MEB staffer Ridge Briel and friend Anthony Matthews (who helped write part of the interview) recently caught up with Rou Reynolds and Rory Clewlow of Enter Shikari to discuss the overall message that their music consists of, what people should be doing to make the world a better place, the meanings behind their symbols, and about their newest album A Flash Flood of Colour more in depth.

MEB: You guys are still relatively new in comparison to other bands that remotely sound like you. What has it been like constantly touring and headlining all over the world for the past five years?

Rou and Rory: Well, it’s tiring to say the least. [laughs] We’ve had some amazing experiences, been to places we wouldn’t normally go to, and played for more people than we ever thought we would be able to play for.

Compared to your other albums, A Flash Flood of Colour isn’t, as you’ve stated in previous interviews, as politically motivated as the others. Can you elaborate more on this technological stance you guys have mentioned before?

After our other albums were released, we were labeled as a political band. It kind of makes us angry because we feel that they’ve really missed the point we’re trying to make. With Flash Flood of Colour, we’re trying to push forth a psychological and scientific sort of agenda. Just basically trying to concentrate on giving people a new sort of perspective and thinking of things more objectively. In terms of technology, we’re just trying to make people realize the possibilities we have at our fingertips in the marvels of science to make a completely sustainable world where equality and peace can be a very real and obtainable thing. I saw this video the other day on a Canadian news channel about this guy who has found the cure for cancer. This simple and inexpensive medicine that has been around for decades basically kills the very cancer cells.

Yes I just saw that recently as well. It’s been making the rounds on Facebook  and Tumblr a lot.

It’s a really cheap and easy to make substance. His small-scale testing on rodents has been proven successful and he needs millions to put it to more broad-scale testing, but because the substance is so cheap and easy to make, the pharmaceutical companies don’t want to touch it because they feel they won’t make any money on saving millions of lives. It’s a big example of how technology and science can be held back by the greed of others.

You can view the video here (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1ifXxbxhZc).

Because these days, people are in it just for the money and their own personal gain and not for the greater good of the people who are suffering. What is it that you want people to do and what message do you want them to take when they listen to your music?

The people’s perspectives is what about sums it up really. They can either listen to the lyrics or read the booklet and do their own research if they’re interested. The real first preliminary thing we want people to take from our music is a sense of unity that we are a biosphere planet and that this is the only planet we have. Everywhere, like in media, the first rule of governance is that they like to divide people to not realize that we are just one species. We all kind of want the same things in life but we really need to get back to progressing as a whole sense that manifests everyone in a positive way.

Is that what Common Dreads is about?

Yeah. That’s always been our main concern, of others trying to fight back against the device of nature and getting people to realize the strength we can have when united as one species.

So what made you guys kind of change from Take to the Skies to Common Dreads like that? The lyrics in Take to the Skies aren’t as political compared to Common Dreads.

Just the time in which they were written I guess. We were playing most of them for two or three years by the time we recorded that album as those lyrics were written when we were 16, 17 years old. We were still kind of forming our view of the world. Listening back, you can hear the embryonic stages of our band and our social views in songs like “No Sssweat.” Once we realized we had this pedestal that we were sort of pushed onto when the album came out, it kind of exploded, especially in Europe. We really felt this sort of responsibility of speaking about stuff that are quite urgent and important.

What do you feel, if there is one, is the difference between the fan base in Europe as compared to the fan base of the U.S.A.?

When in Europe, it’s a lot bigger as compared to over here, but it’s still getting there to that size. The way people act and the energy is quite similar. Japan is slightly different because, well, everything is slightly different in Japan.

So what exactly is the meaning behind the title A Flash Flood of Colour and the cover art that adorns it?

A flash flood of colour is what we want to inject into the world. Just a sense of positivity, variety, and diversity through our music. The upside-down triangle represents the opposite of society’s pyramid depiction of the classes. You have the lower class, which makes the majority of the world and therefore the biggest part of the triangle at the bottom, and the very few and rich who control what everyone else sees and does in their day-to-day life at the top. The power should belong to the majority of the people as they are the ones who hold up the triangle.

It’s too bad it didn’t have to do with the Triforce.

