Aussie metalcore agitators In Hearts Wake are gearing up to release their fifth studio album Kaliyuga. They’ve released two singles so far – ‘Worldwide Suicide’ and ‘Son of a Witch’ – and now they’ve dropped a third, ‘Hellbringer’, featuring Polaris vocalist Jamie Hails.
As you might expect, ‘Hellbringer’ is packed full of the frenzied guitar riffs and anthemic choruses the band are known for. The song and its accompanying video is a celebration of heavy music; contrasting with those who don’t understand its message.
“At some of our American shows extremist groups have picketed outside, telling our fans that they’re ‘going to hell'”, explains the band’s Jake Taylor. “If only they knew just how positive the energy inside the venue was! Never judge a book by it’s cover.”
“So rather than fight hate with hate, we decided to have some fun and lean into the metal stereotype. In 2020 with live streams becoming the new norm, we decided to stage our own hell-bent circus. We thought it would be funny to ask Jamie to dress up as a werewolf, turn me into a vampire and rain blood on the entire band. Guess Halloween came early this year. Thank you Blade.”
Kaliyuga follows In Hearts Wake’s 2017 album Ark. The environmentally conscious outfit’s fifth album has been entirely carbon offset. The band measured “every power socket, light bulb, pound of freight, travel and food consumed” throughout the recording process. They were able to find out their total carbon footprint, and offset it by supporting a rewilding project in the Yarra Yarra Biodiversity Corridor of Western Australia. The album will also be packaged and manufactured plastic-free, using recycled materials.
Watch the video for ‘Hellbringer’ below. Kaliyuga is scheduled for release Friday, 7th August – pre-orders available here.
Image: Sally Patti