Violent Noise

Editors’ Notes “Won’t you take me away?” The Word Alive vocalist Telle Smith implores on Violent Noise's opener, “Red Clouds,” as the band seesaws from solitary piano notes to thudding guitars to electronic drum breaks and back. A deft blend of programming and traditional rock instrumentation, the band’s fifth album is their most adventurous to date. Asking Alexandria’s Danny Worsnop lends a snarling vocal cameo to “Stare at the Sun,” while rapper Sincerely Collins drops a surprise verse on the dramatic, swirling “Human.”