| Memento Mori Posted: Every so often, I come across an album that excites me more and more as I listen to each song for the first time and leaves a smile on my face when it's over. This is one of those albums.
"Memento Mori" is a concept album that explores light and dark and reminds the listener to live while being mindful of death. It should come as no surprise then, given knowledge of the band members' faiths, that the lyrics have a strong Christian theme running through them. While Flyleaf's debut had its share of Christian references, they are much more pronounced and in abundance on this album. The lyrics are meaningful, deep, honest, and blunt. You won't find them in the CD booklet. Instead, the booklet contains a series of journal entries (one for each song) that give insight into the meanings behind the songs, written from the point of view of the commander of an army.
The album is full of original, infectious melodies that have enough variety to carry it through from beginning to end without it becoming boring. There is a nice balance of heavier and lighter rock. The songs are arranged well, starting with an upbeat anthem and ending with a hopeful and haunting closer. Lacey pours her soul into every song she sings. It's clear that the band put a lot of effort into the album, and it paid off.
Although I purchased the deluxe edition of the album, I decided to base my rating only on the main album so I wouldn't have to deduct any stars from the final score for the mini-CD. The extra four-song CD isn't bad, but it's nothing special. It lacks the creativity and diversity of the main album, and doesn't really warrant the hassle of having to pop it into the CD player after the main album is finished. It sounds more like a mini b-sides album with its somewhat forgettable melodies. I was also unable to download the songs from it into my iTunes library (though I did not deduct any stars because of this, since I don't know whose fault this is). Unless you are a serious fan of the band, I would recommend the regular version of "Memento Mori" over the deluxe version. |
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