Enter Shikari - “A Flash Flood Of Color”
February 21st 2012 09:31
“A Flash Flood Of Color” is Enter Shikari’s third record. Their bizarre combination of hardcore/metal and electronica may appear to a recipe for disaster on paper (I certainly thought it was) but the band blend the two polarizing genres seamlessly. The music is heavy and punishing with a healthy scattering of trance beats and programmed samples. On first listen, it is off putting. Just as you get into the raw heaviness of a track, there’s a electronic keyboard breakdown. The music flips between two. It’s hyperactive music. Perfect for those with extreme ADHD!
Lyrically this album covers mostly socio-political themes and drives them hard with a mix of spoken word/slam poetry and frenzied screams typical of hardcore punk. “Ghandi Mate, Ghandi” rambles between a number of topics from consumerism to global warming and just about everything in between in the space of a few short minutes. “Constellations” is a powerful, grandiose track that seeps of great British stadium rock ala Muse. “Warm Smiles Do Not Make You Welcome Here” is critical of the fake personas some people carry. All smiles and niceties but will cut you down and stab you in the back behind your back. Musically, it is one of the catchiest tracks on the album mixing dubstep and melodic hardcore riffs. “Pack Of Thieves” pokes a stick at governments and although, in terms of content, not he best example of the bands views, lyrically it’s one of the more melodic tracks. “Arguing The Thermometers” has proven to already be a live favourite with a balanced mix of punk and electronica and discusses the impact of global warming on the poles.
The beauty of this band lies behind singer Rou Reynolds whose lyrical delivery matches the mayhem of the music that supports it. He can come across like Serj from System Of A Down, straight into a Zack De La Rocha spoken rap straight into a hardcore growl all in the space of ten seconds and not make it sound awful. It’s a great skill to combine so many varied styles and make it work. So many have tried and so many have failed.
The one thing Enter Shikari do extremely well, is make it virtually impossible to pigeon hole this band to a genre or even make comparisons to their sound. I have never heard anything like this. At first, I wasn’t so sure but the more I listen to this record, the more it grows on me. It’s a well balanced record and worthy of your time and patience.
The beauty of this band lies behind singer Rou Reynolds whose lyrical delivery matches the mayhem of the music that supports it. He can come across like Serj from System Of A Down, straight into a Zack De La Rocha spoken rap straight into a hardcore growl all in the space of ten seconds and not make it sound awful. It’s a great skill to combine so many varied styles and make it work. So many have tried and so many have failed.
The one thing Enter Shikari do extremely well, is make it virtually impossible to pigeon hole this band to a genre or even make comparisons to their sound. I have never heard anything like this. At first, I wasn’t so sure but the more I listen to this record, the more it grows on me. It’s a well balanced record and worthy of your time and patience.
Enter Shikari - A Flash Flood OF Colour
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