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    • Flyleaf "New Horizons" Album Review — 5 out of 5 stars

    Mon, 29 Oct 2012 07:01:24

    Flyleaf "New Horizons" Album Review — 5 out of 5 stars - By ARTISTdirect.com editor in chief Rick Florino...

    Flyleaf Photos

    • Flyleaf - Through the first verse of "In The Dark," Lacey softly stepped around the stage with what seemed like the shyness of a small child. That shyness soon erupted into a raw emotional energy that captivated the audience for the rest of the evening. There are some performers that just hop onstage, sing, dance, whatever, and hop back offstage. Lacey is definitely not one of them. She doesn't just sing songs, she feels them – and the audience could tell as they sang and swayed right along with her. But it wasn’t just her; each band member was able to connect with the audience. While Sameer and Jared grooved to their melodies, Pat furiously pounded the bass and jumped on speakers. James even pointed his sticks out toward the crowd while drumming. It was amazing to see a band with such an enormous presence play a venue with such an intimate setting.—Lilly Ryden
    • Flyleaf - Through the first verse of "In The Dark," Lacey softly stepped around the stage with what seemed like the shyness of a small child. That shyness soon erupted into a raw emotional energy that captivated the audience for the rest of the evening. There are some performers that just hop onstage, sing, dance, whatever, and hop back offstage. Lacey is definitely not one of them. She doesn't just sing songs, she feels them – and the audience could tell as they sang and swayed right along with her. But it wasn’t just her; each band member was able to connect with the audience. While Sameer and Jared grooved to their melodies, Pat furiously pounded the bass and jumped on speakers. James even pointed his sticks out toward the crowd while drumming. It was amazing to see a band with such an enormous presence play a venue with such an intimate setting.—Lilly Ryden
    • Flyleaf - Through the first verse of "In The Dark," Lacey softly stepped around the stage with what seemed like the shyness of a small child. That shyness soon erupted into a raw emotional energy that captivated the audience for the rest of the evening. There are some performers that just hop onstage, sing, dance, whatever, and hop back offstage. Lacey is definitely not one of them. She doesn't just sing songs, she feels them – and the audience could tell as they sang and swayed right along with her. But it wasn’t just her; each band member was able to connect with the audience. While Sameer and Jared grooved to their melodies, Pat furiously pounded the bass and jumped on speakers. James even pointed his sticks out toward the crowd while drumming. It was amazing to see a band with such an enormous presence play a venue with such an intimate setting.—Lilly Ryden

    more flyleaf photos »

    Flyleaf Videos

    • Flyleaf - Interview
    • Flyleaf - Fire Fire (live)

    more flyleaf videos »

    "I'm leaving my cage on the ground," sings Flyleaf's Lacey Sturm during "Cage On The Ground", one of the many standouts on New Horizons .

    The song itself sees Flyleaf once again evolving right before listeners' ears. Guitarists Sameer Bhattacharya and Jared Hartmann seamlessly shift from a crushing distorted crunch to ethereal and entrancing textures. It's like they've found the perfect meeting point between Pantera's groove metal and Radiohead's alternative bliss.

    Meanwhile, James Culpepper's drumming proves impenetrable, rolling in tandem with a powerful bass line from Pat Seals. The group's instrumental prowess claws its way to the forefront on New Horizons, making for their most intricate ride yet.

    At the same time, it's also their most emotional. "Call You Out" sees Sturm scream with effusive intensity reminiscent of "I'm So Sick" but with an even more vivid and pointed lyrical approach. "Fire Fire" balances six-string chaos and hypnotic vocals quite perfectly. "Bury Your Heart" begins with a resounding strum before the singer exposes the hypocrisy of the entertainment industry pleading, "There's blood on the tracks again. Do you buy what you're selling them?" It's as angry as it is beautiful.

    "Green Heart" might just be Flyleaf's heaviest track yet, thrashing forward at light speed with a precise guitar assault and Sturm's growl. On the other end of the spectrum, "Great Love" stands out as heartbreakingly uplifting, while "Broken Wings" serves as an a propos closer carried by clean guitar and the vocalist's most heavenly delivery.

    Even though it was recently announced New Horizons would be Sturm's last album with the group, it's as perfect of a swan song for that era as possible. Together, these five individuals turned out their best album to date. You can feel the blood and tears in every moment. At the same time, it feels like a door is still open for even greater Horizons.

    Rock's most uplifting unit will continue to forge ahead, and that gives us hope enough.

    —Rick Florino
    10.29.12

    What's your favorite Flyleaf song?



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    Tags: Flyleaf, Pantera, Radiohead

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