Metal Anarchy

In Hearts Wake have premiered an animated video for their new song “Son Of A Witch.” This track is from the band’s new album “Kaliyuga,” which will be released on August 7.

Jake Taylor said the following about the video:

“Coronavirus turned our video cartoon. These challenging times are forcing us to adapt, evolve and discover new ways of doing things. I scoured the internet for an animation team who could bring to life this emotive, sensitive and archetypal narrative about humanity’s neglect and mistreatment of Mother Earth. I’ve never written or directed animation before, but it opened up new possibilities and for that I’m grateful”

He also said the band worked to reduce their carbon footprint with the album:

“During the recording process we measured every power socket, counted every light, pound of freight, food consumption, driving mile and airfare taken. We were then able to find the total carbon footprint and offset it by supporting a rewilding project in Australia on First Nations land. Our mission to help support and sustain life on earth has made us realise that less is more. Many industries are evolving, and as musicians we feel it’s time to do our part. It’s been challenging to navigate the retail hurdles, find sustainable materials and successful companies that embody our ethos, but through a bit of research we’ve discovered that there are many solutions out there.”

A press release continued:

“In Hearts Wake‘ calculated the recording process of the album to be 26.37 tonnes of CO2e which has been entirely offset through the purchase of carbon credits in the Yarra Yarra Biodiversity Corridor of Western Australia. The album will also be packaged and manufactured plastic free.”

The band also added the following in a social media post:

“Our primary goal for this album was to reduce our carbon footprint however possible, whilst not detracting from the quality of songs or live shows. We have researched ways to completely offset the carbon emissions in creating this album, & we have worked hard with our label to develop sustainable & eco-friendly physical products. In fact, the reason we don’t have vinyl or CD pre-orders launched yet is because we’re still researching the last pieces of materials that will enable us to deliver high quality & eco-friendly records (we plan to launch these globally on May 27).

Further to that, In Hearts Wake plan to put on shows around the world while keeping these same principles in mind. We won’t be using single use disposable plastics, or CO2 cannons anymore. But we will still do what we’ve always done – which is try & create the most fun, chaotic & energetic live shows possible.

During the touring cycle of our last record ‘Ark’, there were many things that came to light. For instance, the frisbees we had made arrived packaged in single use plastics, backstage rooms filled with disposable plastic bottles, live stage production that was directly releasing plumes of carbon dioxide, & our punctured stage prop inflatables ended up in landfill. Last year, when we all got back together, we made a decision to draw a line in the sand. In Hearts Wake made a commitment to discover all the ways in which we could reduce our impact on the Earth.

We’ll be the first to admit that we aren’t perfect, because being a band that tours globally is problematic. We certainly don’t have all the answers but we’re going to do the best within our means to seek solutions, & learn from the important conversations that happen along the way. We can’t get everything right, but we’ve decided to open up the conversational space so that it may help improve what we do as a band.

Given that our last three albums were inspired by the natural forces of Earth (Earthwalker), Air (Skydancer) & Water (Ark), it only seemed fitting that our next album would be born of fire. But we couldn’t predict the craziness that was to come: the writing & recording process was surrounded by three catastrophic fires; the raging Californian wildfires, the burning of the Amazon rainforest & the devastating Australian bushfires that killed over 1 billion animals.

According to many ancients, Kaliyuga is the fourth & current age we are experiencing. A time when humanity would be forced to face itself through discord, destruction, disease, greed, materialism, & fear. But it is our belief that we were all born into these times for a reason. It is through our journey of discovery–both as individuals & as a community–that we have an opportunity to evolve & overcome. Now more than ever, we need to dream what we want the future to look like, & take the necessary steps to create it.

These times are indeed challenging, but quite often the greatest places are the hardest to get to. Although most of the terrain is yet unknown, we look forward to discovering what lies on the path ahead. Thank you so much for your support on this ever-unfolding journey. Here’s to Kaliyuga & beyond!”

“Kaliyuga” Track Listing:

01. “Crisis”
02. “Worldwide Suicide”
03. “Hellbringer”
04. “Moving On”
05. “Timebomb”
06. “Son Of A Witch”
07. “Crossroads”
08. “Husk”
09. “Nāgá”
10. “Force Of Life”
11. “Iron Dice”
12. “Dystopia”
13. “2033”