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.
No Way Out
The Word Alive Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Tears in my eyes, can′t go back
Tunnel vision, now all hope is missing
Thinking that I made the right decision
Then 2 turned to 4, now I've lost track
Memories flooded as it goes black
Mistakes that I′ve made, just attack, attack
When you're this lost, most don't come back
Too close with no chance to let you know
So tell me, was it worth it?
Even if you′re hurting?
I′d given in to all my darkest doubts
Like there was no way out
Tell me, was it worth it?
Maybe I deserve this?
I'd given in to all my darkest doubts
Like there was no way out
Tell my family I love them, I′m sorry
Tell my friends it's okay if they hate me
Tried so hard, came up empty
Forgive and forget isn′t like me
I never learned how I need to let go
It's all too much so swallowed the pain away
I couldn′t stay
Too close with no chance to let you know
So tell me, was it worth it?
Even if you're hurting?
I'd given in to all my darkest doubts
Like there was no way out
Tell me, was it worth it?
Maybe I deserve this?
I′d given in to all my darkest doubts
Like there was no way out
I ran away, I ran away
Lied to myself, said it was okay
I hid the pain, thinking it′d go away
Couldn't escape, I found another way
I ran away, I ran away, trying to feel something
So tell me, was it worth it?
Even if you′re hurting?
I'd given in to all my darkest doubts
Like there was no way out
So tell me, was it worth it?
Even if you′re hurting?
I'd given in to all my darkest doubts
Like there was no way out
Tell me, was it worth it?
Maybe I deserve this?
I′d given in to all my darkest doubts
Like there was no way out
No way out
No way out
The Word Alive's "No Way Out" is a passionate song with intense emotions about being stuck in a difficult situation where everything seems hopeless. The opening lines, "Stuck in a bottle, think I need that, Tears in my eyes, can't go back," suggest that the singer is dealing with a dilemma that is affecting them physically and emotionally. The chorus, "Tell me, was it worth it? Even if you're hurting? I'd given in to all my darkest doubts, Like there was no way out," portrays a person who has reached the end of their emotional rope and is looking for answers as to why things have turned out the way they have.
The lines, "Tell my family I love them, I'm sorry, Tell my friends it's okay if they hate me," show how the singer is feeling guilt and remorse about the decisions they have made. They have tried their best but ended up coming up short. The phrase, "Forgive and forget isn't like me," depicts somebody who has accepted their flaws and that they may not always make the right choices. The repetition of "No way out" emphasizes the distress that the character is feeling, emphasizing their desperation.
Line by Line Meaning
Stuck in a bottle, think I need that
Feeling trapped and needing a way to cope with difficult emotions
Tears in my eyes, can't go back
Overwhelmed with emotions and feeling regretful but unable to change the past
Tunnel vision, now all hope is missing
Feeling hopeless and unable to see a way forward
Thinking that I made the right decision
Initially believing in a decision that has now proven to be a mistake
Then 2 turned to 4, now I've lost track
Making one bad decision after another and losing control
Memories flooded as it goes black
Feeling overwhelmed as negative memories and emotions take over
Mistakes that I've made, just attack, attack
Being constantly bombarded by thoughts of past mistakes
When you're this lost, most don't come back
Feeling utterly lost and unsure if there is a way back from this state of mind
Too close with no chance to let you know
Wanting to express oneself to someone but feeling unable to do so
So tell me, was it worth it?
Asking if the mistakes and pain were worth it in the end
Even if you're hurting?
Wondering if others are also hurting because of one's actions
I'd given in to all my darkest doubts
Giving in to negative thoughts and emotions that cloud judgment
Like there was no way out
Feeling trapped and hopeless, as if there is no way forward
Tell my family I love them, I'm sorry
Expressing love and remorse to loved ones
Tell my friends it's okay if they hate me
Acknowledging the possible consequences of one's actions and trying to make amends
Tried so hard, came up empty
Putting in a lot of effort but still feeling like a failure
Forgive and forget isn't like me
Having difficulty letting go of past mistakes and forgiving oneself
I never learned how I need to let go
Struggling to learn how to move on and let go of past mistakes
It's all too much so swallowed the pain away
Feeling overwhelmed by emotions and trying to cope through unhealthy means
I couldn't stay
Unable to handle the pain and wanting to escape the situation
I ran away, I ran away
Trying to escape from the problems and pain
Lied to myself, said it was okay
Denying one's true feelings and pretending everything is okay
I hid the pain, thinking it'd go away
Trying to ignore the pain and hoping it will disappear
Couldn't escape, I found another way
Unable to escape through healthy means, so resorted to unhealthy ones
Trying to feel something
Desperately seeking any form of emotional stimulation, even if negative
No way out
Feeling trapped and hopeless, as if there is no way forward
Writer(s): Erik Ron, Anthony Pizzuti, Zack Hansen, Matthew Horn, Tyler Smith
Contributed by London Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
The Word Alive
THANK YOU FOR LISTENING AND SHARING YOUR STORIES WITH US!
We can’t wait to share the of the album with you =>
Dxth Cvbb
I love you guys, is there any songs like my enemy on monomania?
DyKaiowyn Kincaid
Did Linkin Park influence you
Imperfectmyst
love it
David Restom
The Word Alive miss the life cycle sound
Wendell Luan
I am so proud of your hard working! Can't wait to see you again in Brazil. Love y'all
telletwa
Honestly the love on this song and video really have me in my feelings because this song is easily the most important lyrically of my entire life. Thankful to be here to share with anybody who needs to hear it =>
Josh Dean
This song hits deep it's so Beautiful
I really can't wait for the album
I know it's going to be wonderful!
Jennapurr
Def needed. Thank you 🙏🏻 🔥❤ =>
Benjamin Ramsey
Love you so much Telle. Always killing it🤘🤘