Enter Shikari - The Last Garrison

ENTER Shikari are one of those bands that amount to more than the sum of their parts.

The St Albans four-piece's influences could not be clearer.

There is a bit of The Streets' urban poetry in there, a smattering of Bring Me The Horizon style heavy riffs and a dance rock backbone which seems to have been inspired by The Prodigy.

But regardless of that, the band's music seems to have taken a life of its own on the latest album, The Last Garrison.

Recorded at Chapel Studios in Lincolnshire, where the Arctic Monkeys and Catfish and The Bottlemen both recorded their debut albums, Dan Weller has done a brilliant job in the producer's chair.

Highlights include Myopia, one of the best examples of how the band combine dance rock with heavy riffs, and There's A Price On Your Head, a tune about the nonsense of class status, which would almost fit neatly on a System of a Down record.

As you might imagine, it is not everyone but for all of its musical aggression, The Last Garrison is also joyful.

The theme of the record is all about stepping back and taking time to appreciate being alive and seizing opportunities.

It is a familiar and overused sentiment but it might brighten your day a little nonetheless as the band seem to be genuine about it.

And you can sense the quartet's chemistry throughout the record.

- Enter Shikari play at Manchester Academy on February 20.

DAVID MORGAN