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.
The Hounds of Anubis
The Word Alive Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
All around me falls the ruins of my enemies.
You can't control me.
Or can you not see?
You can't control me.
It's time to admit defeat.
When I speak, you listen to me.
And all we need is a release, a reason to be and a fight in which we believe.
We are the ones who save ourselves, don't think these walls will keep us out.
Don't abandon, don't abandon what we've started.
'Cause I believe in you.
In fighting for whatever I have to.
You tremble and grow weak.
It'll take everything you have just to breathe.
You're begging, you're begging, "Let me out!".
You're begging, you're begging, plead for mercy.
You'll beg, you'll beg, you'll scream.
Fall to your knees.
You've failed me for the last time.
What's yours is mine.
Because I'm taking over.
And all we need is a release, a reason to be and a fight in which we believe.
We are the ones who save ourselves, don't think these walls will keep us out.
Don't abandon, don't abandon what we've started.
'Cause I believe in you.
In fighting for whatever I have to.
(Don't abandon what we've started).
'Cause I believe in you, in fighting for whatever I have to.
The lyrics of The Hounds of Anubis by The Word Alive describe a sense of power and control amidst an environment in chaos. The singer claims to be "the king of the world," but the world around them is falling apart. The use of the phrase "my enemies" suggests that the chaos may be a result of a struggle for power, as other forces attempt to undermine their authority. However, the singer remains unshaken in their confidence, proclaiming that they cannot be controlled.
As the song progresses, the lyrics become more aggressive, with the singer asserting their dominance over those who oppose them. The lines "You've failed me for the last time. What's yours is mine. Because I'm taking over" suggest that they have overcome their adversaries and are now seizing control. However, the lyrics also suggest a sense of empathy, as the singer urges their allies to stay committed and fight alongside them. They believe in their ability to overcome challenges and achieve their goals.
Overall, The Hounds of Anubis portrays a tumultuous environment in which power struggles and chaos reign. However, the singer remains confident in their ability to lead and inspire their allies to achieve their purpose.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm the king of the world, and it's crumbling down*
Around me falls the ruins of my enemies.
You can't control me.
Can you not see? It's time to admit defeat.
Or can you not see?
You can't control me. It's time to admit defeat.
When I speak, you listen to me.
Listen to me when I speak.
And all we need is a release, a reason to be and a fight in which we believe.
We need an opportunity to fight for what we believe in and a reason to do so.
We are the ones who save ourselves, don't think these walls will keep us out.
We are capable of saving ourselves and will not be held back by barriers.
Don't abandon, don't abandon what we've started.
Don't give up on what we have begun.
'Cause I believe in you.
I have faith in you.
In fighting for whatever I have to.
I will fight for whatever I need to.
You tremble and grow weak.
You become fearful and feeble.
It'll take everything you have just to breathe.
You will struggle even to draw breath.
You're begging, you're begging, "Let me out!".
You plead to be released.
You're begging, you're begging, plead for mercy.
You plead for mercy.
You'll beg, you'll beg, you'll scream.
You will beg and scream.
Fall to your knees.
Kneel in submission.
You've failed me for the last time.
This is the final time that you have disappointed me.
What's yours is mine.
I am taking what is yours.
Because I'm taking over.
I am assuming control.
'Cause I believe in you, in fighting for whatever I have to.
I have faith in you and will fight for whatever I need to. Don't abandon what we've started.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ANTHONY PIZZUTI, ANTHONY JOHN JR. PIZZUTI, DUSTY RIACH, JUSTIN SALINAS, JUSTIN DAVID SALINAS, MARK ANTHONY PIZZUTI, NICK URLACHER, TYLER SMITH, ZACK HANSEN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@That0PENMindedKiD
Miss this metalcore sound.
@discscscs
Ye
@tearduxlama5315
for a good like few seconds telle in a pentakill song called conq and its pretty similar to this, brings back memories
@peterwild4596
Facts bro
@leviknight9715
bro I'm pushing 30 and this shit still slaps
@chuckster9214
Its 2020 and this song still makes my neck hurt
@doomedstruggler
If you like lullabies
@nathanlewis5087
13 years.. this songs a teen. Still bangs.
@LorenDrums3
I can air guitar the shit out of this song.
@KrisMIW91
I was 20 when this was released, im going to be 31 in 2 weeks...I still, STILL find this song a masterpiece