The Word Alive – Hard Reset
Release Date: 25th August 2023
Label:Thriller Records
Order/Stream
Genre: Metal, Electronic, Hard Rock, Metalcore, Alternative.
FFO: Bad Omens, Beartooth, I Prevail.
Review By: Ross Bowie
Arizona metalcore band The Word Alive are back with their first album in three years, and while that doesn’t seem like a long time, it’s the longest the band have taken in-between records. Now on Thriller Records, the band have brought a collection of friends along the way to show eager fans what they have been working on.
“It’s not the end, welcome in, are you ready to live?” ponders frontman Telle Smith as the patient yet building opener The Word Alive Is Dead welcomes you into its clutches. While the song may not be the sound of a breaking point similar to Refused’s iconic Refused Are Fucking Dead, the song title, paired with the album’s title Hard Reset, shows this is the band looking at starting not only a new chapter but a new book entirely.
Hard Reset shows that the band are trying to move away from their post-hardcore roots, but they find themselves in very familiar and often safe territory. While laying on the thick themes of starting a-fresh, it’s hard not to feel puzzled when the result doesn’t sound unique. The band have clearly been taking influence from the music scene around them, as the words Bad Omens spring to mind almost immediately, and this is before the band show up on the record.
The album has 5 guest features on its 49-minute run time, the collaboration with original vocalist Craig Mabbit being the highlight, while the previously mentioned Bad Omens track also being a standout. Fade Away is one of the album’s heavier tracks and is a sound that comes more naturally to The Word Alive. It’s one of the few occasions Tele really lets his voice go, and the chorus lifts the song before the bridge really crunches into Hard Reset’s best riff. However, this has its own issue as this track is probably the most familiar to The Word Alive fans, but on an album about evolving and trying new things, the standout moments are when it sounds like the band they’ve always been.
The run time is another issue the band face, but thankfully, the albums closer War With You featuring From First To Last brings some life and urgency back into the mix. The balance of influences really comes together, with the cleaner sections and scream lead vocals hit that post-hardcore sweet spot the band are known for.
Unfortunately, Hard Reset is not the new beginning the band were searching for. Band’s challenging their audience and welcoming in new ideas is great but singing about it and delivering on that promise are two different ideals. The albums highlights undercut the themes of the record at every opportunity and leave the new ideas feeling sub-par. While this could be just the first step in the band’s resurgence, it’s hard to predict where the band go from here. 
(2 / 5)
