siLLy puPPy Once the 21st century hit, all the “core” styles of metal really starting to get experimental with emphasis on cross-pollinating completely unrelated musical styles. One of the more successful of these came in the form of electronicore, also known as trancecore or synthcore which took the traditional metalcore instrumentation and style including breakdowns and married it with a heavy use of sequencers, samplers, synthesizers and other effects hitherto only experienced in electronic dance music such as IDM, psybient, psytrance and dubstep.

One of the first bands to go this route was the English band ENTER SHIKARI that formed out of the ashes of the hardcore band Hybryd. After a series of short EPs (“Nodding Acquaintance,” “Anything Can Happen In The Next Half Hour,” “Sorry You’re Not A Winner) the band which consisted of four core members and another five to provide “gang” vocals, released their debut TAKE TO THE SKIES in 2006 and has become famous for achieving significant chart success as a completely independent release on their own Ambush Reality.

Mostly due to touring and internet interaction with the fanbase, TAKE TO THE SKIES eventually went on to sell over 200,000 copies. This debut takes the liberty to re-record many of the demo tracks and spruce them up with better production. The success of TAKE TO THE SKIES naturally opened the doors for a whole legion of followers with bands like Crossfaith, Fatal FE, FACT and I See Stars finding new ways to add even more elements such as brostep, emo-pop, eurodance and even djent. As a pioneer in the genre ENTER SHIKARI pretty much sticks to melodic metalcore as its base and then adds healthy doses of synthesized trance music.

TAKE TO THE SKIES attempts to forge a new style of hybridization that marries two completely unrelated musical genera but in the end feels like a rough draft. The metalcore aspects are pretty mediocre in their delivery with Roughton Reynolds’ vocals mostly being performed in a clean style of singing rather than the expected frenetic screaming. Oddly enough the band reminds me of Linkin’ Park in the sense that they find a middle ground between metal presentation with more atmospheric backdrops except they don’t muster up the same sort of catchy hooks.

Overall this album doesn’t quite gel the two styles together very well and at an almost hour’s playtime gets rather dull by the time it’s done playing. None of the musicians have the chops to pull off a really stellar metalcore performance and the silly call and response “gang” vocals are actually quite annoying. Likewise the trance parts are rather bland with only a generic haze as opposed to full-on interesting keyboard stabs that add some meat to the product. In the end, i’m quite underwhelmed with ENTER SHIKARI’s first offering. It’s a big yawner for me.

RuneWalsh2112 "The Mindsweep" is my first honest attempt at uncovering the successful quartet known as Enter Shikari. Having previously only heard a few of their singles, the band struck me as a fresh new act on the market filled with infinite number of forgettable bands that all strive to making a name for themselves in the modern age of commercial rock music.

I was quite surprised when I found out that Enter Shikari was one of the top billed bands on this year's roster for Download Festival, something that is generally only granted to some of the top names in rock and metal. So when did this band become as big as they are today and what have I been missing?

I honestly didn't know what to expect when the opening track "The Appeal & The Mindsweep I" began with Rou Reynolds making a speech that kind out reminded me of that famous William Wallace speech from Braveheart. The rest of the track had little to do with the Mel Gibson-directed period piece and instead was a very contemporary composition that mixed metalcore with modern electronic sounds (that are apparently referred to as electronicore).

After this shaking but overall exciting experience, we transport to "The One True Colour" that features a hefty dose of metalcore while maintaining a melodically strong chorus. "Anaesthetist" is where the album really gets going due to this track's strong distinct sound that mixes electronica, metal and a hip hop-like performance by Reynold that's done in a very distinguishable English dialect.

"The Last Garrison" was the first single off the album and it's a pretty obvious choice considering that it's one of the most commercially oriented tracks here. This is by no means a criticism, rather a distinguishable factor that makes this song stand out while hearing it on a commercial radio station. The next trilogy of tracks is, in my opinion, the strongest moment that this album has to offer. "Never Let Go Of The Microscope" and "Myopia" are clearly the reason why Enter Shikari is among the top names in the metalcore genre while "Torn Apart" gives them that extra push to go beyond their trademarked territory and into eclectic-styled songwriting.