Ah yes, Zelda! [laughs]

So how did you guys all meet up together to form this band with such a powerful and meaningful message?

When we first started, that wasn’t really what we had in mind. We didn’t have any goals or aspirations, we just wanted to get together and play music. You could say it was a hobby that really got out of hand. Even now, that’s how it feels to us. As I was saying before, after we started getting that initial success, we started thinking “Wow, people are really starting to listen to us now.” So it kind of felt, not pressured, but just kind of moved into that form of using the music to shout and sing and talk about things that we feel need to be talked about instead of singing about breaking up with your girlfriend or having “tough” lyrics that are full of that faux revolutionism. To us, coming from a punk/hardcore scene, that type of music is built on absolute sincerity and honesty. You’re running around, you’re giving it everything you’ve got, and that’s what punk is all about. Passion and fighting against the oppressions. I guess it just felt kind of normal for us to do.

So is that what the song “Warm Smiles Do Not Make You Welcome Here” is about?

I guess that’s more specifically about… well yeah, more like the music scene and what people are listening to nowadays. How, especially recently, when you’re in a band that’s constantly touring like we have over the last few years, I’ve gotten to a point where I don’t really listen to metal or metalcore. I still like hardcore, but we get exposed to so many bands that sound exactly the same. It’s like there’s this willing to make a band and pick your favorite band and attempt to sound just like them and this mediocrity is just spreading through music and it’s like most bands that become successful don’t really push their music forward and certainly don’t excite us. But that could also be because we play music every day and that we have short attention spans and that we’ve become “elitists.” [laughs] It’s a stab at the media who don’t really help in any way and at the music channels that just play whatever they feel is popular and will keep their listeners happy. So you get this vicious circle of homogenized music and stations where that music just goes around and nothing progresses.

Because these days, especially on American radio stations, you can go to any channel and hear ten songs that sound exactly the same, even more so with contemporary hip-hop. It does get ridiculous about hearing some guy going to a club to pick up a girl to have sex and drinking Bacardi or something. It’s really refreshing to hear music from you guys with lyrics that have so much meaning behind them and actually have it mean something.

That’s the thing, I think if the media did actually support the more underground [bands] and evolve in music genres, not just from the punk side of things but also the electronica and classical stuff, that every single aspect of music would be accepted to a certain degree. But because we all grow up with a narrow view of music, it will seem strange when you hear a piece of music that doesn’t go with the whole “stick with what you know” sort of thinking. It goes back to that saying that it’s easier to sell something that people understand.

Do you think people are more receptive and open to new things over in the UK compared to America?

It’s certainly hard to get a proper gauge of that from album sales alone. The record company that released our first two albums signed us and literally did nothing with us. They hardly released the albums. We’ve sold more albums within the first week of Flash Flood than we have with our last two albums the whole time. Certainly, American radio seems a bit bleaker.

That I can definitely agree with.

Daytime radio in the UK is shit, but there are specialized shows in the evenings and some smaller radio stations as well that are pretty good. I hope to see this bleak sort of radio obsolete.

Personally, I’m a huge fan of SiKth. What was it like working with Dan Weller at the producing helm of your last two albums?

It was amazing. He actually did some of the guitars on Common Dreads. I remember when he first called me up, he was like “Hi, it’s Dan from SiKth.” I was a little bit starstruck to say the least. He grew up in the next town from us actually and we would go see his band and his friends’ bands all the time. He’s very much a part of our lives as an inspiration before Enter Shikari. He really has a great ear for good music. He’s essentially a fifth member of the band.

So tell me a little bit about Step It Up Clothing.

Step It Up Clothing can be described as ethical clothing. Using clothes to spread a message instead of just warmth or a random design. Each shirt actually means something. A percentage from the profits of a shirt goes toward whatever cause it supports. It’s fun, just some friends that do designs really. The online shop is down at the moment but it should be back up within a month or so.

So I know you guys are into the whole Zeitgeist movement. What message do you really want people to take from this and instill into their everyday lives?

It’s really hard to summarize that. The whole movement for us is just such a huge inspiration. It’s more education than I ever really received in the schooling system. There’s so many lectures and videos today that are all parts of what the movement stands for. It really steps outside of everything for people to look in and see what’s really going on.

