Flyleaf- Between the Stars
This band is certainly one of the best Female fronted groups in the rock scene. This album however is a sort of rebirth for this band. On the previous album "New Horizons", the original vocalist Lacey Sturm retired from the group to spend more time raising her son. Lacey was known for notable tracks such as "I'm So Sick", "Fully Alive", "Missing", and "Beautiful Bride". Her departure from the group was sad news for sure but luckily she's started up a solo group so she isn't gone just yet. Lacey's replacement is the former Vedera vocalist Kristen May. She is a relatively unknown vocalist so hopefully She does the band justice on her debut album with the group. Let us begin!
Set Me on Fire: This intro track is the lead single on the album. Within the first few seconds Kristen starts off with vocals that are almost identical to Lacey. They aren't exact but if you didn't know it was a different singer you wouldn't even know. She does an exceptional job on the chorus with this track and wrote some nice lyrics for this track. There is a nice bass riff prominent in this track and the guitars creates a nice distorted work that is reminiscent of their debut album. So far Kristen is doing a stand up job as the vocalist; Lets just hope it stays that way. 9/10
Magnetic: This is a softer track with some decent vocal work fro Kristen and the guitars are softer but keep some melody to them. This track has some similarities in sound to something that Paramore would have done. This track sounds a little long and relies on spoken vocals for the most part but the chorus is the real highlight of this track. 7/10
Traitor: This track is a bit higher in tempo than the previous track and include some more aggressive vocals from Kristen. She does a good job on this track and wrote some decent lyrics for this tracks as well. The guitars have a nice sound to them but could've used a bit more in them to make a more complex sound. The guitars do sound a bit similar to Staind's heavier riffs but it is only a slight similarity which sounds cool. Other than that this is a good track. 8.5/10
Platonic: Another soft track with some decent vocals and nice guitar effects. It contains a choir element on it which accentuates the vocals nicely and creates a nice atmosphere on this track. At the 2:20 mark there is a nice keyboard solo done by Kristen which adds more depth to the track and really picks up the track. The lyrics are a bit boring but avoid the notion of being annoying so I can't complain too much about it. 8/10
Head Underwater: This track is similar in tone to the previous tracks and doesn't deviate too much here. The vocals are done decently as well as the lyrics. This track features more keyboards from Kristen which sounds nicely on this track. The guitars are mostly in the background to supplement the vocals. They come in more at the end and really elevates Kristen's vocals to finish off the track nicely. 8.5/10
Sober Serenade: This track has some harder guitar riffs on this one. Kristen does great on the vocals and is very good on the chorus. The lyrics are pretty well done on this one. This is one track that would be nice to hear being played live. This is an album highlight. 8.5/10
Thread: This track is a bit simpler and features the drums a bit more in it. The vocals are a bit higher pitched but not enough to sound screechy. The guitars on this one are similar to some of their work on their debut album. This track has the right length to it otherwise it would end up being repetitive and get boring if it went into the three+ minute mark. 8/10
Marionette: This is another soft track that features some acoustic elements to it. The lyrics are a bit boring and Kristen is a bit weaker at the vocals on this one but still does an ok job. The guitars on this track have a boring sound to them and don't bring much complexity to the track. This track is a filer one. 5/10
Well of Lies: This track has some nice ehoey guitar riffs on it which adds a nice sound to it. The bass has some good riffs on this track and Kristen does good on the vocals. She puts some good power into the chorus and wrote some decent lyrics for this one as well. 8.5/10
City Kids: This is a softer track that contains some decent guitar beats and backing screamed vocals from Pat Seals. The lyrics on this one are nice and help to keep the soft instrumentals from getting boring. The soft to aggressive transitions on this track are nice and really create a deep sound here. This track is a nice one to see live and is an album highlight. 9/10
Blue Roses: This track has more of a ballady feel to it and contains some nice upbeat guitar riffs to it. The vocals are at their best on this track and spit out some nice lyrics as well. The lyrics are probably their best on the album. This track takes the simple qualities that all the other tracks had and combines them to create one track that is purely epic. This song is certainly an album highlight. 9.5/10
Home: This closer is a softer track with some decent bass riffs. The vocals are a bit too high in pitch. The guitars are ok and once again sound reminiscent of their debut work. The lyrics are ok and fit as a closing theme but the track's overall sound is a weak one and should of been swapped with the previous track. 7/10
Overall album rating: 8/10
Well, this album is certainly a short of rebirth for the band and it can be seen in the sound. The album sounds simpler than their previous work and works to follow Kristen's vocals. Kristen does a great job on vocals and is similar to Lacey to do the old songs justice but different enough to avoid ripping them off. She was definitely the right choice to replace Lacey and did a decent job on her first outing with this band. Hopefully the band will continue to grow in future releases and develop a more complex sound.
