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.
Broken Circuit
The Word Alive Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Why the fuck did you think I'd just take it?
All the things you said to break me, I faked it!
All I have to say
I don't know you, and you don't know what I've been through
Not enough (they always told me)
They were wrong (don't ever listen)
They are wrong
When everyone thinks you've had enough
It's your turn, you can't give in
Just remember to shout "I won't give up"
"I won't give up"
Did you think I'd just lay down and die
My rule's an eye for an eye
I can't believe you thought I'd listen to you
I've made mistakes but I'm no fool
Not enough, they always told me
I'm no one, I never will be
They were wrong, don't ever listen
They are wrong
When everyone thinks you've had enough
It's your turn, you can't give in
Just remember to shout "I won't give up"
"I won't give up"
I know why
You always feel weak it's too hard to fight
I see why
But it's now or never take back your life
It's a fight! Are you with me?
Taking back our lives
From the thieves who've robbed our minds
It's a fight! I'm taking back what's rightfully mine
It's a fight! No escape, no regrets
I'm not giving up this time
When everyone thinks you've had enough
It's your turn, you can't give in
Just remember to shout "I won't give up"
"I won't give up"
I know why
You always feel weak it's too hard to fight
I see why
But it's now or never take back your life
Take back your life!
The lyrics to Broken Circuit by The Word Alive is an anthem of empowerment and resilience. The first verse starts off with the singer challenging the person they are addressing why they thought they could break them. The singer acknowledges that the person said things to hurt them, but they didn't let it break them. The chorus repeats the phrase "I won't give up" as a reminder to not give in when everyone thinks you've had enough. The second verse emphasizes that the singer won't back down, and they won't listen to anyone who says they're not enough. The bridge encourages the listener to fight back and take back their life from the people who have robbed their minds. The song concludes with the singer reiterating that they understand how hard it is to fight back, but it's essential to take back your life now or never.
Overall, the lyrics to Broken Circuit are upbeat and inspiring, encouraging listeners to push back against negativity and take control of their lives. The song's message is a reminder of the importance of resilience in life.
Line by Line Meaning
Look into my eyes
Listen closely and pay attention to what I am about to say
Why the fuck did you think I'd just take it?
Why did you assume I would accept the situation without a fight?
All the things you said to break me, I faked it!
I acted like your hurtful words didn't affect me, but they did
All I have to say
This is my response to all of your negativity
I don't know you, and you don't know what I've been through
You have no right to judge me because you don't understand my experiences
Not enough (they always told me)
People constantly told me that I wasn't good enough
I'm no one (I never will be)
I was made to feel like I am insignificant and will never achieve anything
They were wrong (don't ever listen)
Their words were untrue and I should not have believed them
They are wrong
Their negative opinions and criticisms of me are still incorrect
When everyone thinks you've had enough
When people believe that you can no longer handle the situation
It's your turn, you can't give in
It's time to take action and not let the situation defeat me
Just remember to shout "I won't give up"
I need to keep fighting and not give up
"I won't give up"
This is my declaration of resilience and determination
Did you think I'd just lay down and die
Did you expect me to give up and accept defeat?
My rule's an eye for an eye
I will not back down and will retaliate
I can't believe you thought I'd listen to you
I refuse to listen to your negative words and actions
I've made mistakes but I'm no fool
I acknowledge my mistakes, but that doesn't mean I am unintelligent
I know why
I understand the reason behind certain feelings and actions
You always feel weak it's too hard to fight
You constantly feel drained and unable to overcome obstacles
I see why
I understand your struggles and empathize with your situation
But it's now or never take back your life
It's time to seize the opportunity to regain control of your life
It's a fight! Are you with me?
Are you ready to join me in the battle ahead?
Taking back our lives
We are reclaiming our autonomy and steering our lives in the right direction
From the thieves who've robbed our minds
We are breaking free from the people and circumstances that have hindered our mental health
I'm taking back what's rightfully mine
I am fighting for what belongs to me and taking control of my life
No escape, no regrets
We cannot escape the fight, but we have no regrets about standing up for ourselves
I'm not giving up this time
I am refusing to surrender or give up, no matter how difficult the situation may become
Take back your life!
This is a call to action, urging you to take control of your life and not let others determine your path
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: TYLER SMITH, ZACK HANSEN, ANTHONY JOHN JR. PIZZUTI, LUKE DANIEL HOLLAND, DANIEL HARRISON SHAPIRO, ERIK RON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
DraculaXHunter101
That solo, Oh my God.
Still probably the most underatted song The Word Alive has ever written.
Didn't really start to like this one til recently. But now, This is my favorite song off real.
Scott Lucas
One of my favorites off the album, a lot of power and just a great rhythm all the way through. Love the experimentation
Jonah Zook
This is honestly my favorite song by The Word Alive
.::METAL.MATT::...:
TWA never fails to move me with their heavy but meaningful music. Props to my favorite then-local but now national band! \,,/
Astro
First song I ever listened to from them.....
Me fucking gusta c:
Justin Whisenant
Me super fucking gusta!!!
Agustín Alvia
Este álbum es genial.
Connor Beck
This song along with Floorboards by Oceans Ate Alaska got me into metalcore when I was 15 🖤
Jakekhaos7
Their lyrics and music style are the reason why they are my all time favorite keep it up guys :)
Job Maciel
I remember that I started in the Metal world with this band and the Deceiver's songs. I forget this group a lot. I was watching videos from Crown The Empire and then I found this. I'm in love again with their style, their songs, etc. This is so awesome. I love The Word Alive lml