The Word Alive was founded in 2008 by Craig Mabbitt (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.
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 Records. 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.
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.
In April 2010, The Word Alive entered the studio in Ocala, Florida with Andrew Wade to record their debut full-length album, Deceiver. 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.
By November of 2011, the band made plans to return to the studio on February 7, 2012 with Joey Sturgis to begin recording their next album, with an expected recording session lasting from that time until mid-March. However by February (and before the date of entering the studio), the announcement of two members leaving occurred; keyboardist, Dusty Riach and drummer, Justin Salinas were simultaneously confirmed to no longer be a part of the band. Salinas stated his reason was because he grew tired of touring, although Riach's reason was preferred to be kept silent.
In regards to the band's second studio album, it was reported that 17 songs were recorded in its process. 13 of those will be on the standard edition of the album, while the another three will be included on the deluxe edition. The name of the album will be Life Cycles and both editions will be released the same day.On March 23rd of the year, the group issued a statement that 18-year old Arizona resident Luke Holland has joined as the new drummer, however, Holland was not included for the recording sessions of Life Cycles. The drumming for the record was done by a friend of the band named Matt Horn wherein Holland joined after these sessions were already completed.
On March 18, 2014, the band released a new single entitled "Play the Victim." Along with the song, they also announced their third full-length album Real. would be released on June 10. The album would be the first to feature Luke Holland on drums.
The band released their fourth album, Dark Matter, on March 18, 2016. The band also revealed the tracklist and a headlining North American tour with support from Fit for a King and Out Came the Wolves. The album's lead single, "Trapped", was released January 8.
In November 2016, Luke Holland announced he would be leaving the band at the end of 2016 after finishing their last tour of the year to pursue other musical endeavors. In February 2017, the band announced that Matt Horn would be taking Holland's place as drummer. Shortly after, a new single "Misery" was released.
On August 7, 2017, The Word Alive and Daniel Shapiro mutually announced they were parting ways due to a "new musical adventure" of Shapiro's. The next day, The Word Alive announced that they would be joining I Prevail on their Rage on the Stage Tour along with We Came as Romans & Escape the Fate.
Astral Plane
The Word Alive Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I don't understand how I've returned
I have seen where this takes me
I didn't choose this path
Take me home
I've found the road
Take me home
I've found my home
Take me to a better place
Where I'm who I was born to be
This wasn't what I envisioned
I'm not who I know I'm Supposed to be
I've searched and searched, I've laid awake at night
I've walked through the darkness
I've ran to the light
I've ran to the light
And there was nothing there but questions I had
With answers I couldn't find
Have I lost my mind?
Is this all there is left to life?
Is this all there is?
Is this it?
Is this all there is left to life?
Take me home
The Word Alive's song Astral Plane is about the feeling of being lost, like wandering aimlessly in an unfamiliar place. The opening lines, "And I have been here before, I don't understand how I've returned," evoke a sense of uncertainty and confusion. The singer is grappling with the feeling that their life is not what they had imagined, and they are not who they are meant to be. They feel like they are searching for something that they cannot quite identify. This is reflected in the lines, "Take me to a better place, where I'm who I was born to be, this wasn't what I envisioned, I'm not who I know I'm supposed to be."
The repetition of "take me home" throughout the song conveys the longing for a sense of belonging and familiarity. There is a yearning for a place where they can be themselves and feel like they fit in. The final lines of the song, "Is this all there is left to life? Is this it? Is this all there is left to life? Take me home," encapsulate this feeling of dissatisfaction and the desire for something more.
Overall, Astral Plane is a powerful exploration of the human experience of feeling lost and searching for a sense of identity and belonging.
Line by Line Meaning
And I have been here before
I've experienced this situation previously
I don't understand how I've returned
I'm confused about how I ended up back here
I have seen where this takes me
I know where this path leads
I didn't choose this path
This is not the route I wanted to take
Take me home
Bring me back to where I belong
I've found the road
I've discovered the way to get back home
Take me to a better place
Transports me to an improved state of mind
Where I'm who I was born to be
Where I can fully comprehend and embrace my true self
This wasn't what I envisioned
This isn't what I planned or expected
I'm not who I know I'm supposed to be
I don't feel like I'm fulfilling my potential or purpose
I've searched and searched, I've laid awake at night
I've exhausted myself trying to find answers
I've walked through the darkness
I've gone through tough times and uncertainty
I've ran to the light
I've tried to find hope and positivity
And there was nothing there but questions I had
I found myself with more questions instead of answers
With answers I couldn't find
There were no explanations or solutions
Have I lost my mind?
Am I going crazy?
Is this all there is left to life?
Is this the only thing that life has to offer?
Is this all there is?
Is this the extent of what I can experience?
Take me home
Bring me back to where I belong
I've found my home
I found the place where I belong and feel complete
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ANTHONY PIZZUTI, ANTHONY JOHN JR. PIZZUTI, DANIEL SHAPIRO, DANIEL HARRISON SHAPIRO, TYLER SMITH, ZACK HANSEN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Mother Cat
And I have been here before
I don't understand how I've returned
I have seen where this takes me
I didn't choose this path
Take me home
I've found the road
Take me home
Take me home
I've found my home
Take me to a better place
Where I'm who I was born to be
This wasn't what I envisioned
I'm not who I know I'm Supposed to be
I've searched and searched, I've laid awake at night
I've walked through the darkness
I've ran to the light
I've ran to the light
And there was nothing there but questions I had
With answers I couldn't find
Have I lost my mind?
Is this all there is left to life?
Is this all there is?
Is this it?
Is this all there is left to life?
Take me home
David Coelho
Still hearing this music in 2020. What a masterpiece
Kyle Bernat
2022 pushing into 2023 and still hearing it lol I ain’t even mad
David Coelho
@Kyle Bernat same mate. Still here hearing it from time to time
GuitarIsLife1111
I wish this song was like 90 minutes long. With different chord progressions and lyrics…. The feeling of this song is just too good and deep.. I have listened to it at least 20 times today…
Michael Peltier
agree 100%
Mary Joana
True 🖤
Mother Cat
And I have been here before
I don't understand how I've returned
I have seen where this takes me
I didn't choose this path
Take me home
I've found the road
Take me home
Take me home
I've found my home
Take me to a better place
Where I'm who I was born to be
This wasn't what I envisioned
I'm not who I know I'm Supposed to be
I've searched and searched, I've laid awake at night
I've walked through the darkness
I've ran to the light
I've ran to the light
And there was nothing there but questions I had
With answers I couldn't find
Have I lost my mind?
Is this all there is left to life?
Is this all there is?
Is this it?
Is this all there is left to life?
Take me home
Kassidy Redd
this song makes me feel so calm, yet sickeningly sad at the same time.
its amazing. how you can drown in your thoughts.
Jordan Urquidy
This deserves way more views seriously.
Luiz Felipe
i can't explain what i feel when i listen this!!