While many loud rockers reopen old wounds by singing about their broken homes and broken hearts, Belton, TX quintet Flyleaf confronts past injuries to heal old scars and in the process prove that hope shines brighter than despair. "A flyleaf is the blank page at the front of a book," explains Mosley. "It's the dedication page, the place you write a message to someone you're giving a book to. And that's kind of what our songs are: personal messages that provide a few moments of clarity before the story begins."

"I used to be in a really negative band, and that seemed to almost fuel my emptiness because that's what the songs were about," says charismatic singer Lacey Mosley. "That's why I think what we're doing is important because there needs to be something heavy out there that has a positive message so people see that it's possible to get through the worst situations."

Flyleaf's self-titled debut album is filled with songs about abuse, neglect, addiction, dysfunction, and overcoming adversity. The band's wide array of brooding beats, atmospheric textures and lunging riffs compliment Mosley's emotionally charged vocals, which range from breathy and beautiful to scathing and aggressive. "I'm So Sick," starts with a moody bass line throbbing over a haunting ethereal vocal before guitars crash in like a rock through a plate-glass window. The track see-saws between rage and reflection, guitarists Sameer Bhattacharya and Jared Hartmann providing textural flourishes and atmospheric touches that bridge the emotional shifts. "All Around Me" augments a wall of power chords with evocative jazzy licks and "Fully Alive" is a cinematic number with angry muted riffs that segue into another glorious refrain.

Flyleaf's infectiously heavy positivism is all the more surprising considering Mosley's struggles while growing up. "My mom was a young single mother of six," she explains. "We didn't have money and things were hard for all of us. We moved whenever we couldn't make ends meet in one place, and that happened pretty often so there was a lot of struggling, suffering, and character building. It's easy to get depressed when you're dealing with that kind of stress, especially when it looks like things will never get better. There was nothing constant in my life, and nothing to believe in." For Mosley, writing songs about survival helped her reach the surface and breathe again. "I had to lose everything to look up and see that there is a truly constant hope of a happy ending and that's what we make music for," she says. "If my music helps one person, then it's worth having been through what I've experienced."

Mosley started creating music with drummer James Culpepper. The two joined up with Bhattacharya and Hartmann, who were in a local band that had just split up. "Our first practice together was awesome," Mosley says. "Sameer and Jared are really experimental with melodies and pedals, and we all had different influences that were all blending together with the same passionate and hopeful heart, and that brought out this beautiful feeling. It was magical." Bassist Pat Seals joined in 2002. "The doors were open and I just happened to walk through at the right time," Seals says.

Flyleaf played anywhere they could, slowly but consistently increasing their fan base with local bands and national acts like Riddlin Kids, Bowling For Soup, Fishbone, and Evanescence. Eventually they landed a show at Austin's legendary annual music convention South by Southwest in 2003, which led to a showcase for various labels. After many meetings and much deliberation, Flyleaf signed with Octone Records (now A&M/Octone).

In early 2005 the band's self-titled debut EP -- produced by Rick Parasher (Pearl Jam, Blind Melon) and Brad Cook (Foo Fighters, Queens Of The Stone Age) dropped, and listeners got a taste of the band's poignant song craft through tracks like "Breathe Today," "Cassie," and "I'm Sorry". To support the EP, Flyleaf toured with Saliva, Breaking Benjamin, 3 Doors Down, Staind and Trust Company. Though many audiences had never heard mention of Flyleaf when they started playing, their spirited nightly performances earned them new fans.

In spring 2005, Flyleaf recorded their full-length debut with acclaimed producer Howard Benson (Papa Roach, My Chemical Romance, P.O.D., All American Rejects). Together they decided on 12 of them to arrange, shape, and tweak so that they best reflected the group's powerful messages and experiences. "He really took an interest in what we had to say and helped put all the parts in the right places," Mosley says. "We were so used to recording with our friends and finishing whole EPs in a few hours. So it was great to spend two months with Howard having this surreal professional experience in every part of the process."

In 2006, the band performed on Fuse TVs Daily Download program and Jimmy Kimmel Live, performing their first single Im So Sick before joining Korn, Deftones, Stone Sour and others on the Family Values tour. In the latter half of the year, Flyleaf continued on with Stone Sour and Disturbed on the Music As A Weapon tour in America and Europe. This year, Flyleaf headlined the Justice & Mercy tour along with Dropping Daylight (A&M/Octone), Kill Hannah and Resident Hero.

Coming up for the band is a second tour with Family Values alongside Evanescence and Atreyu. With their tight-knit chemistry, compassionate approach, and songs that haunt the mind hours after they've stopped playing, Flyleaf are turning heads and leaving crowds wanting more. Indeed, their story has just begun.