I’m going to be transparent from the beginning. I did not come into this as much of a fan of In Hearts Wake. While I do enjoy their live shows, I have not really found a release of theirs that truly resonated with me and made it onto a more permanent rotation. Well, with this latest album ‘Incarnation’– that has changed.

Let’s go through what made me fall in love with this record.

For those craving that classic Aussie metalcore sound- the speed, the fury and the overall catchiness, ‘Spitting Nails (ǝunʇɹoɟ ɟo lǝǝɥʍ)’ hits the spot. There is both a sense of nostalgia that crashes over you listening to this track, but also you can hear the influence of the current sound of metalcore throughout the riffs. It is a track made to be listened too loud, opening the album in the best way. Grabbing your hand and pulling you straight into the action.

Sliding effortlessly into ‘Hollow Bone (plɹoʍ ǝɥʇ)’, there is a snaking guitar that weaves the two tracks together. Keeping you on that fast pace that hit you from the start, but don’t be fooled into thinking you will be hit with monotony. Like a rollercoaster, it goes up and down, the slower moments feel more intense as they are filled with moments of anticipation and celebratory gang vocal choruses. There is a reason they released this one as a single, because if you are anywhere in the world listening to it live, you will want to know the words to sing along. Oh and if you don’t feel the urge to fling yourself into a circle pit upon spinning this one- I don’t think you are a metalcore fan, I’m sorry to say.

‘The Flood (ǝɔᴉʇsnɾ)’ sounds like it was written with Winston McCall in mind, there is no doubt about it. Like a missing Parkway Drive single, it captures the camaraderie that inspired the song perfectly. It is everything that I would expect from a collaboration with these two mainstays of Australian metalcore. There is also a strong sonic representation of the subject matter, as it was written about the floods that hit the northern rivers region in 2022- an area both bands are from.  Powerful, confronting and ferocious- it does not pull any punches with addressing the trauma and pain that came from this dreadful disaster and the subsequent handling of it by the Government.

While ‘The Flood (ǝɔᴉʇsnɾ)’ feels very typical for In Hearts Wake, ‘Orphan (lᴉʌǝp ǝɥʇ)’ is its own beast. Kicking in with almost punky guitars, it’s wild distortion creates a manic listening experience. As it descends into the breakdown, it almost blindsides you on the direction it keeps taking. The chopping, the changing- Conor Ward‘s drumming has to be mentioned. Vocalist Jake Taylor pushes his voice into more emotionally driven, chaotic territory. It is one of those songs you need to listen to a few times to really grasp what is happening, but that is not necessarily a bad thing as it is worth every listen.

‘Gen Doom (ʇuɐɥdoɹǝᴉɥ ǝɥʇ)’ is the song that convinced that this album is not just decent, it is bloody brilliant. There is just something about the songs construction. The sample in the choruses, the stripped back instrumentation and snarly growls, feeding into the hypnotic guitar riffs- shivers down my back. The chorus embodies rage and the growl on the “doom!” just feels like the cherry on top. When the band talked about a darker direction, this is what I wanted to hear. Musically, it matches the rage in the lyrics and while it may not be everybody’s stand out on the album- personally it stood out as the example of just what the band was trying to achieve with this record.

Now this track was the one I was most excited to hear, as a huge fan of Paledusk. ‘Shishigami シシ神 (ssǝɹdɯǝ ǝɥʇ)’ featuring Kaito Nagai followed a very similar vein of the tracks that have come before it, but like with the Winston feature, there felt like a deliberate nod to the style of Paledusk. The build into the breakdown is nothing short of epic and the stop-start style that is synonymous with the style of the pioneers of Fukuoka chaos core. It also made a scrumptious transition into the next song, ‘Tyrant (ɹoɹǝdɯǝ ǝɥʇ)‘.

Heavy as hell and just a straight-up solid metalcore track. It gives you that Parkway Drive feel, but in a way that is true In Hearts Wake. I’m visualising circle pits and absolute carnage. The little subtle moments from guitarists Eaven Dall and Ben Nairne, do not go unnoticed throughout the album but it is in ‘Tyrant (ɹoɹǝdɯǝ ǝɥʇ)’ where it truly stands out. Little licks, chugs and squeals snuck into the gaps, giving it just that little more texture. This one is truly made for a live audience.

‘Feeding The Dead (ǝɔuɐɹǝdɯǝʇ)’ does step off the pedal a little bit, pulling the tempo back and allowing you to take a moment to breathe. Lyrically, Taylor is painting pictures. The imagery pulls you right into the story and creates a masterpiece of despair. Again, like the work of the guitarists, this is epic poetry is present throughout the entire album, but the slowing down in this track just makes it more evident. It’s melodeath. It’s excellent.

The brief moment of slow and hard was short lived, as the speed starts to kick back up again with ‘Michigama (uɐᴉɔᴉƃɐɯ ǝɥʇ)’. This feature heavy monster of a track is massive. I mean, you are never going to go to wrong when you have the likes of Chad Ruhlig (For The Fallen Dreams), David Gunn (King 810) and Alfonso Civile (Heartsick) lending their talents. There is not much else to say other than feels like a nice little treat in what is already a ripper of an album.

Now one of the most interesting things for fans of In Hearts Wake is just how the band was going to handle the absence of Kyle Erich. His vocals helped create another dynamic within their sound, but so far, the band has been able to use instrumentation to harness melody in an authentic way. Also, bringing in Garret Rapp (The Colour Morale) for ‘Shellshock (ssǝʇsǝᴉɹd ɥƃᴉɥ ǝɥʇ)’ also doesn’t hurt. Taking an already wonderfully curated moment in the album to another level, it keeps you engaged.

Finishing off this release is ‘Transmission (uns ǝɥʇ)’, which dabbles into a little post-hardcore, softer metalcore vibes with the guitars. Drenched in melody and almost getting a little proggy- it wraps up this release in the best way possible. Rather than going with the ballad than so many other metalcore acts do to finish, it gives a snapshot into what we can expect from In Hearts Wake going forward.

Walking into this as somebody who was pretty indifferent to the band, I can say that this will be a release that I will be having on repeat for sometime. I was pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed this album, and while I cannot say for sure just how much different it is compared to their previous releases- it took moments that I enjoyed from ‘Divination’ (an album that I’ve seen performed live twice) and brought into 2024.

It is not re-inventing the wheel in terms of metalcore as a wider genre, but often that is not what we want. Instead it feels honest. It is an album from a band who have mastered their craft but have had to find new ways to express it- and they have nailed it.

Rating: 9 / 10
Review by Kayla Hamilton (@kaylazomboid)
‘Incarnation’ is out now through UNFD.
Listen here.

In Hearts Wake – ‘Incarnation’ Tracklisting

1. Spitting Nails (ǝunʇɹoɟ ɟo lǝǝɥʍ)
2. Hollow Bone (plɹoʍ ǝɥʇ)
3. The Flood (ǝɔᴉʇsnɾ)
4. Orphan (lᴉʌǝp ǝɥʇ)
5. Gen Doom (ʇuɐɥdoɹǝᴉɥ ǝɥʇ)
6. Shishigami シシ神 (ssǝɹdɯǝ ǝɥʇ)
7. Tyrant (ɹoɹǝdɯǝ ǝɥʇ)
8. Feeding The Dead (ǝɔuɐɹǝdɯǝʇ)
9. Michigama (uɐᴉɔᴉƃɐɯ ǝɥʇ)
10. Shellshock (ssǝʇsǝᴉɹd ɥƃᴉɥ ǝɥʇ)
11. Transmission (uns ǝɥʇ)