REVIEW: The Word Alive “Real”
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A band that has always brought the heavy but never skimped on the meaning, The Word Alive already has two stellar albums under their belts already. Both were impressive but a lot of people were wondering where the band would go from there. Wonder no more, as the band is back in 2014 with the very impressive new album Real.
The band has stuck to a similar sound, choosing the path of improvement over changing it up. It’s the biggest strength because they’ve nearly perfected their sound now. Smooth, razor-edged instrumental work perfectly backs up the amazing vocals on this record. The screams are penetrating but crisp. The cleans are melodic but hard hitting. Each song has emotion but also has the power to get you moshing along to the whole album. I couldn’t help but bang my head to every song while singing the lyrics at the top of my lungs.
One song in particular stood out to me as the most impressive song on the album. Never Forget is a tribute song to Mitch Lucker, the late vocalist for Suicide Silence. A powerful tribute that cuts deep and brings the emotion on like a runaway train, I couldn’t help but tear up a bit as I listened closely to the heartfelt lyrics. The song says it best: “There’ll never be another one like you, we’ll never forget. Moving on, we know that we have to. You left behind a mourning world.” It’s a sad song that is relateable to anyone who has ever lost a close friend or a loved one.
With all the good in the album, it just falls short of that elusive perfection the band is striving for. I feel like some tracks fell a little short of expectations. Not saying that they’re bad, I just feel like they lacked something special. However, the album overall from start to finish is a solid piece of musical art.
A masterpiece that truly shows the power of improvement, Real is a well written and bold statement from the band that impresses from start to finish. The band has brought everything they could to the table, and this is one of the must have records of 2014.
