If you kept up with the metalcore scene a decade ago, you definitely knew about Australian outfit In Hearts Wake. Now in 2024, the band is getting closer to qualifying as a “classic” metalcore group—and still embraces every aspect of the classic sound they started with on their new album Incarnation (UNFD). 

While there aren’t many surprises on Incarnation, it achieves exactly what it is trying to be—straight up Metalcore with thundering guitars, tenacious melodies, and vigorous screams. The rampaging riffs and battering drums of opener “Splitting Nails” make this immediately apparent. “Hollow Bone” then continues this heaviness with a more melodic direction. Sinister screams turn into gritty belts while guitars flip flop between rumbling breakdowns and glimmering leads, assuring In Hearts Wake are still the same dynamic storytellers of their older work.

“The Flood” turns the intensity to eleven, unveiling spine-chilling vocal delivery from Jake Taylor. From his piercing highs to his quaking chants of “Outlive, outlast” and “Welcome to hell,” the vocalist undoubtedly put everything he had into this one. Voice clips from news anchors describing natural disasters stutter and glitch over foreboding guitars, making for a highly effective build-up to the bellowing climax.

“Generation Doom” is driven by raging rhythms, apocalyptic instrumentals, and a breakdown that chugs and screeches like the peak of a battle scene. The madness continues for the seething guitars and emphasizing drum pummels of “Shishigami” and “Tyrant”, exerting riffs that could instantly turn a still crowd into an epic wall of death.

Penultimate track “Shellshock” has a chorus melody that rouses the feeling of the end nearing, throwing unrelenting chants between every tireless scream. “Transmission” then wraps up the album with melodious guitar lines adding meticulous harmonies to the vocals. Acoustic chord strums eventually come in, like a breath of fresh air to backdrop the peculiar overlapping tones and lofi voice recordings. This energy continues on until the end, even once the metal riffage returns. The song ends with a lush ambient soundscape as the final screams fade, closing the record on an emotionally satisfying note.

As one of the quintessential metalcore bands of the last decade, In Hearts Wake continues to bring the heat. While Incarnation is mostly composed of the typical sound that blew up in the 2010s, it pulls it off effortlessly—and with several moments and riffs that will have many fans coming back for more. 

Buy the album here:
https://inheartswake.com/

7 / 10
COLLEEN KANOWSKY