Violent Noise

Violent Noise is the fifth studio album by American metalcore band The Word Alive. It was released on May 4, 2018 through Fearless Records. The album was produced by Matt Good and it is also the second album featuring drummer Matt Horn, who played drums on the album Life Cycles.

Violent Noise
Studio album by The Word Alive
Released	May 4, 2018 (2018-05-04)
Genre	Metalcore[1]
Length	43:01
Label	Fearless
Producer	Matt Good
The Word Alive chronology
Dark Matter (2016) Violent Noise (2018) Monomania (2020)
Singles from Violent Noise
"Red Clouds" Released: March 30, 2018 "Why Am I Like This?" Released: April 20, 2018

Background and promotion

The album was revealed on March 29, 2018, with the lead single "Red Clouds".[2] The second single, "Why Am I Like This?", was released alongside a music video on April 20.[3]

It is their first album without bassist Daniel Shapiro and drummer Luke Holland since Life Cycles. Both members left the band before recording started.[4][5]

Tyler Smith described the process behind the album in a 2018 interview: "I got really sick, my mental health was not in a great place whatsoever. I was just kind of going through the motions; I was drinking a lot, and I started doing drugs which had never been a part of my life before, but I was fighting it because I'm not that person... Violent Noise is about that internal struggle that I've been through that so many endure - that voice in your head that won't go away, that tells you this is right, or this is wrong. Mine was just kind of if you're going to have a devil or an angel on your shoulder, picture that, but I just had five devils on each shoulder basically. I just kept making bad decisions for myself, for my friends, my family, and so the record ended up discussing a lot of that."[6]

The band further expanded on the meaning in a Reddit AMA, "Violent Noise as a whole is about all of the crazy shit that happens in your life, and how everything we do just gets filtered by our hearts and our minds. We have trouble truly processing so much of what happens and we end up just burying things to cope or move forward day to day. Eventually that can begin to eat away at a person, and it personally took its toll on me over the years, especially the last two. Everybody has things going on that are unspoken and if left unchecked it can creep up on you."[7]

Asking Alexandria vocalist Danny Worsnop and rapper Sincerely Collins appeared as guest musicians on the album.[8]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Already Heard	[9]
Dead Press!	[10]
Distorted Sound	[1]
New Noise	[11]

Violent Noise received generally positive reviews. Already Heard rated the album 2.5 out of 5 and said: "While there are short bursts of zeal on Violent Noise, there isn't much here to warrant anything more than a quick look at the handful of tracks that are above average. It is certainly not a record likely to define The Word Alive or shape their future work."[9] Zach Redrup from Dead Press! rated the album positively calling it: "Plunging into territory they've been steadily dipping their toes in over the years, the next stage in The Word Alive's career could undoubtedly open a lot more doors, and ascend them onto new and wider plateaus. Evidently, you don't always need to be violent boys to create some violent noise."[10] Distorted Sound stated that "The talent and creativity is clearly evident as sparks of brilliance are displayed throughout Violent Noise but the album becomes rather formulaic and predictable as it progresses. Some moments really grab your attention and THE WORD ALIVE are at their best when they up the tempo and throw a grenade piled with riffs in your direction. It is a shame that this effort doesn't quite achieve that sweet spot on too many occasions. The decision to wrap the album up in this fashion was quite a perplexing one as it kind of derailed the upbeat vibe that was boiling up throughout the album. If you love impassioned lyrics and memorable hooks Violent Noise just may be the answer you are looking for but it may not appeal enough to lovers of the heavier side of metalcore."[1] Nicholas Senior from New Noise rated the album positively calling it: "Interestingly, the density of style and sound results in a record that requires a few spins to fully stick. It seems odd to call an almost sticky sweet pop-metalcore record a grower, but there's a lot more than what's at the surface, and it results in a fantastic reset for The Word Alive. Big, brash, and too much damn fun, Violent Noise reveals an engaging, delightful, and fantastic version 2.0 for the band."[11]

Track listing

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Red Clouds"	3:53
2.	"Why Am I Like This?"	3:13
3.	"Stare at the Sun" (featuring Danny Worsnop of Asking Alexandria)	3:14
4.	"I Fucked Up"	3:46
5.	"War Evermore"	4:07
6.	"Human" (featuring Sincerely Collins)	3:51
7.	"I Don't Mind"	2:59
8.	"Real Life"	3:23
9.	"Lost in the Dark"	3:13
10.	"My Enemy"	3:29
11.	"Run Away"	4:19
12.	"Lonely"	3:34
Total length:		43:01

Japanese bonus tracks

No.	Title	Length
13.	"Misery"	3:13
14.	"Overdose"	3:42

Personnel

Credits adapted from AllMusic.[12]

The Word Alive

• Tyler Smith – lead vocals
• Tony Pizzuti – guitars, backing vocals, keyboards, programming, bass
• Zack Hansen – guitars, backing vocals, keyboards, programming, bass
• Matt Horn – drums, percussion

Additional musicians

• Danny Worsnop of Asking Alexandria – guest vocals on track 3
• Sincerely Collins – guest vocals on track 6

Additional personnel

• Matt Good – production, programming
• Ryan Daminson – engineering
• Taylor Larson – mastering
• Florian Mihr – album layout
• Rex Ron – cover art
• Vince Dwyer – photography
• Matt Anderson – management

Charts

Chart (2018)	Peak position
	US Top Album Sales (Billboard)[13]	79
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[14]	2
US Top Hard Rock Albums (Billboard)[15]	25

References

1. "ALBUM REVIEW: Violent Noise - The Word Alive". 3 May 2018. Retrieved 25 May 2018.
2. Childers, Chad (March 30, 2018). "The Word Alive Go Back to the Beginning for 'Violent Noise' Album, Unleash New Song 'Red Clouds'". Loudwire.
3. Childers, Chad (April 20, 2018). "The Word Alive Emerge From the Darkness With 'Why Am I Like This?' – Exclusive Video Premier".
4. Cross, Will (August 8, 2017). "The Word Alive Bassist Daniel Shapiro Has Left The Band".
5. Childers, Chad (November 4, 2016). "The Word Alive Reveal 'Overdose' Song, Announce Drummer Luke Holland Is Leaving the Band".
6. Loftin, Steven (April 30, 2018). "The Word Alive's Telle Smith: "The Core Of The Word Alive Has Always Been The Three Of Us"".
7. "We're The Word Alive...Ask Us Anything". reddit.com. May 8, 2018. Retrieved May 8, 2018.
8. "THE WORD ALIVE: i dettagli del nuovo album "Violent Noise" e un pezzo in anteprima" [THE WORD ALIVE: the details of the new album "Violent Noise" and a preview piece] (in Italian). March 30, 2018.
9. Steward, Peter (3 May 2018). "Review: The Word Alive – Violent Noise". Retrieved 16 January 2020.
10. Redrup, Zach (16 January 2020). "ALBUM REVIEW: The Word Alive – Violent Noise". Dead Press!. Retrieved 1 May 2018.
11. "Album Review: The Word Alive - Violent Noise". 4 May 2018. Retrieved 25 May 2018.
12. "The Word Alive – Violet Noise credits". AllMusic.
13. "The Word Alive Chart History (Top Album Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved May 25, 2018.
14. "The Word Alive Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved May 25, 2018.
15. "The Word Alive Chart History (Top Hard Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved May 25, 2018.