A Flash Flood Of Colour
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''A Flash Flood of Colour'' is the third studio album by English
rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...
band
Enter Shikari Enter Shikari are a British Rock music, rock band formed in St Albans in 1999 by bassist Chris Batten, lead vocalist and keyboardist Rou Reynolds, and drummer Rob Rolfe. In 2003, guitarist Rory Clewlow joined the band to complete its current li ...
, and was produced by
Dan Weller Dan Weller (born 3 April 1980) is an English record producer, audio mixer, songwriter and guitarist, known for his work in rock and metal. He was born in Liverpool and moved to Hertfordshire at age of six. At 15 he began playing guitar and forme ...
. The album was recorded in May and June 2011 at Karma Sound Studios in Bang Saray,
Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...
, and at the Fortress in
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
,
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
. It was released internationally on 16 January 2012 by
Ambush Reality Enter Shikari are a British rock band formed in St Albans in 1999 by bassist Chris Batten, lead vocalist and keyboardist Rou Reynolds, and drummer Rob Rolfe. In 2003, guitarist Rory Clewlow joined the band to complete its current line-up, and ...
, the band's record label in the United Kingdom, and
Hopeless Records Hopeless Records is an American independent record label in Van Nuys, California. History Hopeless Records was founded in 1993 by Louis Posen. The label's artists are generally considered to fall under the genres of punk rock, pop punk, post-ha ...
in North America. Lyrically, the album deals with
current affairs Current affairs may refer to: News * ''Current Affairs'' (magazine) a bimonthly American magazine of culture and politics. * Current affairs (news format), a genre of broadcast journalism * ''Current Affairs'', former name for ''Behind the News' ...
(primarily the
Great Recession The Great Recession was a period of market decline in economies around the world that occurred from late 2007 to mid-2009.
). It confronts flaws in government action to end the global recession, also touching on the political situation in Israel and
climate change Present-day climate change includes both global warming—the ongoing increase in Global surface temperature, global average temperature—and its wider effects on Earth's climate system. Climate variability and change, Climate change in ...
. ''A Flash Flood of Colour'' demonstrated Enter Shikari's continued fusion of
electronic Electronic may refer to: *Electronics, the science of how to control electric energy in semiconductors * ''Electronics'' (magazine), a defunct American trade journal *Electronic storage, the storage of data using an electronic device *Electronic c ...
and
rock music Rock is a Music genre, genre of popular music that originated in the United States as "rock and roll" in the late 1940s and early 1950s, developing into a range of styles from the mid-1960s, primarily in the United States and the United Kingdo ...
influences. The album's cover depicts an inverted
social hierarchy Social stratification refers to a society's categorization of its people into groups based on socioeconomic factors like wealth, income, race, education, ethnicity, gender, occupation, social status, or derived power (social and political). ...
. ''A Flash Flood of Colour'' received generally positive reviews from music critics and an average Metacritic score of 75 out of 100. It debuted at number four on the
UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is the United Kingdom's industry-recognised national record chart for album, albums. Entries are ranked by sales and audio streaming. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the O ...
after a band-led campaign to get the album to number one, and appeared on several album-of-the-year lists. To promote the album, Enter Shikari made
A Flash Flood of Colour World Tour A Flash Flood of Colour World Tour was a concert tour by rock music, rock band Enter Shikari, which took place through 2012 and 2013, in support of the band's third studio album ''A Flash Flood of Colour'', released on 16 January 2012. The tour ...
.


Background and recording

Enter Shikari took a different lyrical direction with the release of their 2009 album ''
Common Dreads ''Common Dreads'' is the second studio album by English rock band Enter Shikari, released on 15 June 2009 and 16 June in the US. Recording of the album took place in late 2008–2009. The album was produced and mixed by Andy Gray at Arreton Man ...
'', which focused on financial meltdown,
economic collapse Economic collapse, also called economic meltdown, is any of a broad range of poor economic conditions, ranging from a severe, prolonged depression with high bankruptcy rates and high unemployment (such as the Great Depression of the 1930s), t ...
and widespread discontent. Journalists such as Ian Winwood credited the band's lyrical direction as a reaction to the evolution of politics since their 2007 debut album, ''
Take to the Skies ''Take to the Skies'' is the debut studio album by British rock band Enter Shikari. Background and recording Following the demise of Hybryd, Enter Shikari was formed with Rou Reynolds on vocals, Rory Clewlow on guitar, Chris Batten on bass, an ...
''; there is now "ongoing Orwellian overseas conflicts, riots in England's major cities, endless austerity programmes the end date of which stretch years into the distance". The change in lyrics began with Reynolds' belief that music is an effective way of conveying political ideas. The record was produced by former
SikTh Sikth (also typeset as SikTh) are an English progressive metal band from Watford, Hertfordshire, formed in 1999. History Early days (1999–2002) Sikth formed in late 1999, but consolidated their line-up in March 2001. That line-up consisted ...
guitarist
Dan Weller Dan Weller (born 3 April 1980) is an English record producer, audio mixer, songwriter and guitarist, known for his work in rock and metal. He was born in Liverpool and moved to Hertfordshire at age of six. At 15 he began playing guitar and forme ...
, who helped with guitar production on ''Common Dreads'', and sound engineer Tim Morris. Enter Shikari recorded the album in May and June 2011, primarily at Karma Sound Studios in Bang Saray,
Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...
. Its recording began at Weller's
Old Street Old Street is a street in inner north-east Central London, England that runs west to east from Goswell Road in Clerkenwell, in the London Borough of Islington, via St Luke's and Old Street Roundabout, to the crossroads where it meets Shor ...
London-based recording studio. When he told the band that a friend owned a recording studio in Thailand, it became a running joke that they would record there instead. Eventually, they decided that it would be financially, logistically and artistically advantageous to record at Karma Sound. The studio in Thailand was described by drummer Rob Rolfe as "four walls in a little compound in the middle of the jungle" an hour-and-a-half drive south of
Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estim ...
and a "fantastic studio in paradise". The band recorded the album's music before adding the vocals, since Reynolds knew the album's themes and that it would be "uniting and empowering". The album was mixed in
Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...
by Mike Fraser. Within the first 10 days of recording, the album's most-complete songs were its most aggressive—particularly the tentatively-titled "Tyrannosaurus" (later known as "Hello Tyrannosaurus, Meet Tyrannicide"). During its production, the album went through several changes; "Stalemate" was intended as an acoustic introduction, and "System Meltdown" was intended to be a single song. Recording was completed within a month.


Style and themes

''A Flash Flood of Colour'' is noted for its fusion of
electronic music Electronic music broadly is a group of music genres that employ electronic musical instruments, circuitry-based music technology and software, or general-purpose electronics (such as personal computers) in its creation. It includes both music ...
,
rock music Rock is a Music genre, genre of popular music that originated in the United States as "rock and roll" in the late 1940s and early 1950s, developing into a range of styles from the mid-1960s, primarily in the United States and the United Kingdo ...
,
hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...
and
hardcore punk Hardcore punk (commonly abbreviated to hardcore or hXc) is a punk rock music genre#subtypes, subgenre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. It is generally faster, harder, and more aggressive than other forms of punk rock. Its roots ...
. The album is considered to "contain at least two or three different genres within each track", blending
post-hardcore Post-hardcore is a punk rock music genre that maintains the aggression and intensity of hardcore punk but emphasizes a greater degree of creative expression. Like the term " post-punk", the term "post-hardcore" has been applied to a broad conste ...
,
electronicore Electronicore (also known as synthcore or trancecore) is a fusion genre of metalcore music with elements of various electronic music genres, often including trance, electronica, and dubstep. Reception Attack Attack! is often recognized as th ...
,
dubstep Dubstep is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in South London in the early 2000s. The style emerged as a UK garage offshoot that blended 2-step rhythms and sparse dub production, as well as incorporating elements of broken ...
,
drum and bass Drum and bass (commonly abbreviated as DnB, D&B, or D'n'B) is a genre of electronic dance music characterised by fast Break (music)#Breakbeat (element of music), breakbeats (typically 165–185 Tempo, beats per minute) with heavy Bass (music) ...
, and
alternative metal Alternative metal (also known as alt-metal) is a genre of heavy metal music that combines heavy metal with influences from alternative rock and other genres not normally associated with metal. Alternative metal bands are often characterized by ...
, with elements of other styles (
alternative rock Alternative rock (also known as alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative) is a category of rock music that evolved from the independent music underground of the 1970s. Alternative rock acts achieved mainstream success in the 1990s w ...
, industrial,
techno Techno is a genre of electronic dance music (EDM) which is generally produced for use in a continuous DJ set, with tempos being in the range from 120 to 150 beats per minute (bpm). The central rhythm is typically in common time ( ) and often ...
,
trance Trance is a state of semi-consciousness in which a person is not self-aware and is either altogether unresponsive to external stimuli (but nevertheless capable of pursuing and realizing an aim) or is selectively responsive in following the dir ...
, electro,
British hip hop UK rap, also known as British hip hop or UK hip hop or British rap, is a music genre and culture that covers a variety of styles of hip hop music made in the United Kingdom. The development of UK rap was shaped by a distinct set of regional inf ...
,
grime Grime may refer to: * Dirt, in the form of black, ingrained dust Music * Grime music, a genre of music * ''Grime'' (album), a 2001 album by Iniquity * "Grime", a 2023 song by Macklemore from ''Ben'' * "Grime", a 2024 song by Kittie from ''Fire ...
and
metalcore Metalcore is a broadly defined fusion genre combining elements of extreme metal and hardcore punk, originating in the 1990s United States and becoming popular in the 2000s. Metalcore typically has aggressive verses and melodic choruses, combined ...
). with
metal A metal () is a material that, when polished or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electrical resistivity and conductivity, electricity and thermal conductivity, heat relatively well. These properties are all associated wit ...
elements. The theme of ''A Flash Flood of Colour'' is politically progressive. The album's treatment of current affairs and environmental issues takes aim "at the failings of capitalism, the hypocrisy of modern politics and the blatant disregard of human health and happiness" and has been compared to the calculated approach of the
Occupy movement The Occupy movement was an international populist Social movement, socio-political movement that expressed opposition to Social equality, social and economic inequality and to the perceived lack of real democracy around the world. It aimed primar ...
, rather than an ensuing
class conflict In political science, the term class conflict, class struggle, or class war refers to the economic antagonism and political tension that exist among social classes because of clashing interests, competition for limited resources, and inequali ...
. Despite its political themes, Reynolds denied that the album was politically motivated: "This album is anti-politics. We say that politics is an outdated system. It is time that we embrace technological developments and no longer have to rely on a rule. Our lives should develop according to scientific findings." He described ''A Flash Flood of Colour''s recurring theme as "perspective": "We're not trying to think subjectively."
The Real News The Real News Network (TRNN) is a news organization based in Baltimore, Maryland, that covers both national and international news. It includes both for-profit arm and non-profit organizations. History TRNN was founded by documentary producer ...
, ''
Democracy Now! ''Democracy Now!'' is an hour-long TV, radio, and Internet news program based in Manhattan and hosted by journalists Amy Goodman (who also acts as the show's executive producer), Juan González, and Nermeen Shaikh. The show, which airs live ...
'' and journalist
John Pilger John Richard Pilger (; 9 October 1939 – 30 December 2023) was an Australian journalist, writer, scholar and documentary filmmaker. From 1962, he was based mainly in Britain. He was also a visiting professor at Cornell University in New York. ...
have all influenced Reynolds' political views.


Tracks

''A Flash Flood of Colour'' opens with the trance-like, spoken-word introduction to "System...", featuring synthesised
strings String or strings may refer to: *String (structure), a long flexible structure made from threads twisted together, which is used to tie, bind, or hang other objects Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Strings'' (1991 film), a Canadian anim ...
, a "battle cry" buildup and an outline of the album's lyrical themes (metaphorically comparing Britain's economy to an eroded cliff-top house). The next track, "...Meltdown", opens with a dubstep-influenced breakdown. Both songs "surf a plateau musically", highlighting the album's diversity and acting as a "
paean A paean () is a song or lyric poem expressing triumph or thanksgiving. In classical antiquity, it is usually performed by a chorus, but some examples seem intended for an individual voice ( monody). It comes from the Greek (also or ), "song ...
to internationalist idealism". "Ssssnakepit" mixes
jungle music Jungle is a genre of electronic music that developed in the 1990s out of the UK rave scene and Jamaican sound system culture. Emerging from breakbeat hardcore, the style is characterised by rapid breakbeats, heavily syncopated percussive loops, ...
"fury",
thrash metal Thrash metal (or simply thrash) is an Extreme metal, extreme subgenre of heavy metal music characterized by its overall aggression and fast tempo.Kahn-Harris, Keith, ''Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge'', pp. 2–3, 9. Oxford: Berg, ...
guitar riffing, an electro interlude and a catchy chorus; Reynolds also noted drum-and-bass and hardcore-punk influences. "Ssssnakepit" focuses on partying more than politics; Reynolds said about the song, "It’s hard to write positive songs with everything going on in the world, but this track is basically one full-on party—it's about cherishing your friendships and living compassionately." The title of "Arguing with Thermometers" refers to
climate change deniers Climate change denial (also global warming denial) is a form of science denial characterized by rejecting, refusing to acknowledge, disputing, or fighting the scientific consensus on climate change. Those promoting denial commonly use rhetori ...
. "Stalemate" is a ballad about war profiteering, condemning Israel's use of
white phosphorus White phosphorus, yellow phosphorus, or simply tetraphosphorus (P4) is an allotrope of phosphorus. It is a translucent waxy solid that quickly yellows in light (due to its photochemical conversion into red phosphorus), and impure white phospho ...
in Palestine and noting that wars "make trillionaires out of billionaires". The song's combination of
acoustic guitar An acoustic guitar is a musical instrument in the string family. When a string is plucked, its vibration is transmitted from the bridge, resonating throughout the top of the guitar. It is also transmitted to the side and back of the instrument, ...
,
vocal harmonies Vocal harmony is a style of vocal music in which a consonant note or notes are simultaneously sung as a main melody in a predominantly homophonic texture. Vocal harmonies are used in many subgenres of European art music, including Classical chor ...
and rock drumming produces a "radio-friendly
hook A hook is a tool consisting of a length of material, typically metal, that contains a portion that is curved/bent back or has a deeply grooved indentation, which serves to grab, latch or in any way attach itself onto another object. The hook's d ...
". With its "furious, anarchist edge", "Gandhi Mate, Gandhi" focuses on the distinction between social and economic stability, summarising capitalism as "a long outdated system ... that does nothing but divide and segregate us". The song has been seen as supporting the
Occupy London Occupy London was a political movement in London, England, and part of the international Occupy movement. While some media described it as an "anti-capitalist" movement, in the statement written and endorsed by consensus by the Occupy assembly i ...
movement; Reynolds called it a "very frustrated and confused song" reflecting the current ''
Zeitgeist In 18th- and 19th-century German philosophy, a ''Zeitgeist'' (; ; capitalized in German) is an invisible agent, force, or daemon dominating the characteristics of a given epoch in world history. The term is usually associated with Georg W. F ...
'': "People know we have the resources, the creativity, and the ingenuity to do better than what we have at the moment and are struggling to come to terms with the short term love of money over the long-term stability and progression of our species." The song focuses on two characters; Reynolds' vocals supply a revolutionary perspective, and Rory Clewlow's are those of a person in power. "Gandhi mate, Gandhi" has unconventional lyrics for its characters; "Yabba Dabba do one, son" was described by Reynolds as the product of a drunken MC battle, and during the song the other band members pause and urge Reynolds to calm down. Reynolds described "Gandhi mate, Gandhi" as a "lively electro influenced dubstep" and a "
rap rock Rap rock is a music genre that developed from the early to mid-1980s, when hip hop DJs incorporated rock records into their routines and rappers began incorporating original and sampled rock instrumentation into hip hop music. Rap rock is co ...
pileup" textured over "wobbly dubstep bass". "Warm Smiles Do Not Make You Welcome Here" incorporates
stadium rock Arena rock (also known as stadium rock, pomp rock or corporate rock) is a style of rock music that became mainstream in the 1970s. It typically involves radio-friendly rock music that was designed to be played for large audiences. As hard rock ...
into Enter Shikari's typical style. Reynolds described "Hello Tyrannosaurus, Meet Tyrannicide" as a critique of certain democracies which are "polite dictatorships", specifically referring to those in the
Arab Spring The Arab Spring () was a series of Nonviolent resistance, anti-government protests, Rebellion, uprisings, and Insurgency, armed rebellions that spread across much of the Arab world in the early 2010s. It began Tunisian revolution, in Tunisia ...
movement. The album closes with "Constellations", a "rallying call about the future of the human race". With a "swirling" string quartet resembling "System..."'s, the anthemic song has a
post-rock Post-rock is a subgenre of experimental rock that emphasizes Texture (music), texture, atmosphere, and non-traditional song structures over conventional rock techniques. Post-rock artists often combine rock instrumentation and rock stylings wit ...
sound.


Cover and packaging

The title of ''A Flash Flood of Colour'' was intended to describe the album's music, and Reynolds noted its colourful blend of musical genres. He said that the band wanted a title with a "big sound" which was positive and forward-thinking, and it derives from the lyrics of "Warm Smiles Do Not Make You Welcome Here". The cover art is a reversal of society's hierarchical structure based on
social stratification Social stratification refers to a society's categorization of its people into groups based on socioeconomic factors like wealth, income, race, education, ethnicity, gender, occupation, social status, or derived power (social and political ...
. Although it was introduced to Enter Shikari as a set design for their live shows, they thought it would be a "solid symbol" for the album. Guitarist Rory Clewlow described the cover art: "Our society is often depicted as a pyramid, with the few at the top with all the wealth and the masses at the bottom with no wealth, but supporting the pyramid for the few at the top. Our upside down triangle represents this system being flipped on tshead."


Release and promotion

Enter Shikari released two non-album singles, "
Destabilise "Destabilise" is a single by British rock band Enter Shikari, released as an iTunes exclusive download on 26 October 2010 and as a limited coloured 7" vinyl on 29 November 2010 in the UK and Europe. The track was recorded in the summer of 2010 ...
" and "
Quelle Surprise "Quelle Surprise" is a single by British rock band Enter Shikari, released on 19 May 2011. It was originally planned to be the first single released from the band's third studio album ''A Flash Flood of Colour.'' However, Rou Reynolds later conf ...
", before ''A Flash Flood of Colour''s release. Although "Quelle Surprise" (released on 19 May 2011) was intended as the first single from the new album, it was later decided that it (like "Destabilise") would be a stand-alone track. They were included as bonus tracks on selected versions of ''A Flash Flood of Colour''. The album's first single, "
Sssnakepit "Sssnakepit" is a single by English rock band Enter Shikari, the first from their third studio album " A Flash Flood of Colour". The single was released on 20 September 2011 as a digital download. The song charted at number 62 in the UK Singles ...
", was released on 20 September 2011. On 5 December "
Gandhi Mate, Gandhi "Gandhi Mate, Gandhi" is a single by British Rock music, rock band Enter Shikari from their third studio album "A Flash Flood of Colour". The single was released on 6 December 2011 as a digital download. The song charted at number 112 in the UK Si ...
" was released as a preview of the album. On 5 January 2012 Enter Shikari released the studio version of "Arguing with Thermometers" on their YouTube page, and it was played on Lowe's show as his "Hottest Record in the World". On 4 January 2013, the band released an animated music video for "Hello Tyrannosaurus, Meet Tyrannicide" on their YouTube page. When it was released, ''A Flash Flood of Colour'' was one of two new entries in the United Kingdom's top 20 mainstream album chart (the other was
Tribes The term tribe is used in many different contexts to refer to a category of human social group. The predominant worldwide use of the term in English is in the discipline of anthropology. The definition is contested, in part due to conflict ...
' début album, ''
Baby In common terminology, a baby is the very young offspring of adult human beings, while infant (from the Latin word ''infans'', meaning 'baby' or 'child') is a formal or specialised synonym. The terms may also be used to refer to Juvenile (orga ...
''). The album reached number one halfway through its first week, with over 2,500 copies sold (rivalling
Adele Adele Laurie Blue Adkins (; born 5 May 1988) is an English singer-songwriter. Regarded as a British cultural icon, icon, she is known for her mezzo-soprano vocals and sentimental songwriting. List of awards and nominations received by Adele, ...
,
Bruno Mars Peter Gene Hernandez (born October 8, 1985), known professionally as Bruno Mars, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer. Regarded as a pop icon, he is known for his three-octave tenor vocal range, live performances, R ...
and
Ed Sheeran Edward Christopher Sheeran ( ; born 17 February 1991) is an English singer-songwriter. Born in Halifax, West Yorkshire, and raised in Framlingham, Suffolk, he began writing songs around the age of eleven. In early 2011, Sheeran independently r ...
). After the announcement of the midweek chart, Rou Reynolds called ''A Flash Flood of Colour''s success a victory for "
independent music Independent music (also commonly known as indie music, or simply indie) is a broad style of music characterized by creative freedoms, low-budgets, and a DIY ethic, do-it-yourself approach to music creation, which originated from the liberties aff ...
, for socially conscious music and for
alternative music Alternative music may refer to the following types of music: *Independent music *Alternative rock *Alternative pop *Alternative R&B *Neo soul, sometimes known as alternative soul *Alternative reggaeton *Alternative hip hop *Alternative dance *Alter ...
" in a blog post on the Enter Shikari website. Although the album fell to fourth behind '' 21'', '' +'' and ''
Mylo Xyloto ''Mylo Xyloto'' (pronounced ) is the fifth studio album by British Rock music, rock band Coldplay. It was released on 19 October 2011 in Japan and on 24 October 2011 in the rest of the world. The band worked closely with producer Brian Eno fo ...
'', it reached number one on the
UK Rock Chart The UK Rock & Metal Singles Chart and UK Rock & Metal Albums Chart are record charts compiled in the United Kingdom by the Official Charts Company (OCC) to determine the 40 most popular singles and albums in the rock and heavy metal genres. Th ...
and number two on the UK independent album charts and sold over 19,000 copies.


Tour and performances

As a "first big test" Enter Shikari introduced songs from ''A Flash Flood of Colour'' at
Soundwave Soundwave or Sound Wave may refer to: * Sound, a vibration that propagates as an acoustic wave * Acoustic wave, the wave which carries sound Festivals * Soundwave (Australian music festival), an annual music festival 2007–2016 * Soundwave Fe ...
in Australia, and they were pleased by the positive reaction to their new music. When the band was touring at the time of the album's release, they distributed leaflets with interviews answering questions they are not usually asked. On 12 February 2012 they played a subdued, well-attended show at the Bull and Gate, a
Kentish Town Kentish Town is an area of northwest London, England, in the London Borough of Camden, immediately north of Camden Town, close to Hampstead Heath. Kentish Town likely derives its name from Ken-ditch or Caen-ditch, meaning the "bed of a waterw ...
pub, which was filmed for
Scuzz Scuzz was a British 24-hour rock and metal music television channel owned and operated by Sony Pictures Television. It was launched on 17 April 2003 and went on to be the highest-rated rock TV station on the Sky satellite platform, available in ...
. The show, filmed and edited by Stand Your Ground Media, aired on 31 March at 5 pm. Enter Shikari played three small shows in the UK to celebrate the album's release: 16 January 2012 (its release date) at the Borderline in London, 17 January at the Hippodrome in
Kingston Kingston may refer to: Places * List of places called Kingston, including the six most populated: ** Kingston, Jamaica ** Kingston upon Hull, England ** City of Kingston, Victoria, Australia ** Kingston, Ontario, Canada ** Kingston upon Thames, ...
and 18 January at
the Cockpit The Cockpit can refer to: * Cockpit Theatre, a 17th-century theatre in London (also known as the Phoenix) that opened in 1616 * The Cockpit, a theatre in London, England that opened in 1970 * ''The Cockpit'' (OVA), a three-part anime series made ...
in
Leeds Leeds is a city in West Yorkshire, England. It is the largest settlement in Yorkshire and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds Metropolitan Borough, which is the second most populous district in the United Kingdom. It is built aro ...
. The shows were sponsored by
HMV HMV is an international music and entertainment retailer, founded in 1921. The brand is owned by Hilco Capital and operated by Sunrise Records, except in Japan, where it is owned and operated by Lawson. The inaugural shop was opened on Lo ...
,
Banquet Records Banquet Records is a record shop in Kingston upon Thames, Greater London. Formerly part of the Beggars Banquet Records retail chain, it became fully independent in 2002. It stocks a broad range of music on both vinyl and CD. The establishment ...
, Jumbo Records and Crash Records; those pre-ordering from these sources received tickets to the shows. After the album's release, Enter Shikari toured Europe, North America and
Australasia Australasia is a subregion of Oceania, comprising Australia, New Zealand (overlapping with Polynesia), and sometimes including New Guinea and surrounding islands (overlapping with Melanesia). The term is used in a number of different context ...
with a full production and light show. The band's touring schedule, and their confidence, expanded across the United States and they played with two- or three-band bills to play longer sets.


Reception


Critical reception

''A Flash Flood of Colour'' received generally positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received a score of 75 based on 13 reviews (categorised as "generally favorable reviews"). Drew Beringer of
AbsolutePunk ''AbsolutePunk'' was a website, online community, and alternative music news source founded by Jason Tate (the most recent CEO). The website mainly focused on artists who are relatively unknown to mainstream audiences, but it was known to featu ...
praised the album in an eight-out-of-ten review: "The quartet has a much bigger goal than just getting kids to dance to their breakdowns, rather they focus on putting a lot of substance into each track, hoping to inspire this generation to take a stand and make change amongst the broken systems throughout the world". Ian Winwood gave the album four out of five "Ks" for the British magazine ''
Kerrang! ''Kerrang!'' is a British music webzine and quarterly magazine that primarily covers rock, punk and heavy metal music. Since 2017, the magazine has been published by Wasted Talent Ltd (the same company that owns electronic music publication ...
'', an "excellent" review. He called the music far more upbeat than Enter Shikari's serious message: "This 11-song set is a good deal of fun to listen to, even if its lyrics' subject matters are the exact opposite." Winwood also reviewed the album favourably for BBC Music, comparing its lyrics to
The King Blues The King Blues are a British punk rock band from London credited for fusing punk and hip hop together with influences from ska and spoken word. Tariq Ali described the band's sounds as "rough, radical music that should unsettle the rulers of t ...
' '' Punk & Poetry'' and calling Enter Shikari "the only other mainstream-breaching British rock band concerning itself with the news of the world". Johnny Firecloud gave the album an eight-out-of-ten rating on
CraveOnline Mandatory (formerly CraveOnline Media) is a lifestyle website based in Los Angeles with sales offices in New York City, Chicago and San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial D ...
: "Enter Shikari have found a balance while honing a voice of rebellion – at a time where tearing down boundaries and microanalyzing the current structure is more vital and valuable than ever before in our lives." Iain Moffat of ''The Fly'' said of the album that 'Disenchantment should always be this spellbinding.' In ''
NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...
'', Dan Martin gave the album an eight-out-of-ten rating: "All of that surface tension lands Enter Shikari in a pretty powerful position for their third – and, as the title promises fabulously, they respond to the challenge in explosive style to deliver something like their defining statement." ''Rocksound'' writer Ryan Bird gave the album a nine-out-of-ten score, praising the band for their emotional cultural and sonic development and noting the importance of their message: "In a world edging ever closer to complete and utter destruction, Enter Shikari remain fearless and uncompromising leaders in a field of one." Not all reviews were positive. Jon O'Brien of
Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
gave the album three stars out of five, saying that the album's "rebellious stance rarely transcends "Beginners Guide to Politics" territory" and considering its music a "hyperactive Wall of Sound". O'Brien summarised his review by calling the album "a demanding and often exhausting listen" but also "a call to arms which the flagging U.K. guitar band scene could do with more of." John Calvert of '' Drowned In Sound'' gave the album a five-out-of-ten rating, calling its sound "sports metal" and noting a decline in Enter Shikari's music: "Forward rewind to 2011 and it's all
Nero Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus ( ; born Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus; 15 December AD 37 – 9 June AD 68) was a Roman emperor and the final emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, reigning from AD 54 until his ...
-grade
dubstep Dubstep is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in South London in the early 2000s. The style emerged as a UK garage offshoot that blended 2-step rhythms and sparse dub production, as well as incorporating elements of broken ...
, amateurish
drum'n'bass Drum and bass (commonly abbreviated as DnB, D&B, or D'n'B) is a genre of electronic dance music characterised by fast breakbeats (typically 165–185 beats per minute) with heavy bass and sub-bass lines, samples, and synthesizers. The genre ...
and mid