Flyleaf Breaks the Heavy Mold
Don't let Lacey Mosley's diminutive stature fool you.
In the tradition of rockers such as Pat Benatar and Joan Jett, Mosley's waifish appearance is absolutely no indicator of the tigress lurking within. The lead singer of the quintet Flyleaf, which hails from Belton, Texas, has begun to leave her ferocious sonic signature on the rock scene as her band's eponymous debut climbs the rock charts.
Even more than those '80s rock matriarchs, Mosley's searing voice and Flyleaf's driving, pounding sound has earned comparisons with Evanescence. It's not hard to see why, as Flyleaf bears superficial resemblance to Amy Lee's band in style and appearance. Like Evanescence, Flyleaf never flinches from harsh realities.
A closer look, however, reveals significant differences. Evanescence initially attracted some Christian fans because of fuzzy allusions to God and salvation; but band members eventually distanced themselves from any intentional connection to a Christian message. In contrast, Flyleaf is composed of believers who've made a deliberate choice to sing about their Christian convictions—in the secular arena. Following in the footsteps of P.O.D. and Switchfoot, Flyleaf members have chosen a mainstream label and are playing secular venues as they deliver fierce songs about struggle and redemption.
Piercing the Darkness
Lacey Mosely grew up as one of six children raised by a single mother. By her mid-teens, she'd drifted into depression and addiction. At age 16, Mosley was contemplating suicide when her grandmother took her to church—and she met Christ. "Jesus saved me," she says, "and it was the most awesome freedom I've ever known." Given these experiences, Mosley isn't afraid of singing about the dark side. Where she deviates from so many melancholy metalers is the way she and her band aim the light of the gospel into life's emotionally shadowy crevices.
That tension between light and dark is evident on the first single. "I'm So Sick" blends brutal honesty ("I'm so sick/Infected with where I live") with a deep awareness of the need for transformation ("Let me live without this/Empty bliss/Selfishness"). Mosley's raw delivery is convincing, and I believe that she is indeed tired of her old way of life. Mtv.com accurately described the song's themes as "brutal self-evisceration and wide-eyed, unabashed spirituality."
Elsewhere, the promise of freedom from spiritual bondage and hopelessness is more explicit. Following a broken relationship, Mosley sings, "And all these twisted thoughts I see/Jesus there in between" ("So I Thought"). The heart-wrenching track "Cassie" pays homage to Columbine victim Cassie Bernall's brave faith: "The question asked in order to save her life or take it/The answer no to avoid death/The answer yes would make it/Do you believe in God?/Written on a bullet/Say yes to pull the trigger." Mosley equates Cassie's affirmative answer to choosing death for the sake of her faith: "And Cassie pulled the trigger."
Other spiritual references are clear, but more subtle. "Perfect," for example, echoes 2 Corinthians 12:9 ("Perfect in weakness/I'm running in just Your strength alone/I tried to kill You/You tried to save me/You save me"). Another allusion to Jesus shows up on "I'm Sorry," where a grateful Mosley sings, "My scars are Yours today/This story ends so good/I love You, and I understand/That You stood where I stood." And the song "Red Sam" acknowledges the temptation of suicide, but insists that God's truth is "outscreaming these lies, saving my life."
Positively Unashamed
Lyrics like the ones above aren't the only places Flyleaf has talked openly about Christian faith. Mosely has been equally open and unapologetic sharing her spiritual beliefs in the secular press. She recently told MTV, "We all share the same faith. ... It's part of who we are, so it comes out in our music, and it's the fuel for what we do. And finding faith saved my life. So I'm not ashamed of it at all. And most of our album reflects that."
On the band's Web site, Mosley reinforces that message by contrasting where she's come from with the direction Flyleaf is now headed. "I used to be in a really negative band, and that seemed to almost fuel my emptiness because that's what the songs were about. That's why I think what we're doing is important, because there needs to be something heavy out there that has a positive message so people see that it's possible to get through the worst situations." Despair, then, never has the last word with Flyleaf.
For fans of heavy acts such as Disturbed, Staind, Taproot or Mudvayne, Flyleaf's smoldering debut is must-listen material that rocks with incendiary authority, yet, more importantly, offers a clear spiritual alternative to the genre's typical embrace of hopeless nihilism.