If punchy, melodic metalcore is what you’re after, then you have come to the right place. After their 2012 debut, Divination catapulted In Hearts Wake into the Australian scene, the expectations surrounding its follow-up were always going to be huge. Luckily, the band delivered. On earthwalker, inspired by the Killen Falls in Northern NSW, the Byron boys lead with their passion for planet Earth and the aim of changing the mindset of us ‘Earthwalkers’ in a bid to protect and conserve Mother Nature, while also showing a growing technical complexity and courage to step out of the box.
The record is a huge step forward for the band, but at times their reliance on typical genre habits could almost force them to get lost in the crowd. However, their instrumentation and intricate layering add a sense of individuality to their sound – a characteristic needed in such a saturated genre. The metalcore formula they have adopted does work in their favour, especially the growing strength between their dual vocalists. The juxtaposing clean and unclean vocal team of Jake Taylor and Kyle Erich adds a clashing of sounds throughout, helping to balance out the ambient to heavy nature of the record.
In comparison to their debut, Earthwalker, while still remaining genre-safe, proves that the band have become a lot more comfortable in creating their own structures and trying new things. Though Earthwalker and Divine fall into the standard metalcore formula – relying on multiple big breakdowns and at times overworking the high-pitched clean versus unclean vocal battle – these tracks continue to prove that In Hearts Wake are looming for a top place in the genre. What really shines on this record though is the atmosphere of tracks such as Wildflower and Rebirth that break through the heaviness for brief moments of tranquillity, and show that this band can do a whole lot more within the genre.
The album may not show anything drastically new, but In Hearts Wake do present their message in a way that forces you to listen, hopefully leaving you at least rethinking some part of your actions.
BY GLORIA BRANCATISANO
Best Track: Gravity
If You Like These, You’ll Love This: THE AMITY AFFLICTION, NORTHLANE, DREAM ON DREAMER
In A Word: Thought-provoking
