10 Underrated Artists: Flyleaf

We've all heard of Paramore. Well, at least, those of us not living under a rock. They broke on the scene a few years back with "Misery Business," and have gone on to do the soundtrack to Twilight and sell out stadiums. That fiery little redhead has caused quite a stir in the music industry.

But that's not who I'm writing about. If anything, that band is overrated. Especially when you consider Flyleaf. This band came out around the same time, but with a much harder yell. Less than 15 seconds into the first track off of Flyleaf, you hear the lead singer, Lacey Sturm, let out a scream with more pain and heartache than most metal frontmen could ever conjure. Standing less than 5", she'll scare the hell out of anyone in her audience. No joke; I've had 6'2" football linebackers whisper in my ear, "That girl scares me." That's definitely her goal - to scare the hell out of them, and then preach like there's no tomorrow.

If you've heard Lacey's story, there almost was no tomorrow. At a young age, she attempted suicide, but overcame that and her depression when she turned to a life of faith. She'll share that, and much more, with each crowd she sings to, whether it's thousands at OzzFest or 20 in a dive bar. By the end of the show, she'll have grown men weeping and singing along to worship songs. As a worship leader, this girl is my hero.

And that's just the spark of the lead singer. The band itself is musically outstanding. They've taken Christian music and made it appeal to a much wider audience just through sheer musicianship. Flyleaf has more metal in it's first track than a good amount of what Metallica has released in the last decade. Their second album, Memento Mori, leaves out the screaming, but shows growth in the lyrics. It's definitely an album for people who think they hate metal music.

If you haven't checked out Flyleaf before, here's a few tracks to get you started:
"I'm So Sick," Flyleaf
"Beautiful Bride," Memento Mori
"All Around Me," Flyleaf
"How He Loves," How He Loves [Single]
"Supernatural," Much Like Falling EP
"Cassie," Flyleaf