Any last words for your fans and what people who haven’t seen you live yet can expect from your shows?

A lot of sweat, a lot of blood, ringing ears afterwards; people are really missing out. All of your senses will be destroyed. This tour’s been going great, I can’t really complain. Thanks to everyone who has supported us so far.

Every song this band makes has that potential to become a sleeper hit, and on their new album Redemption, the opener “Lies” is one of those. It’s got a bass-heavy aggressive chorus with background growls that leads into Nicholas Moore’s inviting vocal chords that really grab your attention. Then when he starts singing during the chorus, you realize how gifted a singer he truly is. The breakdowns are kept as a short transition between the sections within the song (with the exception of the short breakdown at the very end), but you will hear more breakdowns later in the album.

If any song sounds like a continuation of another, “Find” is like that in reference to “Lies.” It’s by far the catchiest song on the album, if not the catchiest ever written by this band. The guitar work really makes this song a standout hit on the album, along with “Find what you gotta find / Just give it a try” in the chorus line. The fluidity of the song is something that can’t quite be put in words, so it’s very highly recommended that you listen to it.

The title track “Redemption” is the perfect example of post-hardcore and what it’s all about. Starting off with a chunky little breakdown with slightly hoarse vocals, it quickly switches to a more upbeat tune with the awesome singing vocals and a more metalcore-inclined chorus. This more closely resembles the work they did on the self-titled album back in 2007. There’s also a quirky little electronic breakdown thrown in at the 2:10 mark that throws the listener for a spin.

It’s really cool to see that they brought in former lead guitarist and screamer/singer Landon Tewers in for a track called “Revival,” where the title of the song is fitting for the circumstance. If you didn’t know, Tewers is the frontman for The Plot In You and is also working on a solo project. It’s also one of the most aggressive songs on the record, with some hard-hitting post-hardcore breakdowns (which is really a basic hardcore breakdown sans the downtuned strings), Tewers’ in-your-face vocal style that sets him apart from other vocalists, and the standout drum work. The drums are more spastic in nature as Jarrett Hottman doesn’t follow along with just being in the background like on most of the other songs.

Having made what is easily the best album of their career, Before Their Eyes needs to be given more attention. There is nothing cliché about these guys, as they helped pave the very road post-hardcore was founded on.

Well folks, sometimes gambling pays off. The anthems mustered in Vulnerable thoroughly embarrass the generic progressions and “controlled” choruses of Artwork. “I Come Alive” is a burning opener with a domineering chorus and dramatic breakdowns—an admonishment for the aural bludgeoning listeners are about to receive.

Third track “Hands and Faces” explores a little dubstep electronica, opening with a rhythm sample before kicking into standard guitar, bass, drum formula that seems to symbolize the feel of the album. A near-reggae style breakdown traverses uncharted Used territory, just long enough to make listeners sweat before reeling them back in with a ripping outro chorus.

One of the best tracks, “Now That You’re Dead” is a darker tune brimming with angst and turbulence reminiscent of something off Lies For the Liars. Vocalist Bert McCracken belts out “I’ve waited for your death, for you to fade away,” on top of sludgy guitar riffs and blistering backbeats.

In typical Used fashion, brief moments of emotional exhalation are found in “Getting Over You,” and “Hurt No One.” But don’t get too comfortable – the album climaxes with a dancy, string-accompanied hit titled “Disaster” that will put you on your feet.

Just when it seemed like The Used were starting their slow decline into namelessness, they decided to take their destiny into their own hands and deliver a killer album. Released through Anger Music Group, Vulnerable is a proud departure from lesser works. So to The Used: thank you for spitting in the face of naysayers. Look for the Orem, Utah bunch to blow your face off on tour this spring.

It is a tricky thing mixing the electronic, dubstep, poppy parts of songs with breakdowns and chugs. In fact, it’s so tricky that a lot of bands cannot seem to do it right, instead including awkward transitions and non-flowing pieces of seemingly different songs.

Another thing that bands in this genre often fall victim to is a lack of musical growth. They keep creating the same things over and over again until it can be considered ‘beating a dead horse’. While I See Stars is evolving (ish) musically, the song titles nonsensically stay the same. From “Gnars Attacks” to “NZT48,” it’s a game in itself decoding them.

