The Word Alive
Encyclopedia
The Word Alive is an American metalcore
band from Phoenix, Arizona
, formed in 2008, the band is currently signed to Fearless Records
. Their 2009 label debut, Empire
reached position 15 on the Top Heatseekers
, meeting a great amount of positive acclaim upon its release in 2009. The following year, the group recorded and released their debut full-length album, Deceiver
on August 31, 2010, which reached 97 on the Billboard 200
and 15 on Independent Albums
. The Word Alive has gained renown praise for their innovative style of modern metalcore; blending thrash
, groove
, alternative
and ambient
elements into their overall delivery.
(lead vocals
) with Zack Hansen (lead guitar
) and Tony Pizzuti (rhythm guitar
) who were former members of the bands Calling of Syrens and Clouds Take Shape. As a side-project of Mabbitt during his part in Escape the Fate
, the remaining required members he recruited to start The Word Alive were chosen to be Nick Urlacher (bass
), Dusty Riach (keyboard
) and Tony Aguilera (drums
). The group recorded songs with the intention of releasing them as a self-titled EP
, despite that it never surfaced. Later on, the band forced Mabbitt to leave due to their dissatisfaction with Escape the Fate's schedules, which required Mabbitt to work as a full-time member.
The day after, Mabbitt posted a blog to his fans via his Myspace
account explaining that leaving the band was not his decision and that "[The Word Alive] pretty much replaced me while I was on the road due to the fact that they wanted to tour and couldn't until I was available, I started that band with those guys and I'm very hurt at how they replaced me while I was touring...it's bullshit." On December 3, the band officially announced that Tyler "Telle" Smith
, who was formerly one of the vocalists for In Fear and Faith
and bassist for Greeley Estates
, joined The Word Alive as their new frontman.
Feeling somewhat stagnant in their progression beforehand, the addition of Smith catapulted the band’s ambitions to the forefront. With this initiation, their goals and aspirations were much more a reality, and they set to work on what would become their record label debut, Empire
.
. Smith stated "We hope to just keep touring, touring, touring... we couldn't be happier or more appreciative to be on tour right now, I think despite having some of the worst luck in the early beginnings of being a touring band yet never missing a show, we always have a positive attitude and that will make us a stronger band." The band set out to create an EP to be released through the label wherein it was titled Empire
and was recorded with producer Andrew Wade in Ocala, Florida. It was released on July 21, 2009 where it reached #15 on the Billboard Heatseeker chart.
In regards to the creation of the EP, Smith stated that The Word Alive all "feed off of each other really well, we take a little bit of everything we like and put it together to try and give the listener at least something to grasp onto when they hear a song for the first time. We consider ourselves a metal
band who enjoy singing a lot. As much as we love being brutal, we love being referred to as ‘epic’ and ‘beautiful’. It works for us.” After the release of their EP, the band went on multiple tours with bands such as Alesana
, A Skylit Drive
and Silverstein
. The Word Alive headlined with We Came as Romans
on the Dreams & Empires tour during the summer of 2009; from late July to mid-August. In October 2009, the band went on tour with Silverstein, Madina Lake
and I See Stars
. Shorty after that tour they played on the You'd Be Way Cuter in a Coffin Tour with Alesana on The Emptiness Tour which took place during early 2010. The Word Alive's single "Battle Royale" from Empire was hugely successful, leading the song to be featured in the popular Tap Tap
series as well as it being featured as downloadable content in the Rock Band
series of music games. The track is also featured on the 2010 Vans Warped Tour Compilation and later went onto being credited as the group's signature song
.
During February the band reached an agreement to leave founding drummer, Tony Aguilera out of the group. Both parties (Aguilera and the rest of the band) shared their concerns and reasoning for the matter publicly. It was overall described that the band wanted to pursue a different percussionist of alternate talent than the founding member. Aguilera was replaced with Justin Salinas, whom previously was a part of the bands Scars of Tomorrow
and Catherine
as well as serving as a past live drummer for MyChildren MyBride
.
