Flyleaf

Album Review

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, Texas 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.