Call Upon The Author

While I’m not against people having their own beliefs, I’ve found that more often than not so called Christian bands can be very bland, and Flyleaf are no exception. Having sold over a million copies of their self titled album the number of units their sophomore release will shift is bound to be impressive, it’s a shame the same can’t be said about their music.
Sounding similar to the radio arena rock sounds of Nickleback, Flyleaf’s UPS is that their vocalist is a female, something you’re made painfully aware of the instant the first track kicks in. Her vocals are high in the mix, often dominating the other instruments, this wouldn’t be a complaint if there was anything exceptional about the vocals but here they are entirely unassuming. The fact that the vocalist is the only member appearing on the front of the album cover also indicates their labels obvious desire to put her in the spotlight at the expense of the other band members.
When they slow things down, such as on “Tiny Heart”, it makes an enjoyable change from the countless stock rock riffs present in every song, but moments like this are too few and far between. At least they have attempted to inject some sort of variety in their sound, but it’s a case of too little too late. By the time these moments come around you’ve already grown tired of the album.
The songs contained within “Memento Mori” are harmless enough, easy to listen to rock music albeit with some half hearted attempts at some metal growling. Fans of Evanescence and their ilk are likely to find something they enjoy in this CD, but those who like their music heavier or more challenging won’t get any pleasure from this release.