By the time Halestorm entered the studio to record their self-titled full-length debut album for Atlantic Records, they already had a body of work behind them, beginning with a self-made 1999 cassette recorded while the members were in middle school, followed by two more CDs, and then a live EP recorded upon signing their deal.

The band members — Lzzy Hale – vocals/guitar, Arejay Hale – drums, Joe Hottinger – guitar and Josh Smith – bass — had years of touring and studio experience to their credit when they began tracking Halestorm with producer Howard Benson, but only then did Lzzy Hale begin to reach her full potential. “In the past, we’d go into a session and someone would hit the ‘record’ button, but I’d get no feedback from them,” she says. “It was, ‘You’re a good singer; do your thing,’ which I appreciated because I learned on my own, but for a label release you don’t want that. I knew after a couple of meetings with Howard that he wouldn’t just hand me a mic and then step out and go to lunch. He took me to a completely new level and made me hit notes I didn’t know I could hit. He also believed in me as a guitar player and believed in the entire band, so we got to go in and make the record we wanted.”

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