Album Review: Enter Shikari – The Mindsweep: Hospitalised
2 min read
Forward thinking post-hardcore band Enter Shikari have never been afraid of something new. Now, stepping out of their comfort zone once again, they have released a collaborative album with drum and bass giants Hospital Records. The Mindsweep: Hospitalised is a reworking of The Mindsweep, their fourth studio album. Unlike the original album The Mindsweep: Hospitalised concentrates on an experimental fusion of rock and techno music whilst still attempting to retain that all-or-nothing attitude so despondently broadcast by the group.
The most metal-infused track, The Last Garrison, reworked by S.P.Y., is perhaps the only track on the album that retains the post-hardcore sound. It feels more collaborative than the surrounding tracks and if anything, really underlines the message in the lyrics and actually brings more power to the song. The reworking of Torn Apart (Hugh Hardie Remix) is an excellent example of how the group are able to twist the characteristics of both genres in a way that actually makes the vocals deeply appealing. Interlude offers an ethereal break in the sometimes complex and overwhelming elements of the other reworked songs, stretching the one minute long The Mindsweep into a more mellow four minutes with a haunting vocal melody.
Though fans of drum and bass are going to love the record, in some ways this remix feels distinctly like a shadow of the original. Indeed, the remix only shows off the talent of the boys at Hospital Records, and somewhat eclipses the social commentary of Enter Shikari’s music as your focus is drawn more to the production.
