Enter Shikari

Week 16: Those Damn Crows- God Shaped Hole

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Those Damn Crows are often compared to Black Stone Cherry, but as you’ll see, I have a different perspective. The band from Bridgend, Wales, is making waves in the industry, particularly in America, where they’ve shared the stage with Queens of the Stone Age and Hollywood Vampires. Their sound has evolved significantly, influenced by these experiences, and their performances have become more polished. You might not have been familiar with this Welsh outfit until now, but this is actually their fifth album. The record delves into the personal journey that frontman Shane Greenhall has been on over the past year, a journey that has undoubtedly shaped their music.

Shane touches on searching for something that cannot be touched on tracks like ‘The Night Train’ and ‘I’ve Always been Unstable’. He is also apologetic on ‘Glass Heart’, which resembles power rock from the 80s. ‘Dancing with the Enemy’ is the opener and is reminiscent of Alice in Chain’s ‘Man in the Box’ during the chorus. The song itself is quite political and suggests we deserve to know the truth. Many songs ask questions about the world over: Biffy Clyro, Enter Shikari, and Bring Me the Horizon-style music.

Only a few songs had that classic Black Stone Cherry mark in ‘Dreaming’ and the closer ‘Still’. I failed to see the blues connection anywhere else on the album. ‘Let’s Go Psycho!’ features rapid guitar shredding with rapping, a bold departure from the band’s usual style. ‘No Surrender’ introduces driving drums, adding a new dynamic to their sound. ‘Turn it Around’ delves into the metal genre, and ‘Spit & Choke’ features fast bass playing over Queens of the Stone Age-esque music, showcasing the band’s versatility and ability to experiment with different styles.

While the band is primarily associated with commercial metal, they show a promising potential to explore other genres. Their track ‘Still’ is a testament to this, resembling the tender acoustic style of Black Stone Cherry. As a recent listener, I’m excited to see what the future holds for this band after their first commercially successful album.

Song recommendations: ‘Dancing with the Enemy’, ‘Let’s Go Psycho!’, ‘Dreaming’

8/10

Week 17: Enter Shikari- A Kiss for the Whole World

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This is the seventh studio album from the St Albans, Hertfordshire band. The band did a pre-tour over February, March and April this year to promote the record at the most iconic yet intimate venues nationwide. A mad concept, right? Well, no. The band wanted to support these venues that have taken a hit since 2020 and give a chance for their fans to see them up close and personal in all their glory. 

We begin with the title track, and wow, what a way to start. It is nothing like I have ever heard the band do before. This is something Beethoven would have written. It is more a symphony than anything else, and the sound is glorious. We then return to familiarity on ‘Set Me on Fire’, where the band brings their rock and dubstep combination. ‘It Hurts’ is more of a departure from dubstep as they incorporate rock with club. I have no idea why the band use dubstep, as not many have been fond of it since 2014, and god knows why it still has its own chart on Beatport.

This album leads on from their 2020 effort. I may not have been fond of that one neither, but it worked out in a live setting. This one will as well, going by that. I liked that ‘Leap into the Lightning’ ventured into drum n bass, adding an element of Pendulum, who have mastered the rock and drum n bass combination. 

Lead singer Rou said the record is a reminder for us all to smile in a world that gets more evil and sick by the day, so even though he might be releasing a lot of anger, there are more uplifting messages in the lyrics now and then.

Song recommendations: ‘A Kiss for the Whole World’, ‘Leap into the Lightning’, ‘It Hurts’

6/10

Week 5: Don Broco- Amazing Things

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Bizarrely, the first time I heard of this band from Bedford was way back in 2008 on some weekly Xbox Live magazine show. I didn’t know who they were, but when they played a snippet of their latest track, I knew they would challenge the likes of Enter Shikari, who are close in terms of geographical distance. They reminded me of several bands of that ilk. Especially Bring Me the Horizon. You can add Royal Blood to that list now. 


“Amazing Things” was released late last year but, for some reason, didn’t hit the top spot until this year. A song featured on a recent television programme might have got the viewer’s attention. The album explodes into ‘Gumshield’, undoubtedly aptly named as the song is reminiscent of being in the ring. The production is brilliant with its use of synths, orchestras, full-on metal guitars, and, as I mentioned, the razor blade vocals provided by Rob Damiani and Matt Donnelly. The assault on your ears is ferocious, including the vocals. After that intro, you are fully expecting an all-out sound.


Surprisingly, I enjoyed the second track, ‘Manchester Super Reds No.1 Fan, ‘ despite not being a fan of Manchester United (It’s pretty obvious the song is about them). I enjoyed it for its in-your-face rock attitude. I liked “Amazing Things” more for its instrumentation than the lyrics. They are not up to much, albeit they are witty, funny and sarcastic, backed up by vocals with attitude. The instrumentation is what makes it, though. It follows the same premise as their previous album, 2018’s “Technology”. You might say the band embraces their posh background on their latest record. Unsurprisingly, the latest five singles released from the album are on the record’s first half. I will go into that more in the next paragraph or so.


I loved “Amazing Things” for its grandeur with the instrumentation and full-on metal rock, and the vocals of Mattand Rob complement each other well. Both have different styles, and it keeps the listener interested. However, going back to the previous paragraph about the singles coming from the album’s first half, it is no surprise because that is where the energy is. You lose interest after ‘Anaheim’ because the songs lose that intensity. It ends with a bang with ‘Easter Sunday’, which is worth listening to until completion. Concerning “Technology”, “Amazing Things” is the better record with excellent instrumentation, subject matter, and better structure. 

Of course, if you are a fan of Don Broco, you will be happy with the end result. You will also feel the same if you like their genre. However, there is also other stuff for listeners to enjoy, like synthesisers fitting with the synth-era trend that is currently in full swing. Everyone appears to like the 80s sound at present. It differs from the Weeknd or Coldplay’s use of synthesisers, but it works nonetheless with their creativity. I cannot remember what track it was at the moment, but one of them uses synthesisers that reminded me of futuristic films like Tron. As I mentioned, the first six tracks blow your eardrums to pieces and have the intensity to match. The second half is like the middle section of a live performance, where things are slowed to let the audience catch their breath and take in some fluids. However, the final track is fit for an encore to leave the audience experiencing a rush. I only know a little about the band, but I have been impressed again. The follow up will have to be highly astronomical to beat this.




Song recommendations: ‘Gumshield’, ‘Manchester Super Reds No.1 Fan’, ‘Easter Sunday’




8/10