The pandemic has done a lot of taking away from the music industry over the past two years – thankfully, for fans of venerated Aussie metallers In Hearts Wake, it has also given them something a little extra too, in the form of their new EP, ‘Kaliyuga Booster Pack’. Released as an addition to their 2020 album, ‘Kaliyuga’, the record features three new tracks, as well as five live recordings from their show in Brisbane earlier in the year – so far, the only show the band have managed to perform since ‘Kaliyuga’ was unveiled.
Far from solely looking back at the last two years, however, this EP does come packed out with some roaring new tracks for fans to sink their teeth into – in the case of the opening number, quite literally! ‘Dogma (feat. Alpha Wolf)’ is the result of a seemingly absurd challenge the band set themselves; to record a song solely about dogs. In doing so, the aptly named Alpha Wolf, fellow members of the thriving metalcore scene down under, were the perfect choice of partner, and the result is a masterclass in how to write stonking great big riffs that still punch through with deliberate energy and clarity. Wasting no time at all in delving into a furious tumult of sound, the diction with which every line is delivered means every growled word still hits with palpable energy, carried along on waves of guttural, heavy-handed fury.
Accompanying the lead single are a pair of similarly new tracks – the haunting ‘Torn In Two’ and its sizzling companion, ‘War’. The former’s orchestral opener pervades a sense of majesty, which transcends even as the drums come raining down and the guitars scythe into being. Harmonising vocals that float and soar through the chorus give it an unearthly, haunting quality, while the lyrics are incredibly poetic for a band who have so far seemed intent primarily on shaking the plaster from the walls! Then again, the interlude is only temporary, as the latter of the two songs is frenetic and almost impossible to penetrate. From the igniting plunges into each chorus, to the industrial saws buzzing away in the background, the verses in particular here are a collage-esque menagerie of white-hot sounds and textures.
You could be fooled into thinking that there is no way that In Hearts Wake would be able to reproduce that kind of high-octane musicality in their live performances – but if that is the case, then they are about to swiftly prove you wrong. The roar of the crowd that bookends each of the five live tracks on this record is testament to the adulation which this band receive on stage, and from the grumbling introductory interlude ‘Crisis (Live At The Tivoli)’, to the thumping, thundering ‘Worldwide Suicide (Live At The Tivoli)’, this record’s latter half is a hugely emotional reminder of the power and vitality of live music. All five of the tracks on this record have been selected from their latest album, ‘Kaliyuga’, and, despite not being able to call them ‘old’ favourites after just one live outing, they can certainly be recorded as ‘favourites’ among the audible crowd.
‘Timebomb (Live At The Tivoli)’ boasts an elevating bridge that falls plummeting into the cutting chorus, and is a perfect encapsulation of the heart-pounding excitement of a live performance. ‘Son Of A Witch (Live At The Tivoli)’ turns the status quo on its head again, opting for the cleans to come to the fore in the verses, countering the gut-punching pace of the rest of the record perfectly. And, just in case you thought they’d lost their bottle in the dying minutes, In Hearts Wake return for one final hurrah with the furiously unrelenting ‘Hellbringer (Live At The Tivoli)’ – proving that, if these live tracks are anything to go by, we will all need to hit the cardio before launching ourselves back into the pits on their rescheduled tour dates very soon!
‘Kaliyuga Booster Pack’ is out now via UNFD – stream the full record here.
