''Monomania'' (stylized as ''MØNØMANIA'') is the sixth studio album by American

metalcore Metalcore (also known as metallic hardcore) is a fusion music genre that combines elements of extreme metal and hardcore punk. As with other styles blending metal and hardcore, such as crust punk and grindcore, metalcore is noted for its use of ...

band

The Word Alive The Word Alive is an American metalcore band formed in Phoenix, Arizona, in 2008. The band was signed to Fearless Records since their formation. In 2022, they changed their label and signed to Thriller Records. The band currently consists of v ...

. It was released on February 21, 2020, through

Fearless Records Fearless Records is an American independent record label that was founded in 1994. Fearless is based in Culver City, California, and is best known for its early pop punk moments captured in the ''Fearless Flush Sampler'' and ''Punk Bites'' releas ...

. It was produced by the band themselves and Erik Ron. It is the last album to feature the band's drummer Matt Horn and founding guitarist Tony Pizzuti before they left the band in October 2021. It is also their last album to be released on this label before the band signed to Thriller Records in 2022.

Background and promotion

On November 1, 2019, the band released the lead single from the album titled "Burning Your World Down". On January 10, 2020, the band released the second single and title track "Monomania" along with an accompanying music video. That same day, the band revealed the tracklist, album's official artwork and announced that their new upcoming sixth studio album ''Monomania'' is set for release on February 21, 2020. On January 24, the band released the third single of the album titled "No Way Out" and its corresponding music video. On February 7, two weeks before the album release, the band released the fourth single "Searching for Glory".

Critical reception

The album received generally positive reviews from critics. Carlos Zelaya from ''Dead Press!'' rated the album negatively calling it: "The Word Alive mean well, and they've at least tried to expand their sound without it being a total car crash. But, unless you're already a fan of the band and their contemporaries, you're not going to get much out of this." ''Wall of Sound'' scored the album 9.5/10 and wrote: "''MONOMANIA'' is a front running contender for Album Of The Year ..Telle has really dug deep lyrically and bared his soul and there's just something about him showing that vulnerability that's easily relatable. The Word Alive have always stayed true to themselves and musically it definitely shows here, a lot of solid performances on this album from Zack, Tony & Matt!"

Track listing

Notes * All track titles are stylized in all caps. For example, "Burning Your World Down" is stylized as "BURNING YOUR WORLD DOWN". * "K.F." is

initialism An acronym is a word or name formed from the initial components of a longer name or phrase. Acronyms are usually formed from the initial letters of words, as in ''NATO'' (''North Atlantic Treaty Organization''), but sometimes use syllables, as ...

for "Kyle Forever". The song is dedicated to the passing of Kyle Pavone of

We Came as Romans We Came as Romans (sometimes abbreviated as WCAR) is an American metalcore band from Troy, Michigan. Formed in 2005, the band has gone through one name change and multiple line-up changes, and signed to SharpTone Records in 2016 after having b ...

Personnel

Credits adapted from

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

. The Word Alive * Tyler Smith – lead vocals, keyboards * Tony Pizzuti – guitars, backing vocals, keyboards, programming, bass * Zack Hansen – guitars, backing vocals, keyboards, programming, bass * Matt Horn – drums, percussion Additional personnel *

– production, composition * Erik Ron – bass, production, engineering, mixing, composition * Scott "the Ninja" Stevens – vocal production, composition * Anthony Reeder – assisting engineering *

Ted Jensen Ted Jensen (born September 19, 1954) is an American mastering engineer, known for having mastered many recordings, including the Eagles' ''Hotel California'', Green Day's '' American Idiot'' and Norah Jones' ''Come Away with Me''. Biography Ted ...

– mastering * Charles Kallaghan Massabo – programming, composition * Ryan Daminson – programming, composition * Richard Raun – package design * Cameron Burns – artwork

References

{{Authority control 2020 albums The Word Alive albums Fearless Records albums Albums produced by Erik Ron