To open their 2022, In Hearts Wake are back with a bolt-on to 2020's Kaliyuga album in the form of Kaliyuga Booster Pack. It's a brand new collection of songs old and new, but brutal to the core.
Opening the record are three brutal unreleased songs: Dogma (feat. Alpha Wolf), Torn in Two and War. As you may expect, Dogma has vocals from both bands and the depth is intense; the pre-breakdown tom drumbeat leaving enough space to hear emptiness around the vocal while the suspense builds to kill when it hits. Torn in Two has some clear doom influence with huge, slow and melodic riffs, and the track draws on recent directions of others like Parkway Drive in a speak-scream-chant vocal combination.
Delving back into the 2020 catalogue, the final five tracks are live versions of Kaliyuga material recorded at The Tivoli, Brisbane. The clearest lesson here is the ability of the band to translate recorded material into a live arena. Crisis opens with a chaotic soundscape of barely-human feel, when Worldwide Suicide delivers a dose of sludgy, distorted noise so many have missed while venues have been closed.
Overall, the record will make the perfect addition to a great album. It delivers a slightly different flavour to some fan-favourites and momentarily curbs that enthusiasm from the fanbase for new music.