Ark is laden with thoughtful lyrics that highlight social and environmental issues, focusing heavily on water sustainability. This provides a concise and conscientious theme that breathes life into each song.
Many of the tracks involve roughly the same formula; screamed verses contrasted by soothingly-sung choruses, backed by an array of metalcore riffs – but that isn’t to say that each track is repetitive or that they all sound the same. In Hearts Wake have certainly found their sound, but they manage to tweak it so that every track brings its own individual flavour.
Frequency delivers licks of twinkling guitar backed by soft percussion through the verses, before producing a harder chorus. The drum beat picks up and screamed vocals are layered with twangy layers. Warcry packs a punch with choppy, full force beats that you can’t help but imagine moshing to. Final track, Now begins with atmospheric layered tones and echoed, softly sung vocals, serving as a palate cleanser after the intensity of the album.
To the untrained ear, metalcore can tend to sound like a blur of the same thing, but In Hearts Wake manage to put their watermark on the genre by perfecting a balance of intensity and serenity. The tracks seesaw between lighter melodies with clean vocals and smashing walls of sound with screamed verses, a recipe that In Hearts Wake have certainly mastered.