On March 23, 2010, a live music video for the song "The Only Rule Is That There Are No Rules" was released and includes Aguilera in its filming, making it the last release of media by the band to feature him. The video premiered on AOL's Noisecreep
with a highly positive acclaim:
with Andrew Wade to record their debut full-length album, Deceiver
. Frontman Tyler "Telle" Smith noted that "We wanted to step it up in every aspect of our songs compared to Empire. When we're heavy, it's heavier. When we do things big, they are huge! When we slow it down, it's something beautiful." After the recording process of the album was finished, the band accepted to be featured as one of the many performing acts at the Bamboozle Music Festival in New Jersey on May 1, 2010 and following Bamboozle, The Word Alive participated in a headlining tour with Stray from the Path for two weeks, which was also in May. By June, Deceiver was fully mastered and engineered. On June 23, 2010 the band premiered their first single from the album, "Epiphany" as streaming media
online. The following day, Fearless Records released their 2010 Summer Sampler which also featured the track "Epiphany". A week later, the album's album art and track listing was released. Guitarist, Zack Hansen explained upon this premiere that "We all felt like that was going to be the best choice considering how comfortable the recording process is with Andrew. The tracking was a lot of fun and everyone had a good time. We got the opportunity to stay in a house while we recorded and surprisingly we didn't party as much as I thought we would haha." Hansen later followed along explaining that his favorite track on the record is "The Hounds of Anubis
", which was written by him and Pizzuti and stated that he "wrote this song with an 'Egyptian
feel' to it and I think we got our point across." Smith described that its lyrics describe the times of when The Word Alive overcame their hardships that they face with the help and support from their fans. "The Hounds of Anubis" was released as the album's second single on July 26, 2010. It premiered on the official Revolver
website.
The Word Alive performed on Warped Tour 2010
along with Alesana
, Artist vs. Poet
, Sparks the Rescue
and Motionless in White
, it has also been confirmed that they will as well be participating the 2011 Warped Tour
in its entirety. The band were a part of The Anti-Hero Tour where the group performed alongside Bleeding Through
, After the Burial
, Stray from the Path and Dead & Divine. The tour ran from September to October. Upon Deceivers release on August 31, it charted at #97 on the Billboard 200
. The band is featured in the compilation album Punk Goes Pop 3
, covering the Kanye West
song "Heartless
". The song was produced by Matt Grabe
and was released on November 2, 2010. In 2011, the band also recorded a cover version of the Ozzy Osbourne
song "Over the Mountain
". Both the "Heartless" and "Over the Mountain" covers by the band are the last recorded songs to feature bassist and founding member, Nicholas Urlacher before his departure from the group on December 27, 2010. Daniel Shapiro of Sharks Never Sleep served as a touring member for The Word Alive shortly after Urlacher's leaving. The music video for their song "2012" was released on January 17, 2011 where Shapiro is featured in its recording. Months later, still searching for a bassist and before leading into the summer of 2011, it was then decided on Shapiro becoming a permanent member of the band.
Former members
Extended plays
Metalcore
Metalcore is a subgenre of heavy metal combining various elements of extreme metal and hardcore punk. The name is a portmanteau of the names of the two genres. The term took on its current meaning in the mid-1990s, describing bands such as Earth Crisis, Deadguy and Integrity...
band from Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
, formed in 2008, the band is currently signed to Fearless Records
Fearless Records
Fearless Records is an alternative rock-oriented record label that has been signing artists since 1994. Fearless is based in Westminster, California and are best known for their early pop-punk moments captured in the Fearless Flush Sampler and Punk Bites releases, as well as additional releases by...
