The Word Alive
Life Cycles
Release Date: Jul 3, 2012
Genre(s): Pop/Rock, Heavy Metal
Record label: Fearless
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Album Review: Life Cycles by The Word Alive
Great, Based on 2 Critics
Based on rating 8/10
Yeah, this lot are good. Trust. Arizona’s The Word Alive cut through the chaff of metalcore like a proverbial knife through butter on ‘Life Cycles’. It may not be pushing the boundaries, keeping much of the stylisations of the band’s debut, but the sum really is as great as all of its parts ….
Based on rating 3.5/5
When it comes to building a big sound, this metalcore outfit doesn’t bother with half-measures. Guitarists Zack Hansen and Tony Pizzuti not only provide massive crunch and harmonized leads but further fatten the sound with backing vocals and programming, an arsenal that can swell the sonics to near-symphonic grandeur, as with the intertwining guitars, keys, and vocal lines on the densely layered “Hidden Lakes.” But it’s not all bombast. “Astral Plane” takes an almost ambient tack, with ghostly guitars and reverb-laden drum machine, before finally dropping the hammer midway through.
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