Arejay Hale of Halestorm

Fans of Arejay Hale, of Halestorm, know his amazing control of both the drums and the audience during a concert.  Hale has been known to interrupt his own intense drum solos to ramp up the crowd, conducting from the stage with drum sticks, and orchestrating the crowd’s cheers and chants, bending them to his will. Hale may be one of rock’s more entertaining drummers, and a big reason why Halestorm is a non-stop force of metal, with humble roots as a middle school garage band from Pennsylvania founded by siblings, Lzzy and Arejay Hale.

From the time he was a child, Arejay has been a drum fan. According to his sister's post on the band's blog, their parents bought Arejay a subscription to the magazine Modern Drummer when he was a little boy.  Excitedly, she gushed about the huge accomplishment of her brother being featured in the magazine he treasured as a kid.

Music Tour Reviews describes Hale’s drumming style as a combination of modern and old school which brings "back drumming to the forefront."  Indeed, a quick search on YouTube brings up a long list of live performances posted by fans in the audience.  Every show includes one of his elaborate drum solos that hammer away on a fierce drum set accented by Zildjian cymbals.

During his solo during Halestorm's performance at the Uproar Festival in October 2010, Hale’s drumming included three sections which each included different drum tools.  He progressed from a blasting drum solo, to comical sticks that looked like baseball bats, and finished with the rest of the band all using trash cans in the style of the hit show Stomp. As if this was fun enough, Arejay and Roy Mayorga, the drummer from Stone Sour, each took turns accompanying the other during their prospective solos.

With connections to bands like Avenged Sevenfold, Stone Sour and Disturbed and an immense talent throughout the band, Arejay Hale and Halestorm are not only poised for success, but could also be an epic force in the comeback of classic metal drumming in music today.