Australia is home for some of the best Deathcore and (Melodic) Metalcore bands. With new releases flooding in every year, 2017 was no exception. Prominent Australian acts such as THY ART IS MURDER, ALPHA WOLF and IN HEARS WAKE have all released their respective albums this year, and the latter is a band that I have been following ever since they dropped their sophomore effort. With a blessed Melodic Metalcore sound, these young metallers geared up to release their new full-length "Ark" earlier this year; "Ark" follows  "Skydancer" (2015), 'Earthwalker' (2014), and 'Divination' (2012). When it comes to their best releases I would say that "Skydancer" and "Earthwalker" top the list. Let us see whether this album changed my perspective on their best release or not.

The Album Art was familiar for me, as I saw the same imagery done by While She Sleeps; both of these bands have used multi-lingual titles on their artwork, which represents unity, in my opinion. The album starts off with the title track "Ark", which is basically is a minute-long intro that has some environmental noises and ambient sound textures. We get the typical IHW vibes on the second track "Passages", which is followed by "Nomad" that hits the playlist with more heavier sound. Towards the end of this song we get a heavy and brutal breakdown with an energetic pre-breakdown line, Liberate Me..... Throughout the album I noticed their skills in transitioning between the Cleans and Screams without much difficulty. The heavy chuggy salm-muted guitar riffs intertwined with steady drumming compliment the vocal works. On the other hand we are not exposed to much bass rhythms or passages, however, the ideal use of bass tunes rounds out the instrumentation together.

Another interesting aspect of IN HEARTS WAKE is that they try to convey a message through their songs, plus most of the songs have both softer and heavier sides that add an extra point to their creativity and songwriting. For instance, "Warcry" is Probably my favourite track on this album, for it has a strong message beneath its lyrical content; and those breakdowns will leave you wanting for more. The rest of the songs dwell on the same energy throughout the setlist, with "Overthrow" and "Now" being the most notable ones.

I quite enjoyed this album and will put it on repeat in future. "Ark" is one of those albums where one gets a mixed feeling whether or not the album is creative enough to get much attention, however apart from it being somewhat generic, the album is very appealing and catchy. "Nomad" and "Warcry" will surely be a part of my daily playlist. When it comes to their best release, my opinion does not deviate from their sophomore album, but "Ark" is still a must listen album for all Melodic Metalcore enthusiasts.