In Hearts Wake planted clues to Skydancer’s existenceunder the CD trays of their previous album, last year’s Earthwalker. But until now, the back-to-back releases’ simultaneous recording was all hushed up. Skydancer’s release took fans by surprise, providing suspended disbelief from an all-out promo assault. Cynicism aside, Skydancer far surpasses the sum of its double-concept-album parts.
Distinguishing yourself in the hardcore scene is harder than separating pre-mixed bourbon and Coke. Recorded at the same time as Earthwalker, Skydancer awakens a latent protector spirit; vicious when threatened yet gentle in repose. The title track’smosh-ready fierceness is a case in point. Compared to Earthwalker, Skywalker loads up on sheer tonnage. Badlands spirits us away on massed voices and plunging, earthshaking riffs, while Insomnia’s hungerchews up bitumen, unleashing growled fury and high-flying clean vocals.
In Hearts Wake are undeniably a guitar lover’s hardcore band. Oblivion impresses with top-shelf noodling, a potent stake raiser in the often stuffed-crust hardcore scene. When paired with the atmospherics grown like forests around cities of thunder on Erase (which features Hacktivist MCs Ben Marvin and J Hurley) it’s enough to win prog fans over. Even the radio-tempered Wildfire scarcely feels overwrought. These thick hearted tunes hold their own.
Skydancer is a blazing record, confirming In Hearts Wake’s much vaunted potential has come into bloom. On the conclusion to the Byron boys’ double-album journey, they return with an ultimate hardcore boon.
BY TOM VALCANIS
