We advance by breaking boundaries. The Word Alive alchemize hard rock, electronic, and metal into a distinct breed of alternative all their own. The gold-certified Phoenix, AZ outfit— Telle Smith [vocals, guitar, programming] Zack Hansen [guitars] and newly added Daniel Nelson [drums] —instinctively blur genre lines with a bold balance of infectiousness and intensity underlined by cinematic scope. After quietly generating nearly 1 billion streams, playing sold out shows on a consistent basis, and attracting a diehard audience, they level up once more on their seventh full-length offering and 2023 debut for Thriller Records, Hard Reset.

“We wanted to take the essence of the band—the heaviness, the atmospherics, the experimental elements, and the melodic side—and put everything into one album,” says Telle. “We took the things we’ve done best and molded them together to create a solidified version of the band. We tried to push ourselves and the boundaries of our genre within the songwriting: from the vocals to the music. Moving forward, you can say, ‘I know who The Word Alive is’.”

They’ve diligently carved out this vision since their 2008 formation. The group morphed in real-time across Deceiver[2010], Life Cycles [2012], Real. [2014], Dark Matter [2016], and Violent Noise [2018]. Among many standouts from the latter, “Why Am I Like This?” amassed over 29 million Spotify streams and counting. In between, they appeared on high-profile collaborations such as League of Legends’ “RISE” [feat. Mako, The Word Alive, & Glitch Mob],” which has tallied 234 million Spotify streams alone and reached RIAA Gold status. The band also toured with everyone from Motionless In White and Wage War to Starset, Beartooth and I Prevail in addition to earning acclaim from Billboard, KERRANG!, Rock Sound, Alternative Press, and more.2020’s MONOMANIA boasted a great title track plus a pained single “NO WAY OUT,” gathering over 12.1 million-plus Spotify streams.

In the midst of the Global Pandemic, The Word Alive continued to write and record, devoting time to redefining the sound for the next era.

“We set the standard so much higher,” Telle goes on. “We spent a lot of time breaking down songs, rewriting them, and upping the intensity when they weren’t hitting the mark. Everything shifted, and it just drove the creative process into a new realm. It took a lot of concentration and energy, but it was worth it.”

For the first time, the band opted to collaborate with a trio of producers, namely Matt Good [Asking Alexandria, Sleeping With Sirens], Erik Ron [Godsmack, Bush, Nothing.Nowhere.], and Hiram Hernandez [D.R.U.G.S., Blessthefall]. “We took a ‘dream team’ approach with it,” the frontman says. “We captured the urgency we’ve always aimed for.”

Fittingly, they kickstarted this era with “Nocturnal Future.” On the track, a searing scream plunges into a gnashing groove only to break like a wave on an expansive and entrancing refrain addressing a world in disarray.

“I literally heard the breakdown riff in a dream,” Telle recalls. “In the studio, we were thinking about life. In the news, there was a lot of talk about war and what that might mean not just for America, but the world as a whole. Yet, I’d go out somewhere, and it was like nobody cared. There’s so much negativity with the stories constantly broadcast to us that we’re desensitized to how rough the world is now. I want people to acknowledge it’s not getting better. This is a call-to-arms. It starts with you and me. All we can do is look within and put out positive energy every day.”

Meanwhile, the follow-up single “New Reality” hinges on an instantly hummable hook, “Welcome to your new reality.” The melody collides with a metallic catharsis.

“Once you’ve had an ego death, you see things differently,” he reveals. “You can’t change the hearts of others, but you can focus on your own reality. You’re accepting you can’t control everything, but you can focus on yourself.” 

Elsewhere, they tap Loveless for the dynamic exorcism of “Hate Me,” while Craig Mabbitt of Escape The Fate lends his instantly recognizable vocals to “Fade Away.” Then, there’s “Strange Love” where Telle muses on “a toxic relationship that has made you unrecognizable.”

The title Hard Reset speaks to the spirit of The Word Alive in 2023.

“Sometimes, you have to unplug and plug it back in,” Telle observes. “We needed to reinvigorate the life blood of the band. We came to the conclusion we needed to start from scratch. We turn 15 in the year we drop the record. It’s an acknowledgment of the path that led us here. We needed a Hard Reset, and we got it with this record.”

In the end, The Word Alive might just give audiences the reset they need too.

“When you hear the lyrics, I hope they help you chase the best version of yourself,” he leaves off. “We’ve had a lot of people who have rooted for our band to succeed. For them and for us, we’re the best version of The Word Alive on every song of this album.”