Album Review: Enter Shikari – The Mindsweep

When I applied for a writing gig at Strife Magazine, its founder Glenn asked me to review any album so he can check my writing skills. I picked Enter Shikari’s latest album The Mindsweep because, you know, favourite band, favourite album, bla, bla.
Little fun fact: I hate writing reviews because 1. you need a lot of vocabulary / adjectives which is a little tedious for someone who isn’t an English native speaker (no, that M.A. in “English and American Language and Literature” doesn’t change a thing) and 2. my opinion of an album constantly changes. I might hate a song today, but love it tomorrow. This little review of The Mindsweep is actually a great example because I criticize their song “The Bank of England” in it – a song I now hear constantly, because it’s awesome. Reading old reviews I wrote is just not fun when I change my mind all the time. Oh well, I guess the review was okay cause I got the job and all. Here you go:

When Rou Reynolds from Enter Shikari screams “Focus on me!” in the intro of the UK band’s fourth studio album, you can’t help but feel spoken to. The Mindsweep is an album that needs to be focused on, otherwise the listener will miss the assault of odd sounds and deeply emotional lyrics with the unique zest Enter Shikari are known for.

The first full track “The One True Colour” deals with the small-mindedness of religious upbringing and the epiphany when you suddenly see the full spectrum. Lyrically this is one of Enter Shikari’s strongest songs to date. It emotionally visualises the internal struggle of faith and losing one’s religion. A beautiful anthem for the ones who aren’t satisfied with “one true colour” but instead seek a wider perspective. The next songs of The Mindsweep are a full blown onslaught on the senses. “Anaesthetist”, “The Last Garrison” and “Never let go of the Microscope” are sonical gems, a perfect mix of dance and metalcore elements. Reynolds aggressive vocals and lyrics transform the songs into acoustical weapons. It’s no surprise those three were released as singles.
“Myopia”, on the other hand, sneaks upon you to hit you when you least expect it. The imagery provoked by the lyrics, animals fighting for their sheer existence while their habitat – the arctic – melts right under their toes (or paws), is haunting. When the refrain breaks out into shouts of “They’re living in denial of science!” you can’t help but feel their desperation.
Read the rest HERE.