. Their 2009 label debut, Empire
Empire (EP)
Empire is the second EP by American metalcore band The Word Alive. It was released on July 21, 2009 through Fearless Records, produced by Andrew Wade and charted at number 15 on Billboards Top Heatseekers. The song "Casanova Rodeo" was re-recorded from the unreleased EP along with "Inviting Eyes"...
reached position 15 on the Top Heatseekers
Top Heatseekers
Top Heatseekers refers to either of two separate "Breaking and Entering" music charts issued weekly by Billboard Magazine: the Heatseekers Albums chart or the Heatseekers Songs chart. They were introduced by Billboard in 1993 with the purpose of highlighting the sales by new and developing musical...
, meeting a great amount of positive acclaim upon its release in 2009. The following year, the group recorded and released their debut full-length album, Deceiver
Deceiver (The Word Alive album)
Deceiver received generally positive reviews by many. Allmusic explained that the album "covers a lot of familiar territory. Where the album gets interesting is in the guitar acrobatics of Tony Pizzuti and Zack Hansen, who like to keep things lightning fast and intricate" and "for anyone looking...
on August 31, 2010, which reached 97 on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
and 15 on Independent Albums
Independent Albums
The Billboard Independent Albums is a chart of the highest-selling independent music albums and extended plays in the United States, compiled by Nielsen SoundScan and published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is used to list artists who are not signed to major labels...
. The Word Alive has gained renown praise for their innovative style of modern metalcore; blending thrash
Thrash metal
Thrash metal is a subgenre of heavy metal that is characterized usually by its fast tempo and aggression. Songs of the genre typically use fast percussive and low-register guitar riffs, overlaid with shredding-style lead work...
, groove
Groove metal
Groove metal is a subgenre of heavy metal. It was often used to describe Pantera and Exhorder.- Characteristics and origins :Pantera's Cowboys from Hell album from 1990 was described as "groundbreaking" and "blueprint-defining" for the groove metal genre...
, alternative
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
and ambient
Ambient music
Ambient music is a musical genre that focuses largely on the timbral characteristics of sounds, often organized or performed to evoke an "atmospheric", "visual" or "unobtrusive" quality.- History :...
elements into their overall delivery.
Formation (2008–2009)
The Word Alive was founded in 2008 by Craig MabbittCraig Mabbitt
Craig Edward Mabbitt is an American musician. Currently the lead vocalist for the band Escape the Fate and formerly of the bands Blessthefall and The Word Alive.-Blessthefall:...
(lead vocals
Lead vocalist
The lead vocalist is the member of a band who sings the main vocal portions of a song. They may also play one or more instruments. Lead vocalists are sometimes referred to as the frontman or frontwoman, and as such, are usually considered to be the "leader" of the groups they perform in, often the...
) with Zack Hansen (lead guitar
Lead guitar
Lead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
) and Tony Pizzuti (rhythm guitar
Rhythm guitar
Rhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together...
) who were former members of the bands Calling of Syrens and Clouds Take Shape. As a side-project of Mabbitt during his part in Escape the Fate
Escape the Fate
Escape the Fate is an American post-hardcore band from Las Vegas, Nevada formed in 2005 and originally from Pahrump, Nevada. They have released three EPs and three full-length studio albums. Dying Is Your Latest Fashion was the band's debut album and only album to feature vocalist Ronnie Radke...
, the remaining required members he recruited to start The Word Alive were chosen to be Nick Urlacher (bass
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
), Dusty Riach (keyboard
Keyboard instrument
A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
) and Tony Aguilera (drums
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
). The group recorded songs with the intention of releasing them as a self-titled EP
The Word Alive (EP)
The Word Alive EP was a planned EP by Arizonian metal band, The Word Alive. It was recorded with original vocalist Craig Mabbitt in 2008 and was expected to be released the same year, but Mabbitt's departure from the band led to the EP never surfacing...
, despite that it never surfaced. Later on, the band forced Mabbitt to leave due to their dissatisfaction with Escape the Fate's schedules, which required Mabbitt to work as a full-time member.
