Flyleaf - Between The Stars
Between the Stars is the fourth studio album from Flyleaf and this time around there is a new voice taking the lead. Lead vocals on this record come from Kristen May, a new face to the band who joined after the demise of her own band. When she sings, she has a smooth vocal that twists and turns according to the nature of the track. Her voice is powerful and energising while at the same time soaring to those high notes. She knows the limits of her vocal capabilities and never tries to go over the top, even when she reaches the very high harmonies.
The band have become quite creative in their lyric writing, with some inspiration coming from the book Divergent by Veronica Roth with several of the band members having just finished reading it at the time the album was being produced. Marionette is one track in particular where the lyrics are honestly written and referenced to a marionette doll - "you want the strings so you can, pull at my soul and tear me down, you want it all, I'm not your marionette doll".
The music on this record is upbeat, punchy rock, full of piercing guitars and rising melodies. The album opens with the incredible first single, Set Me On Fire leading into over an hour of something enthralling. Sober Serenade is one track that hits you with its magnitude, from the increasing guitar melodies to the wonderful vocals, this is a memorable one. Then there are songs such as Blue Roses and Home that really gets your feet tapping.
Magnetic is far mellower than some of the other tunes, with a slower verse and kicking chorus while Head Underwater ascends beautifully like the sun rising on a sandy beach. City Kids take a similar approach gently sailing until the chorus approaches where things erupt immensely to much harsher depths with vocal screams before reverting back to the previous setting. It basically takes on both the softer and tougher side of the band and rolls it into one incredible track.
Traitor is a very heavy tune compared to others on the album. Written about knowing who in your life is no good for you, its guitars are stronger and rugged and the vocals have more aggression and assertiveness to them. This leads very well into Platonic, with its thumping guitars, pounding drums and slightly buried electronic feel. Thread has one very powerful guitar solo in the centre which sends shiver through you. Well of Lies takes on a rather new approach, something darker at times and the chorus uses very differing elements to reach its potential than previous tracks.
Between the Stars is an incredible eighteen track album, packed full of bonus tracks for the hard core fans including a live performance of the track City Kids and includes the addition of an exceptional vocalist. This is an album you must check out!