Source: Album Artwork
March 19th, 2017 marks the tenth anniversary of the release of Enter Shikari‘s debut album Take to the Skies. Seeing as the band are about to embark on a huge tour to celebrate this milestone, we thought it was the perfect opportunity to take a look back at the album and its legacy, as well as how the band have changed in the 10 years since its release.
By the time Take to the Skies was released in 2007, Enter Shikari had already released numerous EPs and singles, played a sold out show at London’s Astoria and built up a considerable fanbase. It’s no surprise then that the album was one of that year’s most anticipated releases, and went straight to No. 4 on the UK albums chart. Though the band have continued to evolve and grow with every record since, this album will always be the one that introduced the world to Shikari’s unique sound. Combining elements of metalcore and post-hardcore with electronic music and synths was a relatively new idea at the time, and Take to the Skies played a key part in the popularisation of this style of music in the UK rock scene.
The album was also obviously a hugely important step in Enter Shikari’s career, featuring huge singles ‘Sorry You’re Not a Winner’ and ‘Mothership‘ as well as fan favourite classics like ‘Return to Energiser’ and ‘Labyrinth’. The refrain “And still we will be here, standing like statues”, taken from the opening track ‘Enter Shikari’ and reprised throughout the album, has become something of a motto for the band and a rallying cry for their fans. Not only does it summarize the band’s ethos of unity and solidarity, it’s also the perfect crowd chant, and can be heard at almost every Shikari gig while waiting for the band to take the stage or return for an encore.
For the most part, Rou Reynolds‘ lyrics on Take to the Skies are quite cryptic, using many metaphors, and deal with a wide range of subjects which are not often explicitly clear. On later albums, however, starting with 2009’s Common Dreads, Rou started to focus on more socio-political topics and his lyrics became much more direct. Musically, Enter Shikari also deviated away from the metalcore sound prevalent on Take to the Skies, experimenting more and more over time. While the heavy riffs and breakdowns from the first album are still present on later releases, they are mixed with many other musical genres including dubstep, trance and drum & bass. Shikari have also increasingly incorporated elements of more accessible music, such as more emphasis on clean vocals rather than the screamed or growled vocals prominently featured on Take to the Skies. Some of their more recent songs, such as ‘Torn Apart’ or ‘Redshift’ are a far cry from the debut album, with their poppy choruses and lack of heavy guitars. However, this just goes to show how versatile the band are, as their latest single ‘Hoodwinker’ proves that they are still more than capable of producing a heavy, riff-driven track just like in the old days, as well as arena-ready anthems.
Ultimately, Take to the Skies may not sound exactly like the band Enter Shikari have become, but some things haven’t changed. They still remain one of the most forward-thinking, pioneering bands in the UK, pushing musical boundaries and challenging their listeners with a wide range of sounds and styles. From that Astoria show in 2006 to the colossal Alexandra Palace in 2016, it’s clear that their ambition and determination haven’t wavered either. They still have the unstoppable momentum they had 10 years ago and with Rou already hinting at writing songs for the band’s fifth album, it looks like they’re not planning on slowing down any time soon.
Enter Shikari are about to head off on a massive tour to celebrate 10 years of Take to the Skies, travelling all over the US and Europe before returning to the UK for a final handful of dates including this year’s Slam Dunk Festival. The UK & Irish dates are as follows:
May 23rd – The Academy, Dublin (with Crossfaith)
May 24th – The Limelight, Belfast (with Crossfaith)
May 25th – Barrowland, Glasgow
May 27th – Slam Dunk Midlands, Birmingham
May 28th – Slam Dunk North, Leeds
May 29th – Slam Dunk South, Hatfield
