Please fly away

“Halleluiah, Halleluiah” Flyleaf lead singer Lacey Mosley sings during “Beautiful Bride,” deftly anticipating the first words out of my mouth after the band’s newest album “Memento Mori” finished boring me to death. 

“Memento Mori” sounds like Nickleback hired former Evanescence chanteuse Amy Lee to front their band, and the results combine the worst of both acts – which is really, really bad news for listeners.

Songs like the aforementioned “Beautiful Bride” and “Again” make full use of every cliche alternative rock trick in the book – the silly riffs, loud-soft dynamic and a guitar lead that covers its blandness with a phaser effect.

“Memento Mori” doesn’t get any better when the band switches to their softer side.
They’ve got some of the shallowest and most uninspired Christian lyrics of the year, and songs like “Arise” and “Missing” frequently sound like Breaking Benjamin doing misguided Circa Survive covers.

The album is produced and mixed well, but that’s the only nice thing I can say about “Memento Mori.”