This does not make the album any less enticing, however.  The entire album flows with natural transitions from piece to piece. For instance, instead of going straight from a poppy chorus to a two-step, they are able to blend from clean choruses to electronics and finally to the breakdown everyone anticipates. This seemingly small accomplishment makes a huge impact on the album. Instead of sounding choppy and mismatched, Digital Renegade flows from each song as gracefully as this genre makes possible.

The first song “Gnars Attacks” is a good example of this structure. The song fades in with a drum roll and string combination paired with group vocals which flow into the verses that are void of clean vocals until the chorus. The clean vocals are the telltale identity of what band you are listening to- if you did not know before, you know now. Devin Oliver is the signature piece of I See Stars thanks to his somehow not-whiny voice.

The second song is catchier when it comes to melodies. The focus is more on the clean vocals and dubstep/electronic parts until the middle of the track, where a breakdown predictably (but awesomely) rears its head.

Something unexpected in the album is the guest appearance by Cassadee Pope (Hey Monday). Usually guest vocals in bands like this are a commodity with Jonny Craig or Craig Owens or some other Craig-like figure, and Hey Monday vocals are expected with All Time Low-type bands. I See Stars brings the genres to unity by switching things up, and it sounds surprisingly good.

Digital Renegade is epic through and through; I See Stars combines all the sounds that these other bands try to squeeze in, and they do it cleverly.

At this point, you (if you are a frequenter of this genre of music) are probably sitting in your chair thinking how easy it is to duplicate the metalcore sound. There are handfuls of bands with a sound so similar, it is nearly impossible to tell one from the next. I agree with this presumed thought, but TDWP have qualities that are distinctly theirs, and I never thought I would see the day that they were almost duplicated.

This replica, the Land Ho! EP, starts with a song that has a completely disconnected yet giggle-worthy title (first sign of bands like TDWP), “Ladies and Djents.” If you’ll recall a certain song done by a certain band entitled “Spongebob Grindpants,” this intro track is comparable.

While Aye Aye Captain and TDWP seem similar on paper, they are actually very different. For instance, the clean vocals are more similar to a band like Sleeping with Sirens, or old ! on a good day, and the screaming could use a little work with different tones (although, Mike Hranica of TDWP stuck with the same pitch for albums). The lead guitar work is also very sub-par. A lot of the tones are either too much or do not seem to match up with the rest of the song, and the riffs seem very rough and unpracticed.

For a band just starting out in this genre however, they are showing signs of potential; it will either get worse or better from here. They have the right idea, and solid attempts with an overall good sound – it just needs to be slightly more polished.

Being around longer than a good number of bands shoving their way through the scene now-a-days, these guys know a thing or two about solid music. “Lies” is a track boasting a pure infectious hook, slathered together with solid instrumentation courtesy of the whole band. What I love about this song is its depth wrapped in such a simple package. What I mean is that although it contains the simple verse-chorus-verse-chorus-bridge structure, the transitions are what make it flow. There are little breaks of short instrumentation here and there to stop choppy transitions. Nick Moore is a shining beacon here, because the line “I know you’re dying inside/the things that you hide/won’t let you rest at night/when you’re full of lies” in the chorus is as catchy as the common cold. There’s a pleasant balance of screams and cleans, and it never feels overpowering.

I like the controlled chaos approach that this band takes to their heavy parts, because they never take the inch and push it to a mile. There’s enough original instrumentation in the background to separate itself from other “chug-chug” styles of post-hardcore, but it could always go further. It doesn’t stray too far from previous material, so old fans will likely dig this track. I’m definitely hoping for more instrumentation and creative expression further down the road. Otherwise, this is a great start and I’ve got my fingers crossed for smooth sailing here on out.

I’ve had my doubts because of the success of The Dawn of My Death and Before Their Eyes, but I can say based off of this song that their upcoming release Redemption should be a tongue-in-cheek reference to a well-deserved return.

What do you guys think? Let us know in the comments section below!