After the short "Interlude", we are treated with one of this album's lesser moments as "The Bank Of England" is clearly an uninspired track that drags for to long and really accomplishes nothing during its 3+ minutes. "There’s A Price On Your Head" sounds like the band trying to replicate the magic of System Of A Down and almost nailing the performance. This track completely caught me by surprise as I was not ready to hear Serj and company to be featured on an Enter Shikari track.

"Dear Future Historians..." takes things down quite a few notches as we are treated to this album's first and only ballad. This is probably the track that I could try playing for my girlfriend in order to convince her that she needs to go with me to an Enter Shikari gig. The downside to this track is that it drags on for too long and really seems out of place with the rest of the album. "The Appeal & the Mindsweep II" returns the album full circle even though it's really not as memorable as the first part.

I was quite surprised by what I've experienced on "The Minesweep". This is definitely not the music that I generally listen to but definitely enjoyed what I was offered! The album is a bit short and features just too many different styles and sounds in order for me to truly gasp what Enter Shikari are going for. I kind of wish that more of the album sounded like it's middle section but that's just my opinion as I'm sure that fans of the band will be ecstatic about this record. Recommended to fans of eclectic metalcore who like to hear a broad scale of influences and sounds while still getting their regular dose of the band known as Enter Shikari.

***** star songs: Anaesthetist (2:55)

**** star songs: The Appeal & The Mindsweep I (4:50) The One True Colour (3:53) Never Let Go Of The Microscope (4:02) Myopia (4:10) Torn Apart (3:54) Interlude (0:56) There's A Price On Your Head (2:49) Dear Future Historians… (6:28) The Appeal & The Mindsweep II (3:40)

*** star songs: The Last Garrison (3:42) The Bank Of England (3:23)

Unitron Enter Shikari-The Mindsweep

'The Mindsweep' is the fourth studio album by Metalcore/Trancecore band Enter Shikari. Enter Shikari quickly became one of my favorite bands after hearing the pulsing electro-metal political/social commentary of 'A Flash-Flood of Colour'. It was something very fresh and new to me, combining two of my favorite kinds of music in a way I hadn't heard before. Now, due to my newly found love for this band, this became my most anticipated 2015 release. On this release, Enter Shikari continues the political/social lyrics but changes it up musically.

Unlike it's predecessor, musically this album takes a much more melancholy approach. This is heard in the opening song 'The Appeal and the Mindsweep I', which begins with ominous ambient electronics with Reynolds's spoken word. Drums soon start beating and guitar comes in, soon building up to great trance-esque electronics. Soon after, the guitar gets faster and Reynolds screams 'I AM A MINDSWEEPER, FOCUS ON ME!' before getting more of a melodic hardcore/punk feel. The group chanting of 'You Are Not Alone', which comes a bit later, adds a lot to the song fitting the grandiose nature of the electronics. This perfect opener flows straight into the next track, 'The One True Colour', which is a much more melodic track. The album isn't without it's more pulsing techno-metal moments though, being heard in the third song 'Anaesthetist', which I've already described in my review of the single.

The songs that are among my favorites are 'Never Let Go of the Microscope', 'Myopia', and 'There's a Price on Your Head'. 'Never Let Go of the Microscope', combines menacing atmospheric electronics with rapping and pulsing beats at the beginning. The passages with flowing guitar and Reynolds singing 'I've got a sinking feeling' are my favorites, his voice is especially emotional which contrasts well with the rapping parts surprisingly. At the end , space-like electronics combines with heavy raw guitar and screaming. 'Myopia' is an overall much heavier track, although it has a melancholy beginning with ambient trance-like electronics and dripping sound effects. Soon menacing fast riffing comes in with Reynolds's screams. The chorus has the rebellious feel of Enter Shikari's previous albums with the scream/chants of 'They're living in denial of science, they're happy to defile silence'. The next favorite of mine, and probably my favorite is the System of a Down-esque 'There's a Price on Your Head'. The beginning of the song combines System of a Down-esque vocal styles by Reynolds, and Power to Believe era King Crimson-like distortion. Throughout this song the electronics and fast riffing combine well. At the end of the song odd drumming and violins and cellos come in ending the song at a very unique note.

