Review Summary: Memento Mori is let down by unimaginative guitar riffs and lack of experimentation.
Memento Mori, a Latin phrase meaning "Be mindful of death" or "Remember you will die”, they've definitely picked a thoughtful album title but I'm not sure how to approach this album. Flyleaf's debut album 'Flyleaf' is one of my favourite albums; all its songs have their own identity. This is where Memento Mori falls flat, there’s a feeling of familiarity to the point where a lot of the songs sound the same.
One constant brought forward is Lacey Mosley's ability to sing, she may be small but she can sure belt out a song or thirteen (interludes don't count). The singles from the album Beautiful Bride and Again aren't the best songs on the album, they’re the two biggest culprits of lacking imagination, making them the singles and two lead songs into the album is unforgivable. Unfortunately a large portion of the first half of the album is a flat and forgettable; the side where the songs fail to carve out an identity.
Set Apart This Dream is where we see Flyleaf's first slower song of Memento Mori, changing the pace of the album and you’ll be thankful for it. Similar to that of 'There For You', and coincidently the best song of the album. The opening guitar riff instantly hooks you in, finally that feeling of progression hits and you find yourself in the middle of the album, the catchy vocals also help make this the first memorable song of the album.
With Flyleaf's style of music it's hard to think of them being associated with Christian music this is demonstrated best in Swept Away, it has an extremely dark overtone with lyrics of "Evil falling from mouths" and "Demonic motives" then breaking out into "Time for surrender / Spread out your open hands / And He will raise you up", coupled with Mosley’s vocal variation, gives a combination of despair and hope throughout the song.
Tiny Hearts gets us back to the slower songs, melting into an interlude; the end of the album plays out with Mosley’s haunting voice singing out “Arise and be / All that you dreamed” leaving us with a feeling of what could have been. The ballad type songs are the better part of the album as they don’t heavily rely of the guitars, but rely on Mosley to bring us through the songs, without this, this would be a very stale album.
