ENTER SHIKARI — A Flash-Flood of Colour (review)

ENTER SHIKARI — A Flash-Flood of Colour album cover

Album · 2012 · Hardcore Punk

4/5 · 2015-01-02
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.

Hope you found this review helpful, feel free to comment!

more than 2 years ago
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aglasshouse wrote:

more than 2 years ago

I like the rave elements in the riffs, I think they're pretty cool as well.

Unitron wrote:

more than 2 years ago

They are certainly unique, certainly worth a listen if they sound interesting. :)

Psydye wrote:

more than 2 years ago

I'm intrigued.

aglasshouse wrote:

more than 2 years ago

I personally love Gandhi Mate Gandhi, but my only complaint would be that the drop after "we're sick of this shit" is pretty disappointing, but it does pick up quick enough.