Album Review: "World of Make Believe" by Van Halst

World of Make Believe

Everyone in my chosen family, i.e. not the ones I didn't pick, have something in common.

They either have strong convictions or they're opinionated.

My inner circle is small and diverse. The people with whom I surround myself are very strong and very cool.

That's not to say, that they all agree with everything I say, but they should, but that's my outspokenness and not theirs.

My friends, and family who've become first room friends, need to be loud and be willing to tell each other to shut up when someone tries to interrupt.

If you hold beliefs dear, you'd better be able to defend them. If you have something to say, you'd better able to scream it from the rooftops. If not, you'll have some terrible times with us, if we're feeling particularly loquacious over a beverage.

From Edmonton, AL...VAN HALST

From the other Titletown in North America, we have Van Halst.

Quick history lesson, what was once a solo project of Kami Van Halst has morphed into a pretty killer hard rock/metal band.

Van Halst, Kami not the goup, has one of those voices that could stop, or start an avalanche.

From sickeningly sweet to brutally metal, she, and her cohorts, can mix up the mess or mess up the mix in the space of a nanosecond.

And they tend to do just that.

The guitars sound just like anybody who loves heavier tunes would want.

This is that pure Les Paul to Marshall on 10 Overdrive that us weak mortals can never acquire.

Van Halst succeeds where so many other bands, with a single singer, fail because Kami Van Halst has the ability to change up her delivery more often than Chris Carpenter in Game 7 of the World Series, and that's coupled with her band's ability to do the same.

You may recall a certain other female fronted metal band that straddles the lines between extreme metal and main stream hard rock, but just forget them.

Van Halst is the champion here. With uncomfortable socially conscious lyrics, sympathetic musical accompaniment, and stellar songwriting, World of Make Believe will turn more than a few heads and breed more than a few goose bumps.

Here in St. Louis, we're leaving the light on for you. We already miss you.

Release: 3/4/16
Genre: Metal
Label: DIY
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