The Word Alive are back with a new record Violent Noise and from the outset of opener Red Clouds to closer Lonely, it’s atmospheric, combining synth elements, smooth clean vocal melodies, intricate guitar lines and harsh screams. Red Clouds is as deceptive as it is good, one minute you’re singing along to some beautiful cleans before being punched in the face with violent screams. Danny Worsnop of Asking Alexandria appears on Stare At The Sun to add some brutality and contrasting vocals, a track that has groovy instrumentation.
War Evermore sees The Word Alive branch out into alternative rock and the experiment is a success as this is an anthemic piece. The melodic Human has the added effect of rapper Sincerely Collins lending his vocal talents. I Don’t Mind is definitely one that you will be singing for days on end with the infectious chorus. My Enemy combines the synth laden effects introduced in Dark Matter with blistering riffs.
The Word Alive are not afraid to experiment with their sound and while critics of 2015 record Dark Matter may not like this, even they cannot deny that the album is a good one, it’s definitely a huge step away from the early days of the band’s decade long career but it’s atmospheric, anthemic and definitely one that will be a staple in summer playlists.