Hybrid metal/electro/dubstep/hardcore/turkish folk band Enter Shikari are on course for etching their names in the annals of musical history and securing number one spot in the album charts. Their latest album, ‘Flash Flood of Colour’ is the band’s third studio offering and shows no signs of the anecdotal ‘difficult third album’ that many bands stumble over; on the contrary this album feels as if it is a more honed and polished release while at the same time sounding more raw and savage than ever. It is this dualist quality that could make Flash Flood the most popular album in the country right now.
The album hosts a veritable cornucopia of big production names with such studio stalwarts as Mike Fraser (AC/DC, Aerosmith, Biffy Clyro, Metallica) and Dan Weller (Sikth, Young Guns) offering their skills towards the album’s production. With such worldly and well-versed producers and mixers it is no wonder the tone of this album is one of diversity and mastery.
The group’s melding together of dance music, metal riffs, punk energy and vocals that sound home grown and real rather than your usual West Coast mewing make ‘A Flash Flood of Colour’ not only a compelling effort, but an appropriately named one to boot. From ‘System…’ to ‘Constellations’ it’s as if the band refuse to let go of your ears, holding them as more than willing captives for almost an hour and throwing them around the musical universe. The album incorporates bass-heavy dubstep, melodic breakdowns and even a brief flirtation with pop, and yet this is no bad thing.
Shikari, and independent artists like them, could be the breath of fresh air that the British chart so desperately craves. For too long, the titans of Columbia, RCA, Island et. al. have held a monopoly over both the singles and album charts. Indeed, at the time of writing those three behemoths of beats hold just over half the top 20 album spots and three of the top five singles. Ambush Reality, the small independent label that currently only releases music by Shikari, may herald a revolution in the charts.
Despite their meteoric critical acclaim and 1000+ live shows under their post-punk hardcore belts Shikari are still touring venues in passionate and electric shows, kicking off at the Edinburgh Corn Exchange on March 17th. Get tickets while you can and experience the raw energy that shows no signs of dissipating – read our review of one of their earlier shows here.
