In Hearts Wake change things up on dire new single, 'Worldwide Suicide'

Musically, visually & thematically their heaviest, In Hearts Wake finally switch up their metalcore game on 'Worldwide Suicide.'

Over the last 12 months, waterways in NSW were so poorly mismanaged by the government that it resulted in an ecological disaster of thousands upon thousands of fish dying. During the most recent summer season, Australia saw one of its worst bush-fire periods, with millions of hectares raised, millions of more animals killed, and lives lost. Ecological disaster everywhere we turn. For In Hearts Wake, who have always put the necessity for global climate action and stronger, clearer environmental thinking at the forefront of their lyrics - a choice between action and inaction during trying times - and 'Worldwide Suicide' is no different. Yet a continual rise in increasingly deadly events serves to make this one of the most thematically relevant songs In Hearts Wake have released in years.

As per the below music video, it starts with an intro section labeled 'Crisis,' as this new IHW piece begins with a Greta Thunberg sample from 2019's Global Strike, launching into some drum break-beats, with a major hard-on for that '90s revival that every second rock and metal band right now is following. From there, though, In Hearts Wake up the ante with skittish, punchy nu-metal guitars, hulking grooves, and even some drum-and-bass samples for a hurried, busy feel. Yet that's just the 'Crisis' intro; there's the rest of 'Worldwide Suicide' to go.

It's during the brunt of 'Worldwide Suicide' - a shorter, gnarlier take for the Aussie band - that we see IHW at their darkest and heaviest sounding, borrowing from filthy, low-tuned deathcore than their usual Bury Your Dead core-breakdowns (though those are still present), splicing in more break-beats for good measure. Frontman Jake Taylor has never sounded so menacing, but also never this well enunciated, and you can tell he's put real effort into how his voice travels, his tone, and when to change around the screams and breathy spoken lines for fitting emotional effect, like those choked-sounds as if someone is gasping for air amongst toxic fumes. At times, this single gives off strong King 810 vibes with the vocal phrasings, synths, distorted effects, emphasis on samples and grooves, and it's clear that Northlane's 'Alien' has lit a fire under the bellies of their UNFD peers to try new things in their own art.

Put together, 'Crisis' and 'Worldwide Suicide' do feel like just an intro pair, and it's unclear whether this will be a jarring one-off or a true tone-setter for what's to come. Still, I'm actually about 'Worldwide Suicide' because it's finally something different from the band; something that sees them branching out into new genres whilst also seeing them at their musically, visually and thematically heaviest, displaying new variety too. Here, the band sounds alive, revitalized, and it's infinitely better than anything off 2017's sinking-stinker, 'Ark.' And while you probably won't see me praising new IHW from every single peak as they head into a new record cycle, I also honestly haven't enjoyed a new song from them this much since the old days of 'Earthwalker' and 'Divination.'

Expect a new IHW album this year. For every 1,000 views of this video, the band will plan to plant one native tree next Spring in Australia. Come to grips with 'Worldwide Suicide':