Review Summary: Enjoyable, albeit a little disjointed.
Whatever you may think about their music, The Word Alive at least deserves credit for never wanting to make the same album twice. The first two albums were a bit similar, but then Real took a different direction entirely, using more clean vocals and less electronics. Dark Matter then went for a, well, darker sound--and a somewhat grungier one too. That album was less heavy, but still often heavy enough that they still remained in the post-hardcore category. So what do they do for this album?
This is actually the first time they've ever used the same producer more than once (Matt Good). So at times the sound that they explored on Dark Matter can still be heard. However, like many of their peers, this album sees them moving in a generally somewhat softer direction. This album probably contains the least screaming out of all their albums--Zack Hansen is often a bit of a lonely figure on this one. And there is definitely a fair share of somewhat poppier anthems here ("Real Life," "Why Am I Like This"), not unlike That's the Spirit. That's not to say that these songs are bad, because they aren't. But one can still notice that with this one, they seem to be kind of going the same direction as some of their peers.
And this is also not to say that there are *not* heavy songs on this album, because there are. "Stare at the Sun" and "My Enemy" are the heaviest songs to be found here, and they do often shred pretty hard (and are also album standouts). The former also features Danny Worsnop, and he lets loose a screaming performance that makes one wonder why there was not more of that on Asking Alexandria's last album. "I F***ed Up" is also a somewhat heavier song that actually brings back some of the electronic influences that TWA have not explored in awhile.
While it might be easy to get a little frustrated that there aren't more songs like "Stare at the Sun," what we get is often still pretty good. This is due in part to Telle's vocals; he does quite well for most of the album. And even less heavy songs such as "Real Life" and "Run Away" are catchy enough musically that they are enjoyable as well. "War Evermore" is another standout, which is where one of Telle's best performances on the album can be found. The song is also a tribute to the late Chester Bennington, so that gives the song some emotional weight as well.
The lone actual sore spot of the album is undeniably "Human." Whoever had the idea to put a rapper on a song with these post-hardcore bands... this needs to stop. The rapping section here is even worse than the one in "Empire" off Asking Alexandria's last album, and ruins what might have been an okay enough song otherwise. Experimentation is cool, but this experiment is just not working and needs to end. The only other song that does not hold up so well but is still at least listenable is "I Don't Mind," which brings in a bit of punk-ish influence. It's not bad, but it's not something the band probably should explore again either.
"Human" aside, the other real issue with this album is that sound-wise, it's rather all over the place (as has already been demonstrated). There are a couple of super heavy songs, some poppier ones, a song with an ill-advised rap cameo, and then a song with a bit of A Day to Remember influence. Part of what made Dark Matter excellent was that its sound was much more focused. Not that the album wasn't diverse, but virtually every song felt like it fit into what the album was going for. This one has very little focus. Most of the songs are pretty good, but as an album it's a bit of a disjointed listening experience. It is generally good to have diversity in your music, but running across the gamut like this is generally not that effective.
The Word Alive's put together another pretty good piece of work overall, though. Some fans may be frustrated with the band leaning toward being less heavy, but otherwise there should be at least some measure of satisfaction with this album. The main thing that needs to be improved on the next album is that the band should probably be a little more decisive about where they're going musically. But at least this way, with the varying musical direction, something's bound to stick even with a more picky listener. Violent Noise may not be as good as TWA's previous album, but there is still definitely enjoyment to be found here.
Song Highlights: "Stare at the Sun," "War Evermore," "My Enemy," "Run Away"
