The Word Alive – Real (Album review)

Phoenix, AZ metalcore act The Word Alive have released their third album Real, which could not be more appropriately named. The group formed in 2008, and since that time, they have worked tirelessly to form a close bond and connection within their fan base. They have proven they are a group that will spend a considerable amount of time meeting fans, signing merchandise, and taking pictures at shows. Their attitude and dedication back the album title, Real, perfectly because they absolutely are a “real” group of guys that genuinely care about the music they make and those who support them.  Released on Fearless Records, Real sees the band teaming up with producers Cameron Mizell (Memphis May Fire, Sleeping With Sirens) and John Feldman (The Used, Story of the Year, Black Veil Brides). Their hard work, combined with skills and talents each member brings to the group, resonates loudly on Real and making it a highly anticipated album for adoring fans.

“Play The Victim” is the first song off of Real and it comes with a very important message. The song addresses a certain type of person that always needs to be a victim and gain other people’s attention and sympathy. The group tries to convey the message that people should be happy with themselves and worry about themselves not other people. Frontman Telle Smith even goes as far as saying “if you’re hurting people, you really need to make a change” when talking about the song, which is a crucial life lesson to address through music. The song has a heavy beat and fantastic clean and unclean vocals, which are sure to make it a crowd favorite at shows.

The next song, “Never Forget” is a beautifully written song created to honor the memory of Mitch Lucker, former frontman for Suicide Silence, who passed away in 2012. The song both honors Lucker’s memory and celebrates his life and all he lived for. Throughout the song The Word Alive beautifully expresses the emotions many felt after Lucker’s death. Lyrics such as “Now all your love, they sing your songs. It’s in memories, that you’ll live on” depict the heartfelt emotion of those who worked with Lucker and those who supported him and Suicide Silence. The timing of the song could not have been more perfect with Suicide Silence’s re-emergence into creating music and live performances. The song is a beautiful tribute to a man who has become an icon in the genre and whose legacy and love will live on.

Following is the first single released off the album titled “Lighthouse”. The song explains wonderfully the dedication the band has to their fans and towards being a positive influence in their lives through music. Musically, it is on the softer side of the album as Smith sings heartfelt clean vocals throughout most of the song. The guitar work by Tony Pizzuti and Zack Hansen in this song, and all throughout Real, showcases their skill and ability to trade off on rifts and chords with grace and precision.

Throughout the album the entire group showcases their skills and talents both individually and as a group to create both melodic and heavy music with excellence in changing between sounds effortlessly. Luke Holland does an exceptional job on drumming, reaffirming why he has received recognition for his craft, including his most recent nomination as drummer of the year for the AP Music Awards. Dan Shapiro does a phenomenal job on the bass demonstrating his skill and ability to transition between sounds effortlessly. Hansen and Pizzuti transition between leads and rifts with easy showing their commitment and dedication to music and their ability to play multiple roles within the band. Real is an expertly written and recorded album mixing songs that range from upbeat songs that fans can sing along to when they are happy to purely heavy songs when they are annoyed; it covers every emotion through the lyrics and supporting music.. It will be quite exciting to see where they go from here! CrypticRock gives Real 5 out of 5 stars

Fearless Records