The Word Alive has arrived at an interesting place since the metal group's formation and transformation into a force to be reckoned with. The band is now preparing for two shows this weekend to celebrate the anniversary of fan-favorite albums, “The Deceiver” and “Life Cycles,” by playing them in their entirety at Joe’s Grotto.
I talked with guitarist Tony Pizzuti about the coming shows and moving forward as a band. He expressed nothing but excitement to work with material that he hasn’t touched in a while.
“It’s a little stressful,” he said. “Some of the songs we’ve never played live before or even as a full band. So it’s a little stressful, but it will be a lot of fun to go relearn the material and bring back some memories.”
Though the band started in 2008, it didn’t take off until much later when a solidified lineup was finally figured out. Since then, The Word Alive has toured the world, played some of the biggest festivals out there, all while touring with plenty of well-known musician friends. Looking back, Pizzuti said he appreciates the music the band crafted when they were younger before they progressed as musicians.
“We were so young and naïve,” he said. “Everything wasn’t as premeditated as it is now with our newer songs. It was more innocent and creative.”
Been grinding away at these Deceiver/Life Cycles songs. Soon @TheWordAlive pic.twitter.com/hjJR86TkRN
— Luke Holland (@LukeHollandd) September 7, 2015
The group now rides the line between aggression and restraint in the attempt to expand the scope of which they can express themselves. Songs such as “Play the Victim," “Lighthouse" and “The Fortune Teller” from new album “Real” express the band's ability to easily bludgeon listeners with ferocity. Yet, The Word Alive also shows maturity by knowing when to pull back and create tension, leaving room to guide the listener emotionally through the songs. Pizzuti embraced this struggle of maintaining intensity in their songwriting while growing as musicians.
“We do try to do something different on every record,” he said. “I can’t see us doing the same thing as we move forward. I think we’ve figured out what style we like now and as we grow older and progress, I think we will always keep the feeling of being an aggressive band.”
With two shows running through albums front-to-back, learning material over again provided challenges for the band. Along with drummer Luke Holland breaking his foot in May during Warped Tour, Pizzuti stressed that the members are itching to get back to practice and learning the material.
“It’s going to be pretty hard learning the material I wrote,” he said. “Me and Zach (Hansen, another The Word Alive guitarist) have always been very experimental with our guitar playing and we’ve never been big music theory freaks. We just play whatever sounds cool which is nice, but going back and listening, I ask myself ‘What the heck did I do there?’ so it’s been an experience.”
At the end of day, The Word Alive are well-seasoned musicians who get a lucky chance to look back on the music they crafted, taking these shows as moments to reflect on everything they have accomplished as a band before setting off on the road to tour again. The group holds each other to the standard their records create and Pizzuti enjoys the challenge of recreating those moments on the album.
“I’m really excited and nervous to play the song ‘We Know Who You Are’,” he said. “That song was a really long process to make and it was all over the place. It started really metal/nu-metal in the beginning and in your face then gradually slows down and turns into this epic anthem at the end. I guess I wouldn’t say I’m nervous, I’m an excited-nervous. I really just want to create music that is a close to the record as possible.”
For long-time fans of the band, the two shows will be a very unique experience. Old fans will surely relish from hearing early records, while newer fans will have the chance to see the foundation on which The Word Alive built their identity upon. Either way, it's an opportunity that most fans of the metal genre should be looking forward to this weekend.
Reach the reporter at dloche@asu.edu or follow @DMLoche on Twitter.
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