Flyleaf have consistently dominated the active, alternative and mainstream rock charts since their eponymous, self-titled debut was released in 2005.

With the arrival of new vocalist Kristen May and the band’s new album, Between the Stars, which was released September 16, that trend is continuing.

Produced by Don Gilmore (Pearl Jam, Linkin Park and Avril Lavigne), Between the Stars is Flyleaf’s fourth studio album. It delivers 12 hook-laden tracks that are deeply rooted in guitar-based rock.

Guitarist Jared Hartmann’s hypnotic riffs are tastefully executed, creating a surreal landscape of infectious melody that takes the listener on a sonic journey. Flyleaf is Kristen May (vocals), Jared Hartmann (guitars), Sameer Bhattacharya (guitars), Pat Seals (bass) and James Culpepper (drums).

I recently spoke with Hartmann about the new album and his musical upbringing.

GUITAR WORLD: How would you describe the sound of Between the Stars as compared to previous Flyleaf albums?

It’s going to be a little different than some of the other Flyleaf records. Obviously, it will be different because we have a new singer [Lacey Sturm amicably left the band in 2012], but it’s also going to be a bit different musically as well.

We used a lot of keyboards on this album to add some interesting elements to a few of the songs. We’ll see what people think! There’s something that’s similar to our previous albums but it’s also going in a new direction.

How did you connect with Kristen?

After Lacey decided to leave the band, we started looking for singers and someone suggested that we check out Kristen. Her band, Vedera, had recently broken up, so the timing was perfect. So Kristen came in, knew all of the songs and was cool to hang out with. She’s the perfect fit.

Read the rest of my

Interview with Jared Hartmann by Clicking Here!