The day after, Mabbitt posted a blog to his fans via his Myspace
Myspace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
account explaining that leaving the band was not his decision and that "[The Word Alive] pretty much replaced me while I was on the road due to the fact that they wanted to tour and couldn't until I was available, I started that band with those guys and I'm very hurt at how they replaced me while I was touring...it's bullshit." On December 3, the band officially announced that Tyler "Telle" Smith
Tyler "Telle" Smith
Tyler Smith, known also by his alias Telle, is an American musician. He is currently the lead vocalist for The Word Alive and has played in several bands, such as Greeley Estates and In Fear and Faith...
, who was formerly one of the vocalists for In Fear and Faith
In Fear and Faith
In Fear and Faith is an American rock band from San Diego, California. Formed in 2006, the group is currently signed to Rise Records and have released two studio albums and two EPs. Their debut full-length, Your World on Fire, being released nearly a year after the band's signing to Rise in 2008,...
and bassist for Greeley Estates
Greeley Estates
Greeley Estates is an American metalcore band from Phoenix, Arizona. Formed in 2002, the band has released five full-length studio albums and one EP...
, joined The Word Alive as their new frontman.
Feeling somewhat stagnant in their progression beforehand, the addition of Smith catapulted the band’s ambitions to the forefront. With this initiation, their goals and aspirations were much more a reality, and they set to work on what would become their record label debut, Empire
Empire (EP)
Empire is the second EP by American metalcore band The Word Alive. It was released on July 21, 2009 through Fearless Records, produced by Andrew Wade and charted at number 15 on Billboards Top Heatseekers. The song "Casanova Rodeo" was re-recorded from the unreleased EP along with "Inviting Eyes"...
.
Empire (2009–2010)
During March 2009, the band were taken in with a contract by a new label, later on during the 26th of that month the group officially confirmed that the label they were then signed to was Fearless RecordsFearless Records
Fearless Records is an alternative rock-oriented record label that has been signing artists since 1994. Fearless is based in Westminster, California and are best known for their early pop-punk moments captured in the Fearless Flush Sampler and Punk Bites releases, as well as additional releases by...
. Smith stated "We hope to just keep touring, touring, touring... we couldn't be happier or more appreciative to be on tour right now, I think despite having some of the worst luck in the early beginnings of being a touring band yet never missing a show, we always have a positive attitude and that will make us a stronger band." The band set out to create an EP to be released through the label wherein it was titled Empire
Empire (EP)
Empire is the second EP by American metalcore band The Word Alive. It was released on July 21, 2009 through Fearless Records, produced by Andrew Wade and charted at number 15 on Billboards Top Heatseekers. The song "Casanova Rodeo" was re-recorded from the unreleased EP along with "Inviting Eyes"...
and was recorded with producer Andrew Wade in Ocala, Florida. It was released on July 21, 2009 where it reached #15 on the Billboard Heatseeker chart.
In regards to the creation of the EP, Smith stated that The Word Alive all "feed off of each other really well, we take a little bit of everything we like and put it together to try and give the listener at least something to grasp onto when they hear a song for the first time. We consider ourselves a metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
band who enjoy singing a lot. As much as we love being brutal, we love being referred to as ‘epic’ and ‘beautiful’. It works for us.” After the release of their EP, the band went on multiple tours with bands such as Alesana
Alesana
Alesana is an American rock band from Raleigh, North Carolina. Formed in 2004, the group is currently signed to Epitaph Records and have released one EP and four full-length studio albums...
, A Skylit Drive
A Skylit Drive
A Skylit Drive is an American post-hardcore band from Lodi, California. The band released one DVD, one EP and three studio albums: Wires...and the Concept of Breathing on May 20, 2008, Adelphia on June 9, 2009, and most recently Identity On Fire on February 15, 2011. Michael Jagmin has provided...
and Silverstein
Silverstein (band)
Silverstein is a Canadian post-hardcore band from Burlington, Ontario, formed in 2000. Their band name is a reference to the famous children's author Shel Silverstein, whom the band had admired and read the stories of as children. They have released a total of five studio albums, three EP's, a...
