ACL Fest preview: Flyleaf

Did you know that tiny Belton (population 17,330) is home to a platinum-selling rock band? Flyleaf's self-titled debut on Octone Records has sold steadily since its 2005 release, reaching platinum status this spring. Four of the album's 11 tracks have cracked Billboard charts, highlighted by "All Around Me" reaching #17 on the pop chart this year following a #6 peak on the modern rock chart in 2007.

So what's clicked for this loud quintet from such a quiet town? Flyleaf has benefitted from tours with some of the genre's top artists, including back-to-back years as part of Korn's Family Values Tour, plus various stints with the likes of Staind, 3 Doors Down, and Bowling for Soup.

But there's another explanation for Flyleaf's lasting appeal: music with a bark much fiercer than its bite.

The angst-ridden sound is nü-metal, with snarling guitars and bass enveloping Lacey Mosley's alternately feminine and ferocious lead vocals. Yet beneath the anguished veneer is a substrate of faith-based trial and salvation.

You may have to listen closely to detect it. Flyleaf isn't hiding its beliefs by any means, but most songs make no outward spiritual references. And those that do generally take an opaque approach — like these lines from "Sorrow":

I'll take this piece of you
And hope for all eternity
For just one second I felt whole

Plenty of believers are catching the buzz. Flyleaf has spent nearly three straight years among bestselling Christian albums (currently sitting at #5).

Like faith-embracing brethren P.O.D. and Relient K, the band doesn't really care whether it's portrayed as a Christian rock band or as just a rock band. As Mosley explained to MTV's James Montgomery, there's no real distinction:

"We all share the same faith. And so when we deal with the whole 'Christian band thing,' we kind of think about something P.O.D. says, like, 'If you're a Christian, it affects everything in your life. So if you're a plumber, does that make you a Christian plumber?' I don't know the answer. We're a band, it's part of who we are, so it comes out in our music, and it's the fuel for what we do."

Flyleaf plays on the AT&T stage Sunday, Sept. 28 at 2:30 p.m.

Listen:

"Breathe Today"

"I'm Sorry"

"Sorrow"

"I'm So Sick"