Monomania (stylized as MØNØMANIA) is the sixth studio album by American metalcore band The Word Alive. It was released on February 21, 2020, through Fearless Records. It was produced by the band themselves and Erik Ron.[4] It is the last album to feature the band's drummer Matt Horn and founding guitarist Tony Pizzuti before they left the band in October 2021.[5] It is also their last album to be released on this label before the band signed to Thriller Records in 2022.
| Monomania | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | February 21, 2020 | |||
| Studio | Grey Area Studios, Burbank, California, U.S.[1] | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 44:34 | |||
| Label | Fearless | |||
| Producer | ||||
| The Word Alive chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Monomania | ||||
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Background and promotion
editOn November 1, 2019, the band released the lead single from the album titled "Burning Your World Down".[6] On January 10, 2020, the band released the second single and title track "Monomania" along with an accompanying music video. That same day, the band revealed the tracklist, album's official artwork and announced that their new upcoming sixth studio album Monomania is set for release on February 21, 2020.[7] On January 24, the band released the third single of the album titled "No Way Out" and its corresponding music video.[8] On February 7, two weeks before the album release, the band released the fourth single "Searching for Glory".[9]
Critical reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Dead Press! | 4/10[10] |
| Wall of Sound | 9.5/10[11] |
The album received generally positive reviews from critics. Carlos Zelaya from Dead Press! rated the album negatively calling it: "The Word Alive mean well, and they've at least tried to expand their sound without it being a total car crash. But, unless you're already a fan of the band and their contemporaries, you're not going to get much out of this."[10] Wall of Sound scored the album 9.5/10 and wrote: "MONOMANIA is a front running contender for Album Of The Year [...] Telle has really dug deep lyrically and bared his soul and there's just something about him showing that vulnerability that's easily relatable. The Word Alive have always stayed true to themselves and musically it definitely shows here, a lot of solid performances on this album from Zack, Tony & Matt!"[11]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Monomania" | 3:58 |
| 2. | "No Way Out" | 3:35 |
| 3. | "Searching for Glory" | 3:36 |
| 4. | "Another Year in the Shadows" | 3:33 |
| 5. | "Greatest Almost" | 3:52 |
| 6. | "Thank You" | 3:18 |
| 7. | "Numb Love (Misery II)" | 3:52 |
| 8. | "K.F." | 4:15 |
| 9. | "Burning Your World Down" | 3:27 |
| 10. | "Comfort & Chaos" | 3:48 |
| 11. | "I'm Sorry You're Sorry Now" | 3:18 |
| 12. | "Death Is Only the End If You Assume the Story Is About You" | 3:55 |
| Total length: | 44:34 | |
Notes
- All track titles are stylized in all caps. For example, "Burning Your World Down" is stylized as "BURNING YOUR WORLD DOWN".
- "K.F." is initialism for "Kyle Forever". The song is dedicated to the passing of Kyle Pavone of We Came as Romans.[12]
Personnel
editCredits adapted from AllMusic.[1]
The Word Alive
- Tyler Smith – lead vocals, keyboards
- Tony Pizzuti – guitars, backing vocals, keyboards, programming, bass
- Zack Hansen – guitars, backing vocals, keyboards, programming, bass
- Matt Horn – drums, percussion
Additional personnel
- The Word Alive – production, composition
- Erik Ron – bass, production, engineering, mixing, composition
- Scott "the Ninja" Stevens – vocal production, composition
- Anthony Reeder – assisting engineering[13]
- Ted Jensen – mastering
- Charles Kallaghan Massabo – programming, composition
- Ryan Daminson – programming, composition
- Richard Raun – package design
- Cameron Burns – artwork
References
edit- ^ a b "The Word Alive – Monomania". AllMusic. Retrieved April 11, 2020.
- ^ a b c "The Word Alive - MONOMANIA". Crucial Rhythm. 20 February 2020. Retrieved 9 October 2024.
- ^ "Erik Ron (@erikron)". January 10, 2020. Archived from the original on 2021-12-26. Retrieved January 23, 2020 – via Instagram.
- ^ "The Word Alive Announce 'Monomania' Album, Release Title Track". Loudwire. January 10, 2020. Retrieved January 16, 2020.
- ^ "The Word Alive Premiere "Wonderland" Music Video (Updated)". ThePRP. October 22, 2021. Retrieved October 27, 2021.
- ^ "The Word Alive Debut New Song "Burning Your World Down"". ThePRP. October 31, 2019. Retrieved January 16, 2020.
- ^ "The Word Alive Announce New Album "Monomania", Debut Video For Title Track". ThePRP. January 9, 2020. Retrieved January 10, 2020.
- ^ "The Word Alive Premiere "No Way Out" Music Video". ThePRP. January 24, 2020. Retrieved January 24, 2020.
- ^ "NEWS: The Word Alive unveil new song, 'Searching For Glory'!". Dead Press!. February 7, 2020. Retrieved February 10, 2020.
- ^ a b Zelaya, Carlos (February 24, 2020). "ALBUM REVIEW: The Word Alive – Monomania". Dead Press!. Retrieved March 3, 2020.
- ^ a b "The Word Alive – MONOMANIA (Album Review)". Wall of Sound. 19 February 2020. Retrieved 20 February 2020.
- ^ Quiles, Alyssa (February 19, 2020). "The Word Alive reveal why 'MONOMANIA' is their most personal record". AltPress. Retrieved August 18, 2021.
- ^ "Anthony Reeder (@thernbchef)". January 10, 2020. Archived from the original on 2021-12-26. Retrieved January 23, 2020 – via Instagram.