Flyleaf: Pat Seals (bass guitar); Lacey Mosley, James Culpepper, Sameer Bhattacharya, Jared Hartmann.
Personnel: Lacey Mosley (vocals); Dave Navarro, Sameer Bhattacharya, Jared Hartmann (guitar); Howard Benson (keyboards, programming); James Culpepper (drums, wind chime); Ryan White (background vocals).
Additional personnel: Dave Navarro, Howard Benson, Ryan White.
Audio Mixers: Chris Lord-Alge; Mike Plotnikoff.
Recording information: Bay 7 Studios; Sparky Dark, Calabasas, CA; Valley Village, CA.
Editor: Paul DeCarli.
Illustrator: Pat Seals.
Photographers: Sam Erickson; Stephen Albanese; James Minchin.
A buzz began to circulate over Belton, Texas, quartet Flyleaf when the band's debut EP first made the rounds. Fronted by singer Lacey Mosley, the band generates an enormous sound that draws on elements of nu-metal, screamo, and alternative rock, with Mosley's sometimes ferocious/sometimes sweet vocals lending the group a distinctive edge. Expectation ran high for the band's first long-player, but, luckily, Flyleaf's self-titled debut full-length doesn't disappoint. Leading off with the album's first single, "I'm So Sick," the album states its business and continues from there. There are hooks and melodic elements woven skillfully into the thrash, ensuring that Flyleaf's songs won't fade away as easily as many by their alt-metal contemporaries. But don't let Mosley's sometimes charming voice lull you: she can scream like a banshee, and the band hits with as much muscle as anyone on the scene. Fans of the genre are encouraged to check this out.
A buzz began to circulate over Belton, Texas, quartet Flyleaf when the band's debut EP first made the rounds. Fronted by singer Lacey Mosley, the band generates an enormous sound that draws on elements of nu-metal, screamo, and alternative rock, with Mosley's sometimes ferocious/sometimes sweet vocals lending the group a distinctive edge. Expectation ran high for the band's first long-player, but, luckily, Flyleaf's self-titled debut full-length doesn't disappoint. Leading off with the album's first single, "I'm So Sick," the album states its business and continues from there. There are hooks and melodic elements woven skillfully into the thrash, ensuring that Flyleaf's songs won't fade away as easily as many by their alt-metal contemporaries. But don't let Mosley's sometimes charming voice lull you: she can scream like a banshee, and the band hits with as much muscle as anyone on the scene. Fans of the genre are encouraged to check this out.
Every few years or so, a new heavy metal subgenre rears its head. In the late '90s and early 21st century, there were "nu metal" and "emo," both of which included lots of hardcore-esque screaming combined with the usual metallic elements (heavy guitar riffs, hard-hitting drumming, etc.). While both new genres were the "metal genre of choice" for many an agitated teenager the world over, few of these bands were female-fronted. One of the exceptions are the Belton, TX quintet, Flyleaf, led by diminutive singer Lacey Mosley. Like many modern day metal bands, Flyleaf softens their approach a bit when the moment is right -- obviously in hopes of crossover radio success. And as evidenced by their 2005 self-titled release, the group has loads of tunes that would fit in perfectly with the 2005 climate of radio rock. Tracks like "Cassie" and "I'm Sorry" contain just the right amount of singalong, melodic choruses and aggression, but when their audience gets tired of screaming along with Mosley, they can mosh away to tunes like "I'm So Sick." That said, there isn't much here to differentiate Flyleaf from the zillions of other similarly styled bands out there right this moment, aiming for the same goal -- to join My Chemical Romance at the top of the heap. [The 2007 CD/DVD edition included bonus tracks and a ringtone.] ~ Greg Prato minimize