Warped In Reverse Episode #21
“I'm lost in make believe Why Oh God why are you doing this to me? I don't know who I am anymore These are my last days 'cause hell has been calling for me Why am I crazy, Why am I crazy!? I am a disease and hell has been calling for me Devour the darkness, light won't find me...” Dark Matter [Track no.11]
The Word Alive, the American Metalcore band from Phoenix, Arizona debuted their fourth full-length album just in time for Vans Warped Tour 2016. This week on Warped In Reverse we are featuring photos of The Word Alive shot at San Diego Warped Tour by our co-founder @Nahnalah_G.
What follows is an excerpt from The Word Alive site, Info page— You could call it a moment of clarity, the band finished up their last headline tour in support of 2014’s Real, and the band members—Tyler “Telle” Smith [lead vocals], Zack Hansen [lead guitar], Tony Pizzuti [rhythm guitar], Daniel Shapiro [bass], and Luke Holland [drums]—collectively agreed on one thing.
“We needed to come together and make an album that all of us were totally proud of, or this wasn’t worth doing,” admits Telle. “It was a turning point. We needed to believe in the next body of work unanimously. In order for us to believe, everything had to feel bigger. The melodies needed to be stronger. The lyrics had to be more personal. We had to get more creative. Most importantly, the songs had to be the best we’d ever written.”
This approach yielded the group’s fourth full-length album, Dark Matter [Fearless Records]. In many ways, the Phoenix, AZ heavy alternative quintet started at ground zero, wiping the proverbial slate clean. For the first time, they wrote together in the studio, instead of individually bringing ideas to the table. They tapped the production and engineering talents of From First To Last guitarist Matt Good: another first. They also ventured outside the box by recording vocals before drums, so their signature instrumental virtuosity could augment and accent the lyrical delivery. All of these elements supported their primary goal.
“In the past, everything was disconnected and done piecemeal,” he goes on. “This is the first time where we were truly collaborating and helping each other. It wasn’t about egos or worrying about what’s popular. We knew that if someone had a suggestion, it was because he had the song’s best interest in mind. Everybody had to agree, so we were all way more honest. We’ve become closer friends than ever. Every aspect of our band is better because we embraced this new mentality.”
The music speaks for itself.
“I want people to hear this album and forget what they think The Word Alive is or we should be and just appreciate what we’ve become,” Telle concludes. “This is a special moment for us. Dark Matter is who we are.”
The Word Alive is currently on the South Bound Tour across South America and returns home for two local shows before touring across the North Eastern states. Get tour details here.
Luke Holland left the band at the end of 2016 to purse other musical endeavors. In February 2017, the band announced that Matt Horn would be taking Holland's place as drummer.*
Follow The Word Alive on social media! Facebook: @thewordalive Twitter: @thewordalive
Instagram: @thewordalive