Flyleaf,
Flyleaf



Label: Octone Records

(3 out of 5)

Flyleaf makes driving guitar rock with a bark much fiercer than its bite. Two snarling guitars and bass envelop Lacey Mosley's alternately feminine and ferocious lead vocals. The angst-ridden sound is purely nü-metal, yet the underlying lyrics tell of faith and hope.

Howard Benson (P.O.D., Papa Roach, My Chemical Romance) produces the Temple quintet's self-titled debut, which follows a buzz-heavy EP (also self-titled) that garnered video rotation for "Breathe Today" and earned the band touring spots with Staind, 3 Doors Down, Bowling for Soup, and Evanescence, among others.

Mosley, with a breathy Björk-meets-Fiona-Apple style, is Flyleaf's primary attraction. One can feel her angst on songs like "I'm So Sick" (listen), "I'm Sorry" (listen), and "Breathe Today" (listen)—three EP carryovers that also highlight this full-length release.

Beneath the anguished veneer is a substrate of faith-based trial and salvation. "Cassie" (listen) is based on the publicly discredited yet privately cherished account of Cassie Bernall's murder at Columbine: "Do you believe in God?" / Written on the bullet / Say yes he'll pull the trigger. Other songs take a slightly more opaque approach to belief, like "Sorrow" (listen): I'll take this piece of you / And hope for all eternity / For just one second I felt whole.

So long as you're comfortable with recurring Christian themes, Flyleaf is an intriguing debut from a young Texas band that's already making a splash on the national post-grunge scene.

October 4, 2005