ALBUM REVIEW: In Hearts Wake — Kaliyuga Booster Pack

Mother is God in the eyes of a child.”

Once upon a time, In Hearts Wake were one of my most beloved bands. I typically never went more than a week without listening to Divination, Earthwalker and Skydancer from when I discovered the band at the age of fifteen up until I was around nineteen or so. Things peaked just after the flawless split EP Equinox with UNFD label-mates Northlane, and I found myself at every In Hearts Wake gig I could possibly get to. Hell, I even spent a whopping forty quid just to get some exclusive merch shipped from Australia, I was that keen.

Afterwards though, the tides changed somewhat. Whether it was the unstoppable nature of time altering my tastes with age, or whether the mixed reviews that Ark and Kaliyuga received were rather telling of the band’s progression (or lack thereof), my love faded a little as the years rolled by. Now at the age of twenty-four (fucking hell, that’s nearly ten years of following In Hearts Wake) I have three brand new tracks in front of me, and a handful of live renditions of Kaliyuga’s hottest tracks in a neat little bundle known as the Kaliyuga Booster Pack.

Solitary single and first bonus track ‘Dogma’ reignites the cinders of Kaliyuga quite admirably, with a downright nasty vocal feature from Alpha Wolf’s Lochie Keogh to boot. This song is a strange one — I don’t care much for its intro, but man does this tune settle super well after a couple of minutes.

Equipped with their seven-string LTD guitars, Ben Nairne and Eaven Dall hybridise modern Killswitch Engage stadium-metal riffage with classic Divination-era chugginess on ‘Dogma’. Meanwhile, eco-warrior frontman Jake Taylor spits signature Aussie venom through an applaudable vocal performance throughout. ‘Dogma’ is definitely a grower, but one that’s absolutely worth the necessary re-listens to get it to click into place.

Track two, appropriately titled ‘Torn In Two’, has a definite ‘Writings on the Wall’ by Parkway Drive vibe to it. Cinematic and (presumably) MIDI orchestral strings sweep across atmospheric verses as drummer Conor Ward lays standout percussive punctuation across the track.

Taylor’s lyrics tackle an introspective battle of an only child trapped between two tussling parents. The contrasting verses beginning with “Mother is God in the eyes of a child” and “Father is God in the yes of a child” followed by the impactful line “…but fact is fiction when the Gods both died” evoke emotive storytelling; themes of conflict, suffering and confusion are communicated with upmost clarity.

Third and final new offering ‘War’ sees the return of clean-vocalist and bassist Kyle Erich, a crucial component in this band’s ability to produce infectiously-catchy, inspiring choruses. ‘War’ is arguably the most enjoyable of the three deluxe tracks; it’s a more melodious affair than the other two songs, contributing to what is a more repayable listen in isolation.

We aren’t done here though, oh no. In Hearts Wake treat us to five live versions from their one and only live show from 2021 — a stacked set at The Tivoli, Brisbane. The five songs, “Crisis”, “Worldwide Suicide”, “Timebomb”, “Son Of A Witch” and “Hellbringer” are arguably Kaliyuga’s major highlights, and are equal-parts smart and safe choices. The audio quality across the quintet collection is solid for the most part, albeit quite revealing of the imperfections that bands tend to demonstrate in a live setting. What you see is definitely what you get here.

Kaliyuga Booster Pack, then, is a tricky one. Firstly, it’s worth highlighting that the marketing for this deluxe edition has been a bit of a car crash — nobody seems to know whether this is an EP of bonus content separate to Kaliyuga, whether it’s being released as a new product with the original album included as would typically be done with deluxe editions, whether it’s getting a physical release, and the list goes on. Additionally, it’s hard to see past the likelihood that Kaliyuga Booster Pack is a contractual obligation by UNFD — every In Hearts Wake album sans Divination has received the deluxe treatment one-to-two years after the base album launch. It’s a concept and marketing method that feels pretty stale now, if I’m completely honest.

The content on Kaliyuga Booster Pack, overall, is heavily weighted towards those three fresh tracks. Whilst they may not be instant overnight bangers the same way that ‘Refuge’ or ‘Earthwalker’ were, they’re appropriately in-line with Kaliyuga in musicianship and likely, in how they will be received by fans and critics alike. What I personally feel In Hearts Wake are in dire need of is a massive shake-up, akin to what Northlane produced with groundbreaking fifth album, Alien. For now, I await the day that In Hearts Wake recapture the flame they started out with.

7/10

Kaliyuga Booster Pack by In Hearts Wake releases via UNFD this Friday, 11th February 2022. For more on In Hearts Wake, metal album reviews and more, make Boolin Tunes your go-to.