“They sold us pain ’til only sorrow remains.”
Australian metalcore has made quite the name for itself over the last couple of decades, and one of the more veteran entities is In Hearts Wake out of Byron Bay. If you’re familiar with the genre, you know their shtick. They have a wide range of sonic availability within metalcore, though usually lean heavier, and they love the environment. These statements were most truthful on 2020’s full-length, Kaliyuga, which I found very underrated, as the song quality there is quite consistent, the album is equal parts punchy and melodic, and the song writing was above average. Plus, as all of their albums do, it had a lot to say about the status of our planet, but it was even more so the focus conceptually that go-around. However, with the release of their upcoming album Incarnation, singer Kyle Erich has left the band, so Jake Taylor has assumed all responsibilities. Losing Erich is big, and I was a bit nervous as to whether the band could pull off an album without him, but for those that like heavier In Hearts Wake, the band is less able to have passages that utilize Erich’s range, thus we receive an overall heavier project in Incarnation than Kaliyuga, and 2017’s Arc. That’s all well and good, but an album can be heavier while also being less good, but thankfully, while more shoehorned into one style, Incarnation stands up with the rest of the band’s discography.
Incarnation undeniably hits the ground running with “Spitting Nails”. The riffage is fast paced and the verses have a hurried cadence to them. And speaking of running, this is a great candidate for a circle pit song for a live show. I’ll also mention here that each track has a parenthetical title, that is also upside down, after each “normal” track title. Each of these is also a tarot card, and while I personally won’t type them out, nor attempt to dissect the meaning, there is something there for those that decide to.
We then get “Hollow Bone” which starts a trend (though not a streak, thank you “Orphan”) of run-of-the-mill In Hearts Wake tracks that we’ve heard before and never loved. It doesn’t take many turns or has moments that stand out. For an anthemic track, it’s not the worst thing I’ve ever heard, but it does nothing special. And these last few statements can summarize a couple other tracks on Incarnation, namely “The Flood” and “Generation Doom”. However, I do think “Hollow Bone” is the worst offender. The whole middle section within “The Flood” goes hard along with the sample of the news discussing a natural disaster, the Winston McCall feature, and just a slightly inspired instrumental arrangement. The rest is closer to “Hollow Bone“-tier, but “The Flood” holds my attention much more. Then comes “Generation Doom”, which also has some redeeming qualities, as it’s fairly concerned with building a sort of atmosphere at times, but the rest of the track feels pretty lifeless. And while the sentiment of the track is a noble one, the delivery is a bit cringe, and the play of the title “Generation Doom” just does not hit. In Hearts Wake has a lot of songs like this to varying degrees of success, but this one is towards the bottom.
“Orphan”, however, thankfully breaks up that unfortunate series with its sweeping, deathcore guitar tone and vocals that match that implied intensity. It’s a huge track, and I see why the band decided to release it as a single. It does a quicker, drum-oriented style well, too, on top of the chuggy heaviness – the best of both worlds. Taylor sounds diabolic over it all, and just when you think the song is done, they really drive home how good the cut is. This has been out for a while, so no one is learning anything new, but it’s a great track, worth reiterating, and a good example of how this album can and needs to be heavier due to Erich’s departure.
“Tyrant” has another fantastic guitar tone, which is always welcome. This cut is also very dynamic on all fronts, be it vocally or instrumentally. This should be the baseline of quality and experimentation for an In Hearts Wake track, not the Hollow Bones and Generation Dooms of their discography. It still has anthemic qualities, what with the chanty vocal passages, but packaged overall with much more respect and energy for the song. Furthermore, fans of In Hearts Wake will be especially smitten with this one for a very specific reason involving the breakdown, which is just a great section.
“Feeding the Dead” immediately sets a new tone and keeps the listener on their toes doing this, which I love. There’s a subtle synth as the intro plays, and the way the intro transitions back and forth via a key change is smooth and something I can eat up. And on top of all that, this track showcases a different vocal style for Taylor within the walls of Incarnation which I appreciate, and all of this makes “Feeding the Dead” certainly one of the best tracks on the album. “Michigama” is a crowded track, featuring Alfonso Civile, Chad Ruhlig and David Gunn, but it’s a very dynamic and entertaining track due to the crowdedness. It also partly feels that way because it’s the shortest track despite all the voices, which I question the – bridge is super heavy and just an impressive way to use the heaviness.
Garret Rapp, is that you?! I immediately recognized the man from The Color Morale and his voice fits so well with Taylor, and with this song in general. “Shellshock” has a bit of a subtle strumming motif to add a bit of mood to the track, and it’s overall a more ethereal cut than the rest of the track listing, while still maintaining the patented heaviness the band likes to put out. It’s one of the stronger tracks due to the multitudes it possesses, and Rapp’s feature, who, I might add, sounds like he hasn’t taken one day off. There’s nothing too crazy on the closer’s front, “Transmission”, though the riff aided acoustic guitar section is very smooth, and the track continues down that avenue with more blissful experimentation. And surrounding that, the bones of the track are a fairly typical metalcore closer where it goes for a more floaty, fleeting sound, albeit very successful and well written in that regard.
In Hearts Wake had quite the task ahead of them having lost one half of their vocal duties. I wonder if they felt trepidation or motivation at this task, but the end result, that of Incarnation, is certainly impressive. It maintains what fans have grown to love about the band while also leaning more into the heavier elements. The band has also been no stranger to getting features in recent years, and I think it was a great choice to maintain that mindset here, given the hole that Erich left. I can also see how any future project would easily be able to build off the growing pains of having to write with only Taylor’s vocals, which I should add, if it wasn’t clear, can certainly carry an album itself. And despite a certain level of lack throughout a lot of the run time, there were plenty of moments to impress and solidify the album’s spot in the band’s history.
7/10
Incarnation is out this Friday, July 12th via UNFD, and you can pre-order the album here.