The track mirrors sounds from all of their previous releases, while simultaneously managing to create an entirely new atmosphere for the band to explore. For a band that’s been through numerous member changes, it’s extraordinary to me that they can still release consistent music that isn’t stale or clichéd.

The song begins with a piano that would fit anywhere on Symphonies before erupting into a full instrumental assault. The vocals are a little overwhelming at times, but Scott Barnes has developed such an incredible voice, you can forgive a little thing like that. The musicianship, as always, is top notch; Ramin Niroomand continues to develop and clearly show his already excellent range as a writer, implementing both chaotic guitars and melodic, sensual pianos into the mix.

Once again, In Fear And Faith give us reason to be excited (or at least me; I have been called an IFAF fan boy once or twice). “It All Comes Out (On The Way Down)” is exactly where they should be at this point in their musical careers. The years and years of developing and evolving to stay afloat and relevant seem to have finally culminated, boosting the band not only into a state where they’re one of the best heavy bands on their label, but one of the best bands around.

You can listen to “It All Comes Out (On The Way Down)” here and/or buy it here.

Pianos’ ambiance-laced post-hardcore takes a steady step forward on The Lack Long After, showing growth without leaving behind what made them stand out of the pack with Old Pride. “I’ll Be Damned” is a beast of an opener, as colossal guitars ring out above the maniacal drumming, leaving the wall of sound to later transform into a sparse, yet brooding spotlight for vocalist Kyle Durfey’s gritty, passion-filled growls. This ending paves the way for “Good Times,” giving us drawn out guitar hits and scattered drumming – an ending slightly too familiar to keep these tracks as separate as they should be. In its own sense, “Good Times” is the product of mid-tempo angst and the band’s leanings toward post-rock and nearly mountainous arrangements; it just loses a bit of its starting tension when the track before it ends in a similar way that this one begins. “Such Confidence” carries the slow-jam torch well though, giving us simple, tension-filled guitar lines to build up into a blitzkrieg of drums and screams when the guitars go into high gear. There’s no clear leader on the track though, as the driver’s seat seems to flow from one instrument to the other with no pauses or letups, culminating in a manic bridge that sets up the cathartic release.

Yet rather than go for the jugular after such a drawn out tune, “Liquid Courage” takes the role of Old Pride’s “Cripples Can’t Shiver,” albeit without the emotional tug of a spoken word spot to pull at the heartstrings. With somber strums and thundering drums to back him, Durfey’s slightly distanced screams seep with emotion and a sense of urgency. The transition into “Spine” lunges us from a near crawl to a bullet barrage of drumming – a much more natural and understandable shift between tracks. The ending half of this eight track record is the bread and butter of The Lack Long After. There’s no seams or missed connections between the vicious outpourings of furious drumming and the often engulfing wall-of-guitar sound.

Ending on an ascent and conquering of a peak, “I’ll Get By” boasts bright post-rock melodies and a slightly less abrasive vocal approach from Durfey, who’s battling with his inner demons. The pleading line ‘But I couldn’t save you, I couldn’t save what was taken away / And I’m still singing, you still can’t stay’ hits hard despite being camouflaged by lush guitars and laid-back beats. In the massive closing passage, the band gives everything and makes one more desperate grasp at the heart, capping the album with an unresolved sense of agony that is difficult to swallow as the last bits of sound decay behind the sound bite of ‘You know how much he loved you.’

On first listen, this album is a jarring, often abrasive record that for some can be difficult to truly get into. But for those willing to delve into its tumultuous songwriting and screaming, Pianos Become the Teeth’s second album is an emotion-wringing journey of loss and struggle that proves this band is not just embodying some old ghost of screamo and post-hardcore past. The Lack Long After is an album you will be moved by.

The first song, “Murder I Wrote,” is clear evidence right away. The indecipherable rawr rawr’s are quite funny, the high screeches are borderline good, but the singing is purely awesome. It’s got some brutal deathcore breakdowns, but with weak deathcore verses that lead into a complete 180 with the post-hardcore chorus. At another point they combine the clean and low screaming over music that blends both styles.

Having never heard this band before, that post-hardcore influence threw me for a loop. The track has a bit of a classic The Acacia Strain feel to it in the beginning. Throwing heavy drop D breakdowns and linking with heavy metalcore verses provide the stage for an epic singing chorus that stands out on its own among other post-hardcore bands of today.