. The Word Alive headlined with We Came as Romans
We Came as Romans
We Came as Romans is an American rock band from Troy, Michigan. Formed in 2005, the band signed to Equal Vision Records in April 2009 and have released two EPs, Demonstrations and Dreams , and two full-length albums, To Plant a Seed and Understanding What We've Grown to Be...
on the Dreams & Empires tour during the summer of 2009; from late July to mid-August. In October 2009, the band went on tour with Silverstein, Madina Lake
Madina Lake
Madina Lake an American alternative rock band formed in Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A in 2005.Madina Lake released their debut album From Them, Through Us, to You through Roadrunner Records on March 27, 2007...
and I See Stars
I See Stars
I See Stars is a post-hardcore band formed in 2006 from Warren, Michigan. They have released two full length albums. Their debut album, 3-D, featured a guest appearance from Bizzy Bone of Bone Thugs-n-Harmony. The album peaked at #176 on the Billboard 200...
. Shorty after that tour they played on the You'd Be Way Cuter in a Coffin Tour with Alesana on The Emptiness Tour which took place during early 2010. The Word Alive's single "Battle Royale" from Empire was hugely successful, leading the song to be featured in the popular Tap Tap
Tap Tap
Tap Tap is a series of rhythm games by Tapulous available for the iOS of which several versions, both purchasable and free, have been produced. The goal of the game is to tap each of the colored balls when they reach a line at the bottom of the screen. If the ball is hit on the beat, the player...
series as well as it being featured as downloadable content in the Rock Band
Rock Band
Rock Band is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems, published by MTV Games and Electronic Arts. It is the first title in the Rock Band series. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions were released in the United States on November 20, 2007, while the PlayStation 2 version was...
series of music games. The track is also featured on the 2010 Vans Warped Tour Compilation and later went onto being credited as the group's signature song
Signature song
A signature song is the one song that a popular and well-established singer or band is most closely identified with or best known for, even if they have had success with a variety of songs...
.
During February the band reached an agreement to leave founding drummer, Tony Aguilera out of the group. Both parties (Aguilera and the rest of the band) shared their concerns and reasoning for the matter publicly. It was overall described that the band wanted to pursue a different percussionist of alternate talent than the founding member. Aguilera was replaced with Justin Salinas, whom previously was a part of the bands Scars of Tomorrow
Scars of Tomorrow
Scars of Tomorrow was a metalcore band out of Orange County, California.-History:Scars of Tomorrow released its first material on Thorp Records, issuing two albums before signing to Victory Records in May 2003. After Victory released the group's third album in February 2004, they toured with Himsa,...
and Catherine
Catherine (band)
Catherine is a now defunct metalcore band from Sacramento, California.-Most Recent Lineup:*Nick Bradwell - lead vocals, piano*Robert Tobin - rhythm guitar, keyboard, programming*Taylor Rearick - lead guitar...
as well as serving as a past live drummer for MyChildren MyBride
Mychildren Mybride
MyChildren MyBride is an American Christian metalcore band originating from Madison, Alabama. They are signed to Solid State Records after being noticed by extensive constant touring, including various dates in European countries.-History:...
.
On March 23, 2010, a live music video for the song "The Only Rule Is That There Are No Rules" was released and includes Aguilera in its filming, making it the last release of media by the band to feature him. The video premiered on AOL's Noisecreep
Noisecreep
Noisecreep is a hard rock and heavy metal music news and media website based in the United States. The site was created by AOL Music in March 2009....
with a highly positive acclaim:
"Metal-hardcoreMetalcoreMetalcore is a subgenre of heavy metal combining various elements of extreme metal and hardcore punk. The name is a portmanteau of the names of the two genres. The term took on its current meaning in the mid-1990s, describing bands such as Earth Crisis, Deadguy and Integrity...
act the Word Alive have finally unveiled the video for 'The Only Rule Is That There Are No Rules.' 'We couldn't be happier,' vocalist [Tyler Smith] told Noisecreep on the finished look of the band's first video. For the heavy driven track from the sextet's Empire EP, the obvious choice was to bring eyes and ears to their live show -- which has been getting the band quick success for only being a little over a year old.
