Flyelaf - New Horizons (2012)

 

After two years since their last studio album, Flyleaf has resurfaced on the radar once again. Taking qualities from Flyleaf and Memento Mori, the Texas natives have been able to incorporate them into their latest opus, New Horizons. Along with paying homage to their two prior albums, they're still able to add freshness to their diverse rock sound.

 

New Horizons opens with two mellow (for Flyleaf) songs, "Fire Fire" and the title track, and both seem to possess that "rock radio" feel. Showing that they have not abandoned their aggressive-sounding roots, "Call You Out," "Freedom" and "Green Heart" take that edgy route Flyleaf's famous for. Meanwhile, "Cage on the Ground," "Great Love," "Bury Your Heart," "Saving Grace," "Stand" and "Broken Wings" all vary in the range of moderate pop/rock. Not to be fooled by the large amount of softer music on here, the lyrics are still as poignant as ever. Some standouts amongst that group are "Great Love" and "Broken Wings."

 

While New Horizons is an excellently executed album, it still, depending on perspective, has its kinks. One of Flyleaf's biggest highlights was Lacey's ability to deliver a hard rock song with such grace and uniqueness that others have only tried and failed to imitate over the years, and it was unfortunate that those kinds of songs are pretty scarce on New Horizons.

 

The latest chapter in Flyleaf's story is a sure to be a memorable one, as it is evident that these veterans left it all on the floor of that recording studio. What's presented is a labor of love that shines in its own right, and closes this section of their career with integrity and passion.



Track list:

1. Fire Fire (3:01)
2. New Horizons (3:09)
3. Call You Out (2:19)
4. Cage On The Ground (3:33)
5. Great Love (3:40)
6. Bury Your Heart (3:34)
7. Freedom (3:19)
8. Saving Grace (3:44)
9. Stand (3:40)
10. Green Heart (2:43)
11. Broken Wings (3:34)
12. Mama (3:56) **iTunes Exclusive