Easily the best musical section of the album is on the song “Delusions.” It builds off of a really soft and mellow guitar playing with subtle drums, then some of the best brutal breakdowns I’ve heard all year. Bass heavy is how I like it. These guys may get crap for not being more exploratory in the guitar playing, but in this case minimizing it can be a good thing. At the 3:55 mark, they bring the pain to the pit with menacing vocals coupled with the same breakdowns as before. Could have done without the low singing going out on an electronic style as they’re very cliché, but it’s forgivable. The actual singing is very mellow and calming, which again seems out of place.

For essentially a straight post-hardcore track, check out “Heroes Of June.” It starts with a soft background-placed guitar, then high-pitched guitars over standard screaming sets you up for the singing parts. Though at this point I started to notice that as soon as they end the singing, the brutal deathcore lows kick in without the mid-range screaming. They try to use this shock value over and over but after a while you start to notice it.

Then “Famous Last Words” bitch-slaps you with a metalcore sound that is largely missing from the rest of the album along with heart-stopping breakdowns. They use a more ominous post-hardcore type of music in the chorus with no clean singing at all, until the 2:15 mark. To give the listener a break from this tired shock value, I think they should have left it as a regular deathcore song.

I can’t really say too much about the deathcore sections, other than they’re mostly generic while throwing in something new every once in a while. This is admirable however, because it proves that if you think you can’t stand out in one genre, then combine a few and create something no one has heard before. If anyone is aware of more deathcore/post-hardcore bands, let me know cause I’ve never heard of this.

No stone or sound goes unturned on Conversation Piece. The appeal of the album ranges from “The Wave” to Warped Tour, Mathcore to Metal, and Prog to…prog. Repeated listens should conjure thoughts of everyone from Touche Amore and La Dispute to Explosions In The Sky and Closure In Moscow, yet packaging the sounds in a way that’s new and refreshing. Few albums can stretch genre-boundaries without alienating audiences, yet A Lot Like Birds breezes through the task.

All you Kurt apostles will be pleased, as the man is at his best here. Every line he croons on Conversation Piece displays the anxious enthusiasm from his DGD debut with the free-flowing maturity of Happiness, all while hitting the strongest notes of his career. Despite great chorus contributions on alternating vocal tracks like “Orange Time Machines Care” and “Sesame Street Is No Place For Me,” his most mesmerizing moments are when the band yanks the reigns and gets sexy, like in “The Blowtorch is Applied to the Sugar” and the gorgeous “A Satire of a Satire of a Satire is Tiring.”

You’ll come for Travis, but you’ll leave with Cory Lockwood. In a scene where most screamers utter indecipherable angry bullshit, Lockwood displays several unique vocal approaches that all entertain. Sometimes he’ll tear you to shreds (see: “Think Dirty Out Loud“), while other times he’s taking a more Jordan Dreyer approach to things, opting for spoken word on the latter half of “Properties of Friction.” No matter what he’s sending through the mic, though, Lockwood’s performance (and afro) are sure to win over legions of fans.

Enough about the vocals though; the musicianship and composition behind A Lot Like Birds are the foundation of the band’s greatness. As I said before, the guitar playing of Michael Franzino and Ben Wiacek is more eclectic, complex and creative than the rest of the scene combined; that opening lead to “Vanity’s Fair” following the trumpets (yeah, you read right. Trumpets.) begs you to raise your fret fingers and play along. Joe Arrington’s beastly beats deserve recognition of their own, hitting with the ferocity of Underoath‘s Daniel Davison and the technicality of Saosin‘s Alex Rodriguez. Make sure to check the mastered version of leaked demo “Tantrum (Far From The Tree, The Apple Grew Rotten)” to witness the mastery of the ALLB’s rhythm section.

Like a finely-tuned machine, Conversation Piece is a record greater than the sum of its parts, even with the six talented members behind it. It’s absurd to think that this line-up has worked together less than a year, creating an album experienced bands dream of making. With their debut full-length, A Lot Like Birds have become one of post-hardcore’s most important new bands and one of the few capable of saving the scene.