It’s May 2009. The economy. Unemployment. Racism. Terrorism. The Surveillance State – these are the issues on the collective mind of the nation. Fear not though, for the mighty Enter Shikari are here to unite us all against these, ahem, ‘Common Dreads’. They’re a political band, didn’t you know?
I don’t wish to sound cynical. Whether it’s the new Mike Skinner inspired vocal delivery, or the Facebook status-ready lyrics I don’t know, but it all comes across a bit forced, a bit high-and-mighty. While the intentions may be genuine, Rou comes across as a tad evangelical in his lyrics, and it does become grating on repeated listens.
Bearing that in mind, if one is going to preach, one should preach to a massive, floor-thumping backdrop, and that is exactly what one has done. ‘Common Dreads’ literally bellows out of your speakers and hits you in the face with such a force your jaw will take a good few days to pick itself off the floor. In the space of single tracks they flit between the filthiest of dub step beats to the darkest of metal beatdowns (‘Havoc B’ literally sounds terrifying when you crank up the bass) and whether it’s hardcore of the finger-pointing or the shouty-screamy variety (see ‘Zzzonked’ for the former and ‘Antwerpen’ for the latter), it is delivered with confidence, force, and lots and lots of balls.
Enter Shikari have divided crowds since they first appeared a few years back. From those early club shows to the self-released record-breaking debut, to the sanctimonious yet impressive follow up we have here, one thing is for sure – they’ve done it all themselves and off their own backs. Because of that, they’ve more than earned the right to speak out on the issues that they hold dear – whether you buy into it or not is another story.
Andy R