Life Cycles is the second studio album by American metalcore band The Word Alive. The album was released on July 3, 2012, through Fearless Records and was produced by Joey Sturgis.[3] The album features a heavier and more "metal-headed" sound as stated by lead vocalist Tyler Smith.[4] Life Cycles is the first release by the band to be without keyboardist, Dusty Riach, who parted ways with the band at the beginning of 2012.
| Life Cycles | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | July 3, 2012 | |||
| Recorded | February 7–March 7, 2012 | |||
| Studio | The Foundation Recording Studios, Connersville, Indiana, U.S. | |||
| Genre | Metalcore | |||
| Length | 50:12 | |||
| Label | Fearless | |||
| Producer | Joey Sturgis | |||
| The Word Alive chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Life Cycles | ||||
During the album session a total of 17 tracks were recorded, although only 13 of the tracks made it on the album. A deluxe version was originally planned; however, it never came to fruition.[4] However, both Amazon and iTunes digital versions have a bonus track respectively.
Background and recording
editBy the end of 2011, The Word Alive had already confirmed plans to head into the studio for their second album along with stating that it will be produced by Joey Sturgis. The album was claimed to have a heavier, more mature sound due to the fact that the band chose Sturgis as the producer for the album over their previous producer Andrew Wade.
It was announced on February 2, 2012, that longtime keyboardist Dusty Riach and drummer Justin Salinas would be parting ways with the band,[5] making this the first release without Riach. At the end of March, the band officially acquired a new drummer by the name of Luke Holland, however, Holland was not included for the recording sessions of Life Cycles. The drumming for the record was instead recorded by a friend of the band, and drummer for the band Sleepwalker, Matt Horn, wherein Holland joined after these sessions were already completed.[6][7] On April 1, 2012, during a show at the Extreme Thing festival in Las Vegas, Smith announced that the album would be released on July 3, 2012.[8]
During the album session a total of 17 tracks were recorded, although only 13 of the tracks made it on the album. A deluxe version was originally planned; however, it never came to fruition.[4] Despite this both Amazon and iTunes digital versions have a bonus track respectively.
The album debuted at number 50 on the Billboard 200, selling nearly 10,000 copies in its first week.[9][10]
Release and promotion
editThe band debuted a song from the album for the first time ever on March 31, 2012, at Las Vegas' Extreme Thing festival, which was also the first performance ever to include the group's current drummer, Luke Holland. The title of the song that was played was "Wishmaster".
On May 8, The Word Alive revealed the cover art for the album, along with the full track listing for the standard pressing of the album. On May 15, The Word Alive released a preview of their track Wishmaster on their Facebook page. The preview includes tour dates for the All Stars Tour.[11] On May 31, the band released another 33 second preview for the "Entirety". Included with this preview, they announced that pre-orders for the album will be on June 7 and that anyone who pre-orders will receive a free digital copy of "Entirety".[12] On June 7, a lyric video for "Entirety" was posted on select sites, such as Revolver Magazine.[13] On June 18, the album titled song "Life Cycles" was released as the album's second single.[citation needed]
Critical reception
edit| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | (80/100)[14] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AbsolutePunk | 80%[15] |
| AllMusic | favorable[16] |
| Alternative Press |   [17] |
| Kerrang! | [18] |
| Revolver |  [19] |
| Rock Sound |   [20] |
| Ultimate Guitar Archive | [21] |
The album received generally positive reviews from music critics upon its release. At Metacritic the album received an average score of 80 out of 100, based on 5 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews".[14] Matt Higgs of Rock Sound said "Life Cycles 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".[20] Drew Beringer of AbsolutePunk said "Even if this isn't your preferred genre, there is no denying that Life Cycles is one of the most personal and genuine albums of 2012" and continued "The Word Alive isn't trying to be the next this or the biggest that, rather Tyler Smith and company are just trying to give music fans something honest and heartfelt, something they accomplish wholeheartedly on Life Cycles."[15]
Kim Woodcock of Kill the Music said that "...the decision to not replace the keyboardist allowed them to play around with an array of sounds to fill that space, and it seriously sounds awesome" and that "the harmonies on Tyler's cleans definitely boost the contrast between his voice and the screams."[22]
The album debuted at number 50 on the billboard 200, selling nearly 10,000 copies in its first week.[9][10]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Dragon Spell" | 4:09 |
| 2. | "Wishmaster" | 3:47 |
| 3. | "Entirety" | 4:07 |
| 4. | "For Your Health" | 3:34 |
| 5. | "Bar Fight" | 3:41 |
| 6. | "Life Cycles" | 4:21 |
| 7. | "Evolution" | 4:25 |
| 8. | "Hidden Lakes" | 3:30 |
| 9. | "Ambitionary" | 3:09 |
| 10. | "Live a Lie" | 4:14 |
| 11. | "Belong" | 4:07 |
| 12. | "Room 126" | 3:55 |
| 13. | "Astral Plane" | 3:13 |
| Total length: | 50:12[24] | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 14. | "The Conscience" | 4:02 |
| Total length: | 54:14 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 14. | "Smoke Monster" | 3:51 |
| Total length: | 54:03 | |
Personnel
edit- The Word Alive
- Tyler Smith – lead vocals
- Zack Hansen – guitars, backing vocals, keyboards, programming
- Tony Pizzuti – guitars, backing vocals, keyboards, programming
- Daniel Shapiro – bass
- Additional musicians
- Matt Horn – drums
- Additional personnel
- Joey Sturgis – engineering, mixing, mastering, production
- Allen Hessler – vocal production[25]
Charts
edit| Chart (2011) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200[26] | 50 |
| US Independent Albums (Billboard)[27] | 7 |
| US Top Hard Rock Albums (Billboard)[28] | 5 |
| US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[29] | 20 |
References
edit- ^ "The Word Alive Premiere Lyric Video for New Song, "Entirety" - Revolver Magazine".
- ^ "Stream The Word Alive Life Cycles". Under the Gun Review. Archived from the original on May 21, 2013. Retrieved June 18, 2012.
- ^ Altpress, Alternative Press The Word Alive to release “Life Cycles” on July 3; check out a new song
- ^ a b c "In The Studio: The Word Alive". Alternative Press. 14 March 2012.
- ^ Yancey, Bryne (February 2, 2012). "Drummer Justin Salinas and keyboardist Dusty Riach no longer in the Word Alive". Alternative Press. Retrieved February 2, 2012.
- ^ Zaleski, Annie (March 23, 2012). "Exclusive: The Word Alive announce their new drummer". Alternative Press. Retrieved March 23, 2012.
- ^ "Drummer Justin Salinas and keyboardist Dusty Riach no longer in the Word Alive". Alternative Press. February 2, 2012.
- ^ "The Word Alive to release "Life Cycles" on July 3; check out a new song". Alternative Press. April 2, 2012.
- ^ a b "independent-albums". Billboard.com. October 12, 2011. Archived from the original on July 12, 2012. Retrieved October 12, 2011.
- ^ a b "METAL BY NUMBERS 7/11: DJAMN PERIPHERY DJID GOOD THIS WEEK!". metalinsider.net. Retrieved July 10, 2012.
- ^ "The Word Alive "Life Cycles" Teaser - Under the Gun Review". Archived from the original on 2013-07-05. Retrieved 2012-05-15.
- ^ "The Word Alive post new song clip". Alternative Press. 31 May 2012.
- ^ "The Word Alive Premiere Lyric Video for New Song, "Entirety"". Revolver. Retrieved 9 June 2012.
- ^ a b "Critic Reviews for Life Cycles". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 22 July 2012.
- ^ a b "Life Cycles review". Absolutepunk.net. Absolute Punk. 16 August 2023.
- ^ "The Word Alive Life Cycles". AllMusic.
- ^ Aug 2012, p.90
- ^ 30 June 2012, p.54
- ^ "Review: Life Cycles Revolver Magazine". Revolvermag.com. July 12, 2011. Archived from the original on July 8, 2012. Retrieved July 12, 2012.
- ^ a b "Life Cycles Review". Rocksound.com. Rock Sound. Retrieved 12 July 2012.
- ^ "Ultimate Guitar Archive review". Ultimate-guitar.com. Ultimate Guitar Archive.
- ^ Kill The Music | Review: The Word Alive – Life Cycles Archived 2012-07-24 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Grant. "The Word Alive Releases 'Life Cycles' Artwork & Track-Listing". Under the Gun Review. Archived from the original on 19 June 2013. Retrieved 8 May 2012.
- ^ "Stream The Word Alive Life Cycles". Amazon. Retrieved June 18, 2012.
- ^ The Word Alive announce album title | Band Aid Records Archived July 7, 2012, at archive.today
- ^ "The Word Alive Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved May 25, 2018.
- ^ "The Word Alive Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved May 25, 2018.
- ^ "The Word Alive Chart History (Top Hard Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved May 25, 2018.
- ^ "The Word Alive Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved May 25, 2018.