| CD REVIEW The Word Alive |
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Band : The Word Alive This Phoenix, Arizona based Metalcore act was founded in early 2008 by former Calling Of Sirens members Craig Mabbitt (lead vocals), Zach Hansen (guitar & backing vocals) and Tony Pizzuti (guitar & backing vocals), and with the addition of keyboardist Dusty Riach, bassist Nick Urlacher, and drummer Tony Aguilera, the first line-up of the band was completed. They recorded an EP which was never released (in spite of the fact that they were already signed to Fearless Records in March), and then separated themselves from Mabbitt in late November of the same year, whom was at the same time active in another band causing TWA to have to wait around for him when they wanted to get out on the road. A mere couple of days later he was replaced by singer Tyler “Telle” Smith, whom had previously served with Greeley Estates and In Fear And Death. With the new frontman, things fell into place (the members feeding off each other to incorporate bits and pieces of what everyone likes into their music), and the band recorded their debut EP Empire for a July 2009 release. The EP reached #15 on the Billboard Heetseeker charts, and the single “Battle Royale” was successful in being featured in the popular Tap Tap series as well as being featured in the Rock Band 2 game for Xbox 360. In January 2010 the song was also included in the track-list of the 2010 Van's Warped Tour Compilation album. Following the release of the EP TWA engaged in several tours: a co-headline tour with We Came As Romans on the Dreams & Empires tour during Summer '09, then as support to Silverstein, Madina Lake, and I See Stars in October. Shortly after they went on two tours with labelmates Alesana (the latter of which in February & March of 2010), and in Spring 2010 the band performed at the Bamboozle Music Festival, after that completing the month of May with a 2-week headliner tour with Stray From The Path. For the April 2010 recordings of their debut full-length (material for which was partly written at the band's homestead, and partly while on tour), TWA retreated to Wade Studios in Ocala (Florida) with producer Andrew Wade, with whom the guys had already worked for their EP. Oh, I forgot...somewhere earlier this year the band executed a change at the drum seat, which is now occupied by one Justin Salinas. Prior to the album's release, the band premiered their first single “Epiphany” as streaming media online on June 23, and the day after Fearless released their Summer Sampler which also included the song. The guys then hopped onto the Van's Warped Tour with Alesana, Artist Vs. Poet, Sparks The Resque and Motionless In White. In late July second single “The Hounds Of Anubis” premiered on RevolverMag.com. On the day of the album's release, TWA headed out on The Anti-Hero Tour. Running 'til early October, it also featured Bleeding Through, After The Burial, Stray From the Path and Dead & Divine. The 10-track album displays a rather dynamic Metalcore...oh, the modern American type, okay, not the original harsher European type which was originally designated that description...with very nice vocal arrangements (by all mean call it “Epic”) in which both graver and cleaner vocals are intertwined regularly. Intertwining are also the guitars, but the most amazing thing about the rather busy and somewhat layered music are the keyboards. At least one of the tracks, namely “Battle Royale”, is simply a new version of one of EP's songs (I'm afraid I cannot tell you whether other songs off the band's debut EP also made it onto the full-length)...the boys must be have strong feelings for that one, at least! You can listen to the whole album except for the track “The Hounds Of Anubis” at myspace.com/thewordalive. To make up for that you can listen to two versions of “Epiphany”. Personally, while I am certainly apprehensive for the quality the band brings here, both songwriter as execution-wize, I also feel a somewhat squeezy feeling in the stomach, as the whole sounds rather like the guys have endeavoured to make the most commerciable album possible! Yep, I'm sure a lot of young US citizens, both male and female, are gonna fall for the nice combination of brutality and melodic epic-ness! Oh yeah, in late October the band heads out on another US tour, this one with Miss May I. In other words: at the momet it looks like the band's live activities remain concentrated on the American continent. Well, well... 90/100 Tony. |
