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.
Play The Victim
The Word Alive Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The one who plays the victim
Working on your latest tragedy
When you should want to fix it
You don't understand and
You won't listen!
Why do we do what we do?
(We hurt the ones we love, the ones we love!)
When, when will it end?
We do it to ourselves!
(We hurt the ones we love, the ones we love!)
I'm not the one you should be worried about
You're so lost, you're so lost
Why does nothing seems to get through you?
These are your problems, there's nothing I can do!
(There's nothing I can do!)
You don't understand it
You won't listen
Why do we do what we do?
We do it to ourselves!
(We hurt the ones we love, the ones we love!)
When, when will it end?
We do it to ourselves!
(To ourselves!)
Knowing your tears are make believe
That's snowflakes in the summer
It just doesn't add up, it just doesn't add up
Like icicles in spring
Wake up! Wake up!
And see the truth!
I'm not like you!
Why do we do what we do?
We do it to ourselves!
(We hurt the ones we love, the ones we love!)
When, when will it end?
We do it to ourselves!
(We hurt the ones we love, the ones we love!)
Why do we do what we do?
We do it to our
Why do we do what we do?
We do it to ourselves!
We do it to our
The interpretation of The Word Alive’s song, “Play the Victim” revolves around the subject of individuals who seek attention and sympathy by continually victimizing themselves. The lyrics point out that these individuals are so fixated on their own problems that they become unable to recognize the pain they inflict on their loved ones. The first lines point towards the person who regularly crumbles and portrays themselves as the victim. They work on fabricating their latest “tragedy,” seeking the sympathy of others who they believe should fix it for them. However, they fail to realize the harm they cause to themselves and others.
The chorus reflects the darkness of the situation presented in the song, and draws attention to the self-destructive tendencies of those who play the victim’s role. The repetition of the phrase “We do it to ourselves” indicates that the person creating the drama brings it upon themselves, becoming their own worst enemy. The line also reflects the cyclical reality of these individuals, who repeat the same behavior over and over again, unable to escape their own pattern of self-victimization.
The second verse highlights the frustration felt by the singer, who has grown tired of dealing with the person’s constant negativity. The singer recognizes the emotional burden that comes with the role of a support system for someone stuck in their own pattern of self-destructive behavior. The lyrics “These are your problems, there's nothing I can do!” emphasize that the responsibility lies solely with the person who cannot break free from their self-victimizing behavior.
Line by Line Meaning
You're the one who always falls apart
You consistently have emotional breakdowns
The one who plays the victim
You act like others are to blame for your problems
Working on your latest tragedy
You focus on your latest negative situation instead of finding a solution
When you should want to fix it
You should try to solve the problem instead of just complaining about it
You don't understand and
You fail to comprehend others' perspectives and
You won't listen!
You refuse to hear what others are saying to help you
Why do we do what we do?
Why do we sabotage ourselves?
We do it to ourselves!
We bring our own problems on ourselves
(We hurt the ones we love, the ones we love!)
We end up hurting those closest to us
When, when will it end?
When will we stop hurting ourselves this way?
I'm not the one you should be worried about
You should focus on your own problems instead of blaming and worrying about others
You're so lost, you're so lost
You are disoriented and don't know what to do
Why does nothing seems to get through you?
Why can't you accept others help or suggestions?
These are your problems, there's nothing I can do!
You have to take responsibility for finding a solution to your own problems
(There's nothing I can do!)
Nobody else can solve your problems for you, you have to do that yourself
Knowing your tears are make believe
Realizing that your emotions are not genuine
That's snowflakes in the summer
It's not possible, it doesn't make sense
It just doesn't add up, it just doesn't add up
Your behavior doesn't make sense or align with what's happening
Like icicles in spring
It's an impossible, absurd scenario
Wake up! Wake up!
Snap out of this self-destructive behavior!
And see the truth!
Realize the reality of the situation
I'm not like you!
I don't behave in this destructive way
We do it to our
We bring our own problems on ourselves
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ANTHONY JOHN JR. PIZZUTI, DANIEL HARRISON SHAPIRO, ERIK RON, LUKE HOLLAND, LUKE DANIEL HOLLAND, TONY PIZZUTI, TYLER SMITH, ZACK HANSEN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Carl
One of the very few bands that has become "softer" and actually still writes really good music. Keep doing what you're doing TWA.
Kyle Funderburk
Yeah, lyrically they've improved which is saying something because they've always had some of the best lyrics in the genre. Most bands begin to have very generic lyrics after a while.
BennyPaddyCake
this comment didn't age well xD
yucksuan
Here's my unpopular opinion:
I actually think this is one of the best mixes I've ever heard in this genre. Drums sound real and not too overpowering like other bands and the bass is audible for once.
Derek Chandler
I wouldn't say it's the best, but everyone has suddenly jumped on the bandwagon of "Cameron Mizell is the worst producer" but I like it. It's different than Sturgis and don't get me wrong, I love Stugis' shit, but I like Mizell quite a bit too. I'd really like to know where everyone got their sudden knowledge on sound engineering. But hey, the song's incredible, so I'll just listen to it and stop worrying so much about others opinions and support what I like.
Ren Caim
Derek Chandler Cameron's one of my favorite's. I don't know why he would get shit for it. Plus he's not the only one to produce on this album. John Feldmann of Goldfinger worked on this album too.
Bunnies With Knives
I agree with you. People are complaining about the volume of the vocals during the verses being too low. I think it's better if we get to hear the other instruments better, seeing as (honestly) the lyrics aren't that great. Drums guitar and bass however are sweet.
TheAbstractHero
I agree on the audible bass part for sure. I never really appreciated bass and bassists until I branched out and started to listen to old school metal bands, and thrash bands. Now when I come back to metalcore bands, Many songs just feel empty.
XZYLO
It's just the vocals, if they raised them just a tad. Especially the screams. This mix would be perfect. The drums sound insanely good.
Chris Watts
I've listened to this band so much over the past couple of years. . and I must say they never seize to amaze me. . This is simply beautiful, perfect. . and unlike other bands i've loved,,, (Linkin Park, All that Remains, Five Finger Death Punch, New Miss may I etc.) they haven't sold out their sound. . they stick to the solid foundation that they built this band off of. Its glorious singing and screaming, with beyond epic instrumentals going on. If you cant respect this song/band as a metal fan, then you don't even know what metal truly is. \m/(-_-)\m/