One of my favorite things about Enter Shikari is their lyrics. Their lyrics really touch on subjects based on political and social corruption, but topics that most bands seem to stray away from. The thing that's different about this album though, is that the songs sound much less rebellious and light-hearted then the previous album maybe because of the change in musical atmosphere and style. You have songs about the healthcare system with 'Anaesthetist', and the obligatory anti-war song in 'The Last Garrison'. Also included are environmental lyrics in 'Myopia', and lyrics relating to questioning when should scientific progress stop with 'Never Let Go of the Microscope'. Hearing screams like 'We'll harness the sun, and burn you out of fucking existence' really stands out. 'There's a Price on Your Head' pertains to classicism with lyrics like 'I am upper class, I - I am upper class, Upper middle lower class I am lower class, I - I am lower class, Lower upper middle class'.

Overall, this is one amazing album. This shows Enter Shikari evolving even more, and makes me eager to await anything else they have coming. If you want something heavy, melancholy, and lyrically dealing with current events you cannot go wrong here. A true great album.

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Unitron Enter Shikari-A Flash Flood of Colour

A Flash-Flood of Colour is the third studio album by British Metalcore/Trancecore band Enter Shikari. To be fully honest, I've never heard anything quite like Enter Shikari. Being a fan of electronic music, I've heard electronic music combined with rock music a lot. Obviously Industrial is connected to electronic music, so metal bands have combined electronic music into their sound too. From what I've heard however, none like Enter Shikari though.

Where Industrial metal bands combine electronic instrumentation into an often gritty and raw mix, Enter Shikari fully embraces electronic music. Not only is this a metal album, but I would also call it a Drum 'n' Bass album, a Techno album, and even a Trance album.

The album begins with a symphonic intro of 'System...' before transitioning into the appropriately named '...Meltdown'. This song shows dub-metal drops coming in at the perfect times, and very insightful political/social commentary. A perfect combination of Drum 'n' Bass beats and heavy metal guitar is heard in the next song 'Ssnakepit'. One of my favorites is 'Arguing With Thermometers', which begins with heavy guitar and screams before bringing in catchy Techno beats. One thing that's really unique are the combination of Roughton Reynolds's screams and the pulsing electronic beats. Probably my favorite on the album is the political commentary-heavy 'Gandhi Mate, Gandhi'. Beginning with a political rant before all joining in for 'WE'RE SICK OF THIS SHIT', shows they mean business. This song never remains the same, constantly changing beat and tempo and fluctuating between pulsing beats and heavy riffing.

Lyrically, Enter Shikari is definitely politically/socially conscious. Many insightful lyrics are on this album, especially lines from the song 'Search Party'. this song comments about repeating history from not learning from mistakes, and looking back at a long history of war. 'Arguing With Thermometers' stands out musically and lyrically with the screams of 'You know there's oil in my eyes, you know there's blood on my hands'. Even though lyrically this is very serious stuff, Enter Shikari is not afraid to add in a bit of humor in the song 'Gandhi Mate, Gandhi'. Before singing about correcting the flaws in the system, you'll hear a 'Yabba-dabba-do one son, we don't want your rules'. Vocally, Reynolds is amazing. He can growl, sing clean, rap a bit, and to top it all off he already has a really unique voice.

Overall, this album is among the most unique and innovative sounds I've heard. I've heard Industrial Drum 'n' Bass rock like Pendulum, but I've never heard a metal band that is able to combine so many electronic styles. This is definitely not for everyone; but if you enjoy many forms of electronic music and think it could combine well with metal, this is the album for you.

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