Enter Shikari Lives up to Legacy with Common Dreads
Common Dreads
Enter Shikari
Ambush Reality and DGC/Interscope (USA)
June 16, 2009
St. Albans trance-core outfit, Enter Shikari, delivers with yet another classic full-length record. The long-awaited Common Dreads hits stores today.
With the brilliance of their 2007 release of Take to the Skies, I wondered if Enter Shikari would ever be able to deliver another album comparable in greatness. I was not the least bit disappointed with Common Dreads and I’d even say that perhaps they improved on their 2007 methods.
Few records successfully capture the energy of a live show, however Common Dreads does not fall into that category. The entire record is an incredible listening experience. I was captivated and attentive until the final moments of the record. Upon hearing the last few notes of the final song “Fanfare for the Conscious Man”, I was left wanting more.
The record as a whole has a serious message. Many of the issues talked about on the record are political and social problems, yet songs such as “Hectic” keep it fun with less serious topics such as playing Sega and smoking chronic.
The first track of the album, “Common Dreads,” is just spoken word, introducing the central message of the rest of the album. The second track (the first actual song), “Solidarity,” immediately puts us in familiar territory with trance grooves, chunky guitar riffs, and yes, the inhale scream. The song ends with a choir outro to sum it all up. Solidarity alone would make the whole record worth it, but luckily there are 13 more tracks to seal the deal.
In short, Common Dreads is everything you would hope for in a follow up Enter Shikari record and more. For the most part it is the classic ES style, but they do throw in a lot of curve balls. Everyone should do themselves a huge favor and pick up Common Dreads soon.
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