SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: IN HEARTS WAKE – INCARNATION

IN HEARTS WAKE
INCARNATION
UNFD

When one looks at the definition of incarnation, it is the embodiment of a spirit in the flesh, the awakening of something fresh and enticing. This idea has never held greater significance for the Australian band In Hearts Wake. As they stand amid transition and the start of a new chapter in their sound, In Hearts Wake has evolved greatly since releasing their first album, Divination, and are now a completely different group that produced 2022’s Green Is The New Black. What has resulted is maturity and clarity from the six albums that the band has released in the two years they have been away from the music scene.

Each song, based on a Tarot card idea, attempts to delve deeper into the shadows of a venerable medium while also emulating the meaning behind such profound works of art that have assisted many in discovering the inner answers and purpose to life’s most difficult questions. The evolution of their sound shows itself rather brilliantly with their introductory medium, “Spitting Nails (Wheel Of Fortune)”. Showing the band has not lost a step in creating thought-provoking lyrical imagery behind their deft and vibrant swirls of metalcore and the vicious dance of other heavy elements, “Spiting Nails (Wheel Of Fortune)” is a great opener that grants passage to other memorable moments to follow.

Thick percussion and atmospheric tension, coupled with crushing guitar riffs, propel “The Flood (Justice)” forward, blowing away all negative energy with genre-straddling prowess. At the same time, their aggressive zeal manifests into a vivid wave of instrumental twists and turns, walking a fine line of earworm ecstasy and raw discontent.

A grand display of agitated vocal play continues to beautifully sew itself into soaring melodies and heavy discordant elements with other highlights, “Orphan (The Devil)”. A diabolic display of acrobatic display of vexed guitar riffs and massively imposing percussive stomps, In Hearts Wake continues to morph their heavy, titanic elements with each abrasive experience.

In Hearts Wake continues their unrelenting journey of gritty experimentation with “Generation Doom (The Hierophant)” and “Tyrant (The Emperor)”. Maintaining their mosh-inducing energies with chunky chord progressions and ethereal intensity, such gravid experiences make way for amazing numbers such as “Feeding the Dead (Temperance)” and “Michigama (The Magician),” creating some of the dirtiest and undeniably infectious statements on the record.

In Hearts Wake extends their bold eccentricity with other junctions “Shellshock (The High Priestess)” and “Transmission (The Sun)”. One of the most melodic-driven exercises on the record, “Transmission (The Sun)”, offers a favorable respite from the high-octane energies thus far while also showing the band’s inventive use of melodic, progressive, and core elements.

Incarnation ends with two attention-grabbing final experiences, “Apollo” and “Farewell”. Continuing to bear their relentless creative aptitude for atmospheric beauty and super-charged cathodic, ariose concepts, In Hearts Wake ends a gorgeously deft and weighty adventure on a high note.

Incarnation is more than a successful multi-genre experiment; it represents massive growth and a powerfully audacious sonic experience that was born from the fires of the desire to look towards something new, brave, and augmented without jeopardizing what makes In Hearts Wake one of the top-tier bands of the metalcore scene. Through taking risks and successfully navigating through dark lyrical spaces, the band finds musical freedom and, as a result, inner confidence and a new sound.

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