Interpreting the Shadow Side
Album Review: Incarnation by In Heart’s Wake
CONTIBUTING AUTHOR Abby
Since their inception, Aussie quartet In Hearts Wake have produced music laden with mystical elements. Their first record, DIVINATION, featured song titles incorporating eleven of tarot’s major arcana cards. With their most recent release, INCARNATION, they flipped this concept in its head – literally. Every track has an associated major arcana card, but written upside down. In tarot, pulling a reversed card symbolizes that the practitioner isn’t taking the advice of that particular card to heart. This twist not only mirrors DIVINATION, it also plays into the overall themes of frustration and overwhelm portrayed throughout the record.
The opening track, “Spitting Nails (wheel of fortune)” is an explosive introductory paragraph, both musically and thematically. Vocalist Jake Taylor tells the listener up front that he’s about to drop some harsh truths as Slipknot-esque tom drums keep time in the background. The tone changes drastically with “Hollow Bone (the world)”, featuring a thrash-y verse, transitioning into a metalcore chorus. Notably, actual bones were used as percussion instruments, adding another distinctive layer to the song’s message about transformation and unity.
The narrative then shifts as “The Flood (justice)” featuring Winston McCall opens a mini-trilogy within the record, tackling the daunting challenge of climate change faced by younger generations. “The Flood” sweeps the listener up in its relentless currents, carrying them on to the next two songs, “Orphan (the devil)” and “Gen Doom (the hierophant)”. “Orphan”’s breakdown-laden musicality expresses the frustrations of being born into a dying world that we are expected to fix, and “Gen Doom”’s lyricism roars loud the desire to fight back against the overwhelming tide of misinformation in the digital age.
“Shishigami (the empress)”, “Tyrant (the emperor)”, and “Feeding the Dead (temperance)” continue the record with a striking change in tone from the previous five tracks. Their fantastical feel serves as a sort of intermission from all the brutality of the real-world issues.
It’s not long before we return to reality, as “Michigama (the magician)” and “Shellshock (the high priestess)” bring the listener crashing back to earth. “Michigama” thoroughly makes a mockery of midwest America by using the Flint, Michigan water crisis as a backdrop for another groovy instrumental. “Shellshock” follows close behind, its rhythm emulating the erratic sound of gunfire as the lyrics explore the PTSD experienced by front-line soldiers.
INCARNATION closes with “Transmission (the sun)”, whose major key atmospheric outro serves as a salve for the rough truths of the previous ten tracks.
Ultimately, INCARNATION feels like it runs the gauntlet of current worldwide issues, its dynamic musicality providing a tight, polished background that displays the frustration and helplessness felt by so many as they cry out for someone - anyone - to listen to them.
