The Word Alive Cycles Through Life
The setting: Arizona toward the end of the aughts. The “post-hardcore” scene was in its early infancy, and bands around the country were experimenting with new sounds and things that had never been done before. Bands like Jimmy Eat World and The Bled had put Arizona in the map in a mainstream way, but the post-hardcore scene had not yet found its footing. Enter The Word Alive.
The Word Alive started in 2008 in Phoenix, when Arizona post-hardcore legend Craig Mabbitt decided he wanted to start yet another new band to take the world by storm and recruited some friends from the Phoenix area, Zack Hansen and Tony Pizzuti, to play together. Soon after forming The Word Alive, Mabbitt became a full-time member of Escape the Fate, and Hansen, Pizzuti, and the other members wanted to focus on growing The Word Alive’s presence. They replaced Mabbitt with Tyler “Telle” Smith, who was a prominent vocalist in the scene. Smith, Hansen, and Pizzuti got to work on writing new music and touring the country. Fearless Records signed them in 2009 and soon after released their EP Empire. After touring nonstop, the band slowed down to record their first full-length album, Deceiver, and from then on The Word Alive took over the scene.
The Word Alive toured frequently and became a well-known part of the Fearless Records roster, touring on the “Fearless Friends” tour in 2011 and releasing six full-length albums with the label. In 2020 the band parted ways with Fearless in order to focus on their future and their new sounds. In 2021 they also parted ways with Pizzuti, leaving Smith and Hansen as the only remaining longtime members of the band.
When the events of 2020 turned the world upside down, The Word Alive kept their spirits up by writing and recording new songs. Their newest album, Monomania, experiments with a more accessible sound, focusing more on clean vocals and melodies as opposed to harder guitars and screaming their first albums highlighted. Though not fully in the post-hardcore scene, The Word Alive still sticks to their roots in a few of their songs by highlighting Smith’s vocal range, from singing to screaming (but for only a few bars).
The band is currently touring and celebrating the 10-year anniversary of their second full-length album, Life Cycles. Catch them on Saturday, September 17, at 191 Toole with Dayseeker. For more information visit https://www.191toole.com/.
Category: The Scoop