"Our live performance has become a staple of that growth," commented Smith. Rather than having the song play over a performance at the Glasshouse in Pomona, Calif., a full effect approach was taken. 'Our director had the idea of filming the set and intertwining live audio to spice up the clip.'"
Deceiver (2010–present)
In April 2010, The Word Alive entered the studio in Ocala, FloridaOcala, Florida
Ocala is a city in Marion County, Florida. As of 2007, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau was 53,491. It is the county seat of Marion County, and the principal city of the Ocala, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had an estimated 2007 population of 324,857.-History:Ocala...
with Andrew Wade to record their debut full-length album, Deceiver
Deceiver (The Word Alive album)
Deceiver received generally positive reviews by many. Allmusic explained that the album "covers a lot of familiar territory. Where the album gets interesting is in the guitar acrobatics of Tony Pizzuti and Zack Hansen, who like to keep things lightning fast and intricate" and "for anyone looking...
. Frontman Tyler "Telle" Smith noted that "We wanted to step it up in every aspect of our songs compared to Empire. When we're heavy, it's heavier. When we do things big, they are huge! When we slow it down, it's something beautiful." After the recording process of the album was finished, the band accepted to be featured as one of the many performing acts at the Bamboozle Music Festival in New Jersey on May 1, 2010 and following Bamboozle, The Word Alive participated in a headlining tour with Stray from the Path for two weeks, which was also in May. By June, Deceiver was fully mastered and engineered. On June 23, 2010 the band premiered their first single from the album, "Epiphany" as streaming media
Streaming media
Streaming media is multimedia that is constantly received by and presented to an end-user while being delivered by a streaming provider.The term "presented" is used in this article in a general sense that includes audio or video playback. The name refers to the delivery method of the medium rather...
online. The following day, Fearless Records released their 2010 Summer Sampler which also featured the track "Epiphany". A week later, the album's album art and track listing was released. Guitarist, Zack Hansen explained upon this premiere that "We all felt like that was going to be the best choice considering how comfortable the recording process is with Andrew. The tracking was a lot of fun and everyone had a good time. We got the opportunity to stay in a house while we recorded and surprisingly we didn't party as much as I thought we would haha." Hansen later followed along explaining that his favorite track on the record is "The Hounds of Anubis
The Hounds of Anubis
"The Hounds of Anubis" is a song by The Word Alive. It was released as the second single from their debut full-length album, Deceiver. The song is the opening track on the record and was written by the guitarists, Tony Pizzuti and Zack Hansen. Hansen scripted it as having an "Egyptian feel" wherein...
", which was written by him and Pizzuti and stated that he "wrote this song with an 'Egyptian
Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt was an ancient civilization of Northeastern Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now the modern country of Egypt. Egyptian civilization coalesced around 3150 BC with the political unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under the first pharaoh...
feel' to it and I think we got our point across." Smith described that its lyrics describe the times of when The Word Alive overcame their hardships that they face with the help and support from their fans. "The Hounds of Anubis" was released as the album's second single on July 26, 2010. It premiered on the official Revolver
Revolver (magazine)
Revolver is a bi-monthly rock and heavy metal magazine published by Future US. Before covering heavy metal, rock & hard rock solely, it was a more mainstream oriented magazine. The magazine is structured in a manner similar to publications such as Spin while covering many avenues within the heavy...
website.
