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 bandās 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, āEpiphanyā 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 āThe Hounds of Anubisā, 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.
Red Clouds
The Word Alive Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Chased desert dreams in hopes I'm not forgotten
I told myself that I was doing the right thing
Faked everything, faked everything I'm not
Red clouds come down
Won't you take me away?
Won't you take me away?
I remember how badly I wanted to be here
Now I'm just scared
Unveiled destiny
Miles apart from me
I told myself that I was doing the right thing
Faked everything, faked everything I'm not
Red clouds come down
Won't you take me away?
Red clouds all around
Won't you take me away?
'Cause sometimes it takes a little bit of leaving
To find, to find some meaning
Red clouds come down
Won't you take me away
Won't you take me away
My intention to be better than you thought I could be
Ended up getting caught up in the life I never thought I ever would be
They say they told me so
But how could I have ever known
Well now I know better
I'll never be your prisoner
I hoped you knew me better
I am my own prisoner
Red clouds come down
Won't you take me away?
Red clouds all around
Won't you take me away?
'Cause sometimes it takes a little bit of leaving
To find, to find some meaning
Red clouds come down
Won't you take me away
Won't you take me away
The lyrics to "Red Clouds" by The Word Alive speak to the desire to be someone else, to chase dreams that may not belong to the individual. The first few lines speak to the struggle of trying to be someone else or live a life that is not truly yours, hoping to be remembered in a certain way. The next few lines show the struggle of trying to maintain that facade and fake persona, admitting to oneself that they are not being their true self.
The chorus of the song asks for the red clouds to come and take the person away, possibly representing a desire to escape the current situation or life they have created for themselves. The bridge of the song seems to acknowledge the mistakes the person has made in trying to be someone else or live a life not meant for them, but now realizing they can be their own person and not live as a prisoner to others' expectations.
Overall, the lyrics to "Red Clouds" convey the struggle of finding one's own identity and purpose in life, and the consequences of not living authentically. It's a powerful message that many people can relate to, and the music helps to drive it home with its intense and emotional sound.
Line by Line Meaning
The drive to be someone you're not
The urge to present oneself as someone different from who they are.
Chased desert dreams in hopes I'm not forgotten
Pursued aspirations in the hope that they will not be left behind or forgotten.
I told myself that I was doing the right thing
Convinced oneself that they were making the correct decision.
Faked everything, faked everything I'm not
Pretended to be someone they truly are not in order to meet the expectations of others.
Red clouds come down
The arrival of ominous red clouds.
Won't you take me away?
Asking for an escape from the current situation.
Red clouds all around
The presence of ominous red clouds surrounding them.
'Cause sometimes it takes a little bit of leaving
Because sometimes, getting away or leaving is necessary.
To find, to find some meaning
In order to find purpose or direction.
I remember how badly I wanted to be here
Recalling how intensely they had desired to be in their current position or situation.
Now I'm just scared
An expression of fear or apprehension now that they have arrived.
Unveiled destiny
Revealed fate, often with a sense of inevitability.
Miles apart from me
A great physical and emotional distance from their ultimate destiny.
My intention to be better than you thought I could be
A desire to surpass others' expectations of them.
Ended up getting caught up in the life I never thought I ever would be
Finding oneself unexpectedly in a lifestyle they never imagined.
They say they told me so
Others claiming that they had predicted such an outcome.
But how could I have ever known
Feeling as if they could not have foreseen the outcome.
Well now I know better
Having learned and grown from the experience.
I'll never be your prisoner
Declaring that they will not be trapped or controlled by others' expectations.
I hoped you knew me better
Expressing a hope that others could see them for who they truly are.
I am my own prisoner
Claiming ownership of their own life and destiny.
Won't you take me away?
Repeating the plea for escape from earlier in the song.
Lyrics Ā© CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Tony Pizzutti, Tyler Smith, Zack Hansen, Matt Horn, Ryan Daminson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@samueljonathandasilvaperei1027
Even after 10 years, I'm still impressed by the quality of their music., one of my favorite bands ever.
@GhostKillerEntertainment
Been following this band since their EP, Empire and I love everything this band has come out with! Canāt wait for Violent Noise to come out!
@paulflint6254
same
@xxghostxx7
I follow them since their MySpace demos with Criag Mabbit , can't wait for the new album .
@ladygaara8
Me too and I love everything theyĀ“ve created, they never disappoint me.
@countdabulous7105
I've listened to them since they had Craig on vocals way way wayyyy back in the day, but if I have to be honest, everything after Life Cycles was kind of meh to me. I loved the raw sound of the Empire EP and I thought the guitar tone on life cycles was a little weird, but I still jammed it. It's been hard for me to get into anything they put out after that stuff tho. Always a supporter either way!
@darn0220
Same here
@MrKYLEforAwhile
These heavy parts are fucking insane
@jod4402
They've been MASSIVELY underrated their whole career.
@NikNocturnal
The Word Alive never disappoints <3