The Word Alive Celebrates Deceiver & Dark Matter In NYC

Keith Timper
6 days ago
4 min read

The Word Alive celebrates Deceiver and Dark Matter in New York City

On August 1, 2026, Ultraviolet Magazine was back in hot and sweaty New York City at the Gramercy Theatre for The Deceiver / Dark Matter Tour. The tour celebrated the 15th and 10th anniversaries, respectively, of The Word Alive’s albums. Joining them was Not Enough Space, who had been touring in support of their album Weaponize Your Rage, which hit its one-year anniversary this September. Also in support were Downswing and Code:Words.

Code:Words

Up first was The Artery Foundation’s latest acquisition, Code:Words. The L.A.-based alt-metal band was one of the newer acts on the tour and was determined to bring its fresh take on the genre. “S.O.S.,” an older 2024 single, kicked off the set. The atmospheric chorus stood tall, contrasting the ripping, upbeat verses. Guitarist Garrett Lowery’s parts were played absolutely effortlessly as the track built toward the breakdown. The set was an even split between their 2024 singles, saving their 2026 releases for the latter half. The future looks bright based on the newest singles as well. This is a band to keep on your radar, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see them on a massive touring package by next year.

Code:Words Setlist

S.O.S.

In Vertigo

Wash The Blood

The Best I Feel IsNumb

Blackout

Limerence

Code:Words is:

John Dillon: Vocalist

Garret Lowery: Guitars

Max Codoceo: Drums

https://www.codewordscult.com

Downswing

The Gramercy Theatre was always bustling with fans everywhere, largely due to its layout. Fans were typically found en masse downstairs at the lounge and merch area. Now? A ghost town, as all eyes were on the next band: New York’s own Downswing. One of the standouts in the New York hardcore scene, the band had adapted to a more metalcore sound in recent years. But that was no deterrent for the fans this night. They started with the visceral track “No God to Me” off their 2025 album ‘And Everything Was Dark’, released via MNRK Records. The set offered plenty of opportunities for mosh pits and enough crowd surfers, enough to concern us in the photo pit. Clearly, the band is only looking ahead, as the remainder of the set comprised songs from the aforementioned 2025 album.

Downswing Setlist

No God to Me

Emptiness Remains

Too Little Too Late

Letting Go

Thanks for Nothing

Serpent

For What It's Worth

Downswing is:

Brett Colvin: Vocalist

Anthony Salvaggio: Guitars

Chris Arnold: Guitars

Brandon Jared: Bass

Nick Manzella: Drums

https://downswing.bigcartel.com

Not Enough Space

As bands like The Word Alive embarked on this tour to celebrate the 10th and 15th year anniversaries of their albums, Not Enough Space was celebrating the upcoming one year anniversary of ‘Weaponize Your Rage’, released via Thriller Records. The night brought metalcore and hardcore, but now it was time for Moancore.

Starting with “Eye 4 An Eye,” the band immediately showcased the dynamic between vocalists Lizzie Raatma and Liv Mitchell. Raatma’s clean vocals pulled you in, while Mitchell’s screams and bleghs slapped you upside the head. The crowd was already getting rowdy, with crowd surfers constantly coming over the rail. One security guard even caught a stray foot to the head.

“Solace in Silence” continued to remind the crowd who was in charge, featuring a visceral, blood-curdling scream from Mitchell, which was even longer and more intense live as well as an epic solo from guitarist Tristan Kaos. “Kill Eat Repeat” brought out the two stepping thanks to drummer Maurice Jones and bassist Jacob Sawyer locking into tight grooves, while “No Way Out” brought a wall of death to the 600-plus capacity room. And yes, “Primitive” featured the patented “moan.” Screenshot this for later, but I’d put money on a headline tour for this band in the very near future.

Not Enough Space Setlist

Eye 4 An Eye

Weaponize Your Rage

Devil Left Me On Read

Solace In Silence

Don't Be Scared

Don't Let Go

Mayday

Kill Eat Repeat

No Way Out

Primitive

Not Enough Space is:

Lizzie Kristina Raatma : Vocals

Liv Mitchell: Vocals

Tristian Kaos Guitars

Jacob Sawyer: Bass

Maurice Jones: Drums

https://thrillerrecords.com/pages/not-enough-space?srsltid=AfmBOoq32uV47gEVD3DBHL5JqAWBvO88D7mLJjFQbWc2U1_UW_IpqjxS

The Word Alive

Red lights drowned the stage as The Word Alive took it. Drummer Devin Attard stood tall atop his drum kit while vocalist Tyler Smith and guitarist Logan Abernethy followed. Noticeably missing was guitarist Jose DelRio, who joined near the end of “The Hounds of Anubis.” The pits opened up with a vengeance and continued through “Battle Royale,” both tracks from ‘Deceiver’, released via Fearless Records 15 years ago. It really amplified the energy in the crowd.

Smith welcomed the New York City crowd and said the city felt like a homecoming of sorts for the band. The members then knelt down and encouraged the fans to do the same before kicking off the newer 2025 track “Eyes Above.” Afterwards, The Word Alive dove into songs from the ‘Dark Matter’ era, which definitely seemed to transport the crowd back about 10 years. At one point, someone in the crowd was even recording video on a Nintendo DS. The halfway point marked a heavier turn as the band performed an unreleased track, “Lethal Dose.”

What was a better throwback from 2010? Lady Gaga’s meat suit? Bieber Fever? Twilight? The debut of the iPad? None of the above. The answer was Punk Goes Pop, which The Word Alive honored with their cover of Kanye West’s “Heartless.”

Smith later reflected that he had been in The Word Alive for nearly half his life and had watched many fans grow older with the band, get married, and have kids. He encouraged everyone to stick around for another 20 years before starting “Life Cycles,” which brought a second wind to the crowd as they screamed every word back at the stage. The energy never died down, which seemed to please Attard as he screamed back at the audience before the encore. The Word Alive closed the night with “Casanova Rodeo.”