Sound-Revolution

Enter Shikari – Take To the Skies

With the release of ‘Take to the Skies’ in March 2007, Enter Shikari brought music listeners a combination of hardcore music, from both rock and electro music, in order to produce a post-hardcore, trance-esque album.

The album reached number 4 in the UK albums charts, selling over 60,000 copies, a great start for the debut album. The vocals throughout the album are based on a transition from heavier, hardcore vocals, to more melodic softer vocals, meanwhile the instrumentals follow the same pattern, with heavy riffs transcending into soft trance melodies such as throughout ‘Sorry You’re Not a Winner’. Critics argue that Roughton’s (Rou’s) vocals are ineffective, and that his scream voice, ‘of a better word, is terrible’.[1]My opinion on the vocals tend to be that Rou’s hardcore characteristics are strong enough to create a good track, however when used in collaboration with more melodic vocals tend to produce a more appealing overall product.

Enter Shikari receive a lot of positive feedback and recognition due to their live and festival performances: ‘Put it in on your stereo – loud – and it begins to come clear. But you probably need to picture the festival scene...’[2]. The beauty of Enter Shikari’s live performances is their diversity, which can be executed and displayed on stage. Pre – ‘Take to the Skies’ material was lacking some of the electro, synth based elements of the debut album; furthermore, the forthcoming follow up album ‘Common Dreads’ promises a fresh, although still highly energetic sound. When performing an array of material on-stage Enter Shikari seem to be able to create an entertaining up-beat atmosphere, sometimes unattainable with many bands of today. I’ll be able to judge for myself this summer, as they continue their UK tour and proceed towards this summer’s festivals.

Review by James Murray

[1]http://www.sputnikmusic.com/album.php?albumid=16837
[2]http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/jcp2/