Flyleaf

Flyleaf is definitely an acquired taste. When I first heard their self-titled debut several years ago I couldn’t make it through the first song, “I’m So Sick.” But having heard the song hundreds of times since then, I now have a much deeper appreciation for the guttural screams, the darker and forbidding sequences and the cathartic value of it all. It’s not always immediately apparent what Flyleaf are aiming for with their tracks, and there is no doubt their abrasive sound and unusual vocal stylings are not for everyone, but they do what they do in ways that are magnetic if this is your kind of music.

Coming off a platinum-selling debut that spawned hits like “I’m So Sick” and “All Around Me,” Flyleaf steps up to the plate with their sophomore release, Memento Mori, and the results of the album’s expanded edition are quite interesting. In some ways it’s more of what you would expect (maybe a little too much), but in others it’s a pleasant surprise.

From the crunchy-riffs-paired-with-syncopated-battle-shouts pattern of “Beautiful Bride,” and the epic swelling sounds of the catchy-as-hell first single “Again,” Flyleaf goes full-bore with each track. As with the first album, most of the tracks are brisk and waste little time or energy, clocking in at roughly three minutes, so they get points for being efficient that way. They stray from this formula a couple times to the album’s detriment (“Swept Away”), but other times they hit (“Arise”).

Singer Lacey Mosley screams, croons and wails with such changing frequency that it often sounds like she’s possessed by several different spirits. But therein lies part of the power of Flyleaf’s songs: Mosley’s vocals reflect the rage, the passion, the heart, the fear, the joy and the struggle that is life in 2009 in a world that doesn’t really know what it believes. The daily battle with demons—both personal and spiritual—are a central theme of Memento Mori, a fact that is augmented by the thunderous metallic rock soundtrack that swells and crashes around Mosley. By the time you get to the album’s final track, “Arise,” and her powerful, skyscraping refrain of “Arise and be/all that you dreamed” rips through the chaos over and over, you feel like a battle cry has been raised and victory is in sight.

The album title more or less translates to “Remember that you must die,” a not-so-subtle reminder of the impermanence of our lives and a challenge to live with purpose and intentionality each and every day. The title acts as a crucial starting point for the direction and meaning of each song on this album, so it is incredibly apt.

Of note are the 6 bonus tracks that appear on the extended iTunes version (the physical expanded edition contains 4—“Uncle Bobby” and “Stay” are absent). Listening to these songs, it is curious that none were included in the regular album as most of them would have made Memento Mori more well-rounded, especially for those who might become exhausted by the relentless, exhausting journey that is Memento Mori’s 14 tracks. Mosley’s vocals are far richer here, haunting the apocalyptic tone of “Enemy” and beautifully entrancing on the gorgeous acoustic ballad “Stay.” By comparison these songs are not quite as heavy—musically and lyrically—and it’s a shame that even one or two of these were not added to the album to bring brief respites for the journey.

Memento Mori is a solid second album. It’s not the best album you’ll hear this year, but there is a lot it does right especially if you are into blistering rock ‘n roll and metal music whose primary purpose is to lift your spirits rather than drag them down.

Tagged as: Flyleaf, Memento Mori

Does it Resonate with you?

Name (required)

Email (will not be published) (required)

URL