Grammy Awards, which we all know resulted in a big win for Halestorm. So first up, did the actual Grammy trophies all arrive?

Lzzy: They did! We did get our Grammys and they come in this really cool laser cut foam box that's in the shape of a Grammy. And I want to add that the award is way heavier than you think it will be. Mine is on a mantel to the fireplace.

Josh: Mine is on a bookshelf in my bedroom.

Arejay: I haven't actually opened mine yet since I've not been home since we received it (laughs).

Okay back to the new EP, you cover a lot of interesting stuff, but Lzzy it seems like the Pat Benatar cover, 'Hell Is for Children,' really fits in your wheelhouse.

Lzzy: It's something I've always wanted to do. Usually I shy away from covers that women have done before because it feels like you're going head-to-head with them. When you're covering a song that has a male original lead singer, it's easier to put your own spin on it if you're female. So I was very conscious of wanting to do something really different and cool with it. I wanted to make it a little darker, that was my idea in terms of how to deal with it on a different level.

Arejay: I'll say it right now, Lzzy absolutely killed that song. I love the Pat Benetar version but Lzzy’s take is absolutely unforgettable. She was just amazing with that song. She just slays it.

How did you come up with such an eclectic list of songs to cover?

Joe: We were influenced by a lot of things growing up musically. So there's that. We would individually think about the songs that meant something to us and what we might be able to bring different to them.

Josh: Right. Then, our management had some pretty good ideas of what might make sense for us. And of course we like get the fans involved, so we let them vote on some of what we did and we are really happy overall with a wide range of music.

Our thanks to Halestorm for taking the time to chat with us. You can pre-order the band's new release 'ReAnimate 2.0: The CoVeRs eP' at iTunes.