In Hearts Wake – Incarnation
Reviewed by: Georgina Strilakos
Review Score 8.5
In Hearts Wake has recently announced a new studio work titled Incarnation. A spot-on counter-part to the band’s 2012 debut.
The Australian Metalcore band has avoided sticking strictly to the genre’s rulebook from the very start, always aiming for a more original and personal sound that incorporates a wider range of styles and influences.
The new release, which is going to be the band’s sixth studio album, marks a bold step forward for In Hearts Wake. This evolution is not only intriguing but also exciting, as it shows the band’s willingness to keep evolving and bring something new to their sound. Each of the 11 songs on this album is proof of that because the band wanted to take this opportunity to stretch the boundaries of their creativity and push it to the limits. The first single to be released from the album, ‘Hollow Bone,’ is odd to the early days of the band, but at the same time, it also shadows the change to expect.
This is a particularly challenging and brave artistic statement from the band, especially after they have experienced some lineup changes with the loss of Y. It’s an opportunity to show the audience that In Hearts Wake is here to stay, and then, despite the changes, they’re still willing and able to put some of their best work into this album. Incarnation feels like a very enthusiastic project and a genuine memento of a band looking to move forward with a new purpose. The concept of moving forward, transforming, and transcending is quite literal in the single group, as the group used actual bones to create percussive sounds and rhythmic effects. It is always very interesting when bands connect their creative concepts and lyrics to the way the instrumentals unfold, and this album is sort of a Masterclass when it comes to that. To add even more layers to this release, Incarnation also serves as a counterpart to In Hearts Wake‘s 2012 debut studio work, Divination. There are many parallels and contrasts between the two releases, and they tie in together like Yin and Yang
Find out more about In Hearts Wake and listen to Incarnation when it gets released on July 12th, 2024 through UNFD.
https://linktr.ee/inheartswake