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 Only Rule Is That There Are No Rules
The Word Alive Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm not holding back now so let the games begin
My bones are breaking from
The weight of the world on my shoulders
I heard all of them say "you've sold your soul"
Now all that's left is the pain
You've destroyed us all
You've destroyed everything I know,
All the shame, all the pain that you have caused
My heart can't beat (my heart can't beat)
All the fights, all the lies you put me through
It's your disease
Go ahead, blame everything on the ones who forgive
Blame everything on the ones who forgive
All the shame, all the pain that you have caused
My heart can't beat (my heart can't beat)
All the fights, all the lies you put me through
It's your disease
You take
You take
And you
You take
You take
You take the life out of me
(I'm done)
I thought that love was bigger than you hate
I thought that love could change your heart, but I was wrong
All the shame, all the pain that you have caused
My heart can't beat (I've let go)
All the fights, all the lies you put me through
It's your disease (I was wrong)
All the shame, all the pain that you have caused
My heart can't beat (I've let go)
All the fights, all the lies you put me through
It's your disease
I'm done with this!
The lyrics to The Word Alive's song The Only Rule Is That There Are No Rules depict the singer standing up to someone who has caused them great pain and anguish. The opening lines set a confrontational tone, with the singer warning their antagonist that they are not holding back and that the "games" are about to begin. The next lines reveal the extent of the singer's suffering, with their bones feeling as if they are breaking under the weight of the world on their shoulders. The antagonist is revealed to have sold their soul, and the singer is left with nothing but pain.
The chorus repeats the themes of shame, pain, fights, and lies. The singer seems to want to blame their antagonist but recognizes that forgiving them may be the only way to move forward. As the song progresses, the singer becomes more and more resolute in their convictions, declaring that they are done with this.
The overall theme of The Only Rule Is That There Are No Rules is one of standing up to someone who has caused great pain and suffering. The lyrics explore the emotions of shame, anger, and pain, but ultimately, the singer realizes that forgiveness may be the only way to move on. The song is a cathartic release of emotion, with the singer reclaiming their power and refusing to let their antagonist control them anymore.
Line by Line Meaning
So you think you're safe now, well think again
You believed the coast was clear, but it's not
I'm not holding back now so let the games begin
I'm ready to take action and face the consequences
My bones are breaking from
The weight of the world on my shoulders
I feel exhausted and overwhelmed from carrying the burden of the world on my shoulders
I heard all of them say "you've sold your soul"
People have accused me of compromising my values
Now all that's left is the pain
I'm left with nothing but agony
You've destroyed us all
Your actions have caused destruction for everyone involved
You've destroyed everything I know,
But I've lived through it
You've ruined everything I held dear, but I survived it
All the shame, all the pain that you have caused
My heart can't beat (my heart can't beat)
You have caused me so much emotional pain that it's affecting my physical well-being
All the fights, all the lies you put me through
It's your disease
Your deceitful behavior and constant conflict is a reflection of your own internal struggles
Go ahead, blame everything on the ones who forgive
Blame everything on the ones who forgive
You're blaming those who showed you kindness and compassion for the issues you've caused
You take
You take
And you
You take
You take
You take the life out of me
Your actions drain the life out of me and leave me feeling powerless
(I'm done)
I thought that love was bigger than you hate
I thought that love could change your heart, but I was wrong
I've reached my breaking point and realized that my belief in the power of love was misguided
All the shame, all the pain that you have caused
My heart can't beat (I've let go)
All the fights, all the lies you put me through
It's your disease (I was wrong)
I've finally let go of the hurt and pain you caused me, and acknowledge that your behavior is a reflection of your own issues
All the shame, all the pain that you have caused
My heart can't beat (I've let go)
All the fights, all the lies you put me through
It's your disease
Your actions have caused me significant pain, and I'm letting go of that hurt, recognizing that your actions are a reflection of your own issues
I'm done with this!
I'm finished with this situation and ready to move on
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
Jason Fontaine
This song/ EP is the definition of good metalcore. Sad this era is over :(
Neil Jhurilal
@I D K nah in south florida
I D K
@Neil Jhurilal in san diego?? I was there as lil ass 3rd grader when alesana had the emptiness tour
Simon Helling
@Yung Piç Goddamn Right!
Neil Jhurilal
I saw them when this ep was out they were on a show with Alesana headlining, it was the emptiness tour fucking such a memorable show
Ricky Silverman
Good times man, the line up was stellar!
Anthony Cotogno
This album is a legend, never did the word alive ever sound this good again. Not hating lmfao still listening. Just... this... is well a masterpiece.
Christina Ansefelt
i’m with you
Crimson ReLaPSe
Zachs scream is freaking effortless and amazing!!! Love this band
Danny Smith
i saw them live in georgia, and it was crazy! they kicked some douchebag out, and then gave what seemed like an extremely heartfelt performance. mad respect for all these guys, and their love for the music.