The Word Alive performed on Warped Tour 2010
Warped Tour 2010
Warped Tour 2010 is the 16th installment of the annual Summer Warped Tour festival. Vans Shoes was again the tour's primary sponsor. The first bands were announced on December 18. The 43-date tour kicks off on June 25, 2010 in Carson, California and ends August 15, 2010 in Hillsboro, Oregon.On...
along with Alesana
Alesana
Alesana is an American rock band from Raleigh, North Carolina. Formed in 2004, the group is currently signed to Epitaph Records and have released one EP and four full-length studio albums...
, Artist vs. Poet
Artist vs. Poet
Artist vs. Poet is a power pop band from Dallas, Texas formed in late 2007.-History:After the demise of his previous band, Enter the Collector, Vocalist Tarcy Thomason advertised on MySpace.com about starting an acoustic project in the Fall of 2007. Guitarist/vocalist Craig Calloway was the first...
, Sparks the Rescue
Sparks The Rescue
Sparks the Rescue is a five-member American rock band from Maine. They formed when members of three high school bands Pozer, Short of April and Two Girls Later converged. Their debut EP Stumbling Skyward was released independently in 2005 with McAllister and O'Connell sharing main vocal duties. The...
and Motionless in White
Motionless in White
Motionless in White is an American metalcore band from Scranton, Pennsylvania. Formed in 2005, the group is known for its dark horror-themed lyrics and physical appearances, that of which heavily correspond to gothic imagery. Motionless in White is currently signed to Fearless Records and have...
, it has also been confirmed that they will as well be participating the 2011 Warped Tour
Warped Tour 2011
Warped Tour 2011 is the 17th annual Summer Warped Tour festival. Vans Shoes is again the tour's primary sponsor. The tour dates were announced on November 22, 2010, with the first official band announcement on December 8...
in its entirety. The band were a part of The Anti-Hero Tour where the group performed alongside Bleeding Through
Bleeding Through
Bleeding Through is an American metalcore band from Orange County, California. Formed in 1999, the band blends influences stemming from modern hardcore punk, symphonic black metal, and melodic death metal...
, After the Burial
After the Burial
After the Burial is an American heavy metal band from Twin Cities, Minnesota. The group is currently signed to Sumerian Records and have released two of their three full-length albums through the label...
, Stray from the Path and Dead & Divine. The tour ran from September to October. Upon Deceivers release on August 31, it charted at #97 on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
. The band is featured in the compilation album Punk Goes Pop 3
Punk Goes Pop 3
Punk Goes Pop 3 is the tenth compilation album released from the Punk Goes... series created by Fearless Records to feature covers by various artists of pop songs, and is the tenth album in the series overall...
, covering the Kanye West
Kanye West
Kanye Omari West is an American rapper, singer, and record producer. West first rose to fame as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, where he eventually achieved recognition for his work on Jay-Z's album The Blueprint, as well as hit singles for musical artists including Alicia Keys, Ludacris, and...
song "Heartless
Heartless (Kanye West song)
"Heartless" is a song by American hip hop artist Kanye West, released on November 4, 2008 digitally as the second single for his fourth studio album, 808s & Heartbreak. It debuted at the number four spot on the Billboard Hot 100 where it eventually peaked at number two and reached number-one on the...
". The song was produced by Matt Grabe
Matt Grabe
Matt Grabe is a record producer and song-writer based out of Phoenix, AZ. After graduating high school, Matt studied audio engineering at The Conservatory of Recording Arts and Sciences. Upon finishing his studies, he became a member of Equal Vision Records artist Alive In Wild Paint...
and was released on November 2, 2010. In 2011, the band also recorded a cover version of the Ozzy Osbourne
Ozzy Osbourne
John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne is an English vocalist, whose musical career has spanned over 40 years. Osbourne rose to prominence as lead singer of the pioneering English heavy metal band Black Sabbath, whose radically different, intentionally dark, harder sound helped spawn the heavy metal...
song "Over the Mountain
Over the Mountain
"Over the Mountain" is the opening track of heavy metal musician Ozzy Osbourne's album Diary of a Madman. It's one of Osbourne's most well known songs, and easily recognized by its drum introduction. This song has been released on several compilation albums. It peaked at 13 on Mainstream Rock Tracks...
". Both the "Heartless" and "Over the Mountain" covers by the band are the last recorded songs to feature bassist and founding member, Nicholas Urlacher before his departure from the group on December 27, 2010. Daniel Shapiro of Sharks Never Sleep served as a touring member for The Word Alive shortly after Urlacher's leaving. The music video for their song "2012" was released on January 17, 2011 where Shapiro is featured in its recording. Months later, still searching for a bassist and before leading into the summer of 2011, it was then decided on Shapiro becoming a permanent member of the band.
Band members
Current members- Zack Hansen — lead guitarLead guitarLead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
, backing vocalsBacking vocalistA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
(since 2008) - Tony Pizzuti — rhythm guitarRhythm guitarRhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together...
, backing vocals (since 2008) - Dusty Riach — keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
, synthesizerSynthesizerA synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
s (since 2008) - Tyler "Telle" SmithTyler "Telle" SmithTyler Smith, known also by his alias Telle, is an American musician. He is currently the lead vocalist for The Word Alive and has played in several bands, such as Greeley Estates and In Fear and Faith...
— lead vocalsLead vocalistThe lead vocalist is the member of a band who sings the main vocal portions of a song. They may also play one or more instruments. Lead vocalists are sometimes referred to as the frontman or frontwoman, and as such, are usually considered to be the "leader" of the groups they perform in, often the...
(since 2008) - Justin Salinas — drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
(since 2010) - Daniel Shapiro — bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
(since 2011)
Former members
- Nick Urlacher — bass guitar (2008–2010)
- Tony Aguilera — drums (2008–2010)
- Craig MabbittCraig MabbittCraig Edward Mabbitt is an American musician. Currently the lead vocalist for the band Escape the Fate and formerly of the bands Blessthefall and The Word Alive.-Blessthefall:...
— lead vocals (2008)
Discography
Studio albums| Title | Release date | Label | Peak chart position | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
Rock Albums | Independent Albums Independent Albums The Billboard Independent Albums is a chart of the highest-selling independent music albums and extended plays in the United States, compiled by Nielsen SoundScan and published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is used to list artists who are not signed to major labels... |
Hard Rock Albums | |||
| Deceiver Deceiver (The Word Alive album) Deceiver received generally positive reviews by many. Allmusic explained that the album "covers a lot of familiar territory. Where the album gets interesting is in the guitar acrobatics of Tony Pizzuti and Zack Hansen, who like to keep things lightning fast and intricate" and "for anyone looking... |
August 31, 2010 | Fearless Fearless Records Fearless Records is an alternative rock-oriented record label that has been signing artists since 1994. Fearless is based in Westminster, California and are best known for their early pop-punk moments captured in the Fearless Flush Sampler and Punk Bites releases, as well as additional releases by... |
97 | 37 | 15 | 14 |
Extended plays
- The Word AliveThe Word Alive (EP)The Word Alive EP was a planned EP by Arizonian metal band, The Word Alive. It was recorded with original vocalist Craig Mabbitt in 2008 and was expected to be released the same year, but Mabbitt's departure from the band led to the EP never surfacing...
(2008, self-distributed) - EmpireEmpire (EP)Empire is the second EP by American metalcore band The Word Alive. It was released on July 21, 2009 through Fearless Records, produced by Andrew Wade and charted at number 15 on Billboards Top Heatseekers. The song "Casanova Rodeo" was re-recorded from the unreleased EP along with "Inviting Eyes"...
(2009, Fearless — #15 on BillboardBillboard (magazine)Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Top HeatseekersTop HeatseekersTop Heatseekers refers to either of two separate "Breaking and Entering" music charts issued weekly by Billboard Magazine: the Heatseekers Albums chart or the Heatseekers Songs chart. They were introduced by Billboard in 1993 with the purpose of highlighting the sales by new and developing musical...
)