Real (The Word Alive album)

Real (stylized as REAL.) is the third studio album by American metalcore band The Word Alive. It was released on June 10, 2014 through Fearless Records and was produced by Cameron Mizell and John Feldmann.[1][3] It is the first album to feature drummer Luke Holland.

Real
Studio album by The Word Alive
Released	June 10, 2014
Genre	Metalcore
Length	45:23
Label	Fearless
Producer	Cameron Mizell[1] John Feldmann
The Word Alive chronology
Life Cycles (2012) Real (2014) Dark Matter (2016)
Singles from Real
"Play the Victim" Released: March 19, 2014[2] "Never Forget" Released: June 10, 2014 "Broken Circuit" Released: June 10, 2014 "94th St." Released: June 24, 2014 "Light House" Released: July 15, 2014 "The Runaway" Released: November 26, 2014

Background and recording

Vocalist Tyler Smith discussed the sound of the album in an interview stating that the album would feature some of the heaviest songs they have ever written and some of the most melodic with no unclean vocals in some tracks.[4] On December 20, 2013, the band released their first studio update for their forthcoming album with the first update detailing the sound of the guitars on the album.[5]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	75/100[6]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[7]
Alternative Press	[8]
Kerrang!	[6]
KillYourStereo	59/100[9]
Revolver	[10]

Real received positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has an average score of 75 out of 100 based on 4 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[6] AllMusic gave the album a positive review saying, "As more and more bands continue to experiment with the fusion of electronic music and metalcore, the Word Alive set themselves apart from the pack with a more nuanced view of how these two styles can complement one another, proving that things don't always need to be pushed to extremes to be interesting or exciting. Because of this, Real is a rare metalcore album with enough depth to demand repeat listening, which definitely won't disappoint the band's die-hard fans."[7]

Brendan Manley of Alternative Press gave the album a 4 out of 5 stars, saying: "It takes serious swagger to be a modern metalcore/post-hardcore band who drop a record called REAL.—a musical shot across the collective bow of fellow contenders and also-rans alike—and Phoenix quintet the Word Alive back up the insinuation with a shock-and-awe barrage of blast beats, blazing guitars and perhaps most crucially, a formidable array of razor-sharp hooks."[8] KillYourStereo gave the album 59 out of 100 and said: "There are elements in REAL. that are new and exciting within the world of The Word Alive, but that world is held down by the giant hand of the metalcore genre, which is starting to sound like more and more of the same with each new release."[9]

Track listing

Adapted from Spotify.[11]

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Play the Victim"	4:19
2.	"Never Forget"	3:31
3.	"Broken Circuit"	3:54
4.	"Light House"	3:19
5.	"The Fortune Teller"	3:52
6.	"Glass Castle"	3:50
7.	"94th St."	3:46
8.	"Your Mirage"	3:59
9.	"Terminal"	4:01
10.	"The Runaway"	3:20
11.	"To Struggle and Claw My Way"	3:06
12.	"Collapsing"	4:18
Total length:		45:23

Japanese and iTunes bonus track

No.	Title	Length
13.	"Pull Us Out of the Grave"	2:47

European bonus track[12]

No.	Title	Length
13.	"Exit Strategy"	3:39
Total length:		51:41

Personnel

Credits adapted from AllMusic.[13]

The Word Alive

• Tyler Smith – lead vocals
• Zack Hansen – guitars, backing vocals, keyboards, programming
• Tony Pizzuti – guitars, backing vocals, keyboards, programming
• Daniel Shapiro – bass
• Luke Holland – drums, percussion

Additional personnel

• Cameron Mizell – production
• John Feldmann – production, composition
• Erik Ron – composition
• Dan Korneff – mixing
• Brad Blackwood – mastering
• Chris Foitle – A&R
• Sal Torres – A&R
• Sam Kaufman – artwork, design
• Jenny Reader – production management

Charts

Chart (2014)	Peak position
	US Billboard 200[14]	33
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[15]	12
US Top Hard Rock Albums (Billboard)[16]	4
US Top Album Sales (Billboard)[17]	33
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[18]	7
US Digital Albums (Billboard)[19]	22

References

1. "The Word Alive recording new album". Retrieved 25 May 2018.
2. "The Word Alive, "Play The Victim" lyric video premiere - APTV - Alternative Press". Alternative Press. Retrieved 25 May 2018.
3. "The Word Alive Reveal Title And Release Date For Upcoming Album". Under the Gun Review. Retrieved March 19, 2014.
4. "The Word Alive To Release New Album In Spring 2014". PropertyOfZack. Retrieved 25 May 2018.
5. "The Word Alive finishing up new album, post studio update - News - Alternative Press". Alternative Press. Retrieved 25 May 2018.
6. "Real by The Word Alive". Retrieved 25 May 2018.
7. "Real - The Word Alive - Songs, Reviews, Credits - AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 25 May 2018.
8. "The Word Alive - REAL. - Reviews - Alternative Press". Alternative Press. Retrieved 25 May 2018.
9. "The Word Alive – REAL". KillYourStereo. June 23, 2014. Retrieved January 16, 2020.
10. "Review The Word Alive Real". Revolver. Retrieved 25 May 2018.
11. "The Word Alive reveal 'Real' tracklisting, artwork - News - Alternative Press". Alternative Press. Retrieved 25 May 2018.
12. "Real". 20 June 2014. Retrieved 25 May 2018 – via Amazon.
13. "The Word Alive - Real". AllMusic.com. AllMusic. Retrieved June 10, 2014.
14. "The Word Alive Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved May 25, 2018.
15. "The Word Alive Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved May 25, 2018.
16. "The Word Alive Chart History (Top Hard Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved May 25, 2018.
17. "The Word Alive Chart History (Top Album Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved May 25, 2018.
18. "The Word Alive Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved May 25, 2018.
19. "The Word Alive Chart History (Digital Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved May 25, 2018.