The release of Flyleaf's second album, "Memento Mori," on Tuesday revealed a slightly darker side than the 2005 self-titled album that launched their career.
Of the 15 tracks on the album, most seem to fall in line with the music we've come to expect from the Texas-based Christian rock band - heavy guitar and drums perforated by singer Lacey Morrison's powerful voice - but a few are more haunting than you might have anticipated.
The first track, "Beautiful Bride," starts off the album with the expectedly strong guitar sequences and some characteristically powerful vocals and the title track, "Again," doesn't disappoint either. These two have been radio-released already and others, like "Arise" and "The Kind" are definitely worthy of being next in line.
"The Kind" sticks out as one of the catchier songs on the album. Morrison belts it out for the chorus but shows off her versatility with some quieter sequences as well. The overall impact of this dual appeal is reminiscent of "All Around Me" from their self-titled album. The most noticeable difference, though, is the addition of almost inaudible whispering in between sequences.
A few of the tracks seem entirely focused on showcasing the softer side of the band, much like the "So I Thought" track from their first album. "Missing" and "Tiny Heart" are the two catchiest of the more gentle songs and "Treasure" isn't far behind.
Though Morrison's voice lends itself well to the softer songs, the complete absence of screaming on "Memento Mori" is surprising. After the well-received booming screams in "I'm So Sick" on their first album, it's strange that the newest album is completely devoid of any substantial screaming.
What the newest album has plenty of, though, is surprisingly haunting shouting and eerie instrumentals. In "Chasm," Morrison is clearly straining her voice in desperation and even shouts "Help!" multiple times toward the end of the track. "Melting (Interlude)" sounds more like something that might play over the top of a black and white silent horror film than something you'd find on any rock album.
"In the Dark" is the obligatory "skip song" of the album. Despite the strong instrumentals and some relatively good lyrics once it finally gets started, the fact that the first 45 seconds of the song are comprised only of the words "in the dark" whispered repeatedly makes it almost too annoying to enjoy.
The bottom line is that "Memento Mori" demonstrates two things: Flyleaf is a talented band and is undoubtedly good at what they do, but they should probably stick to it.
Check out: "Beautiful Bride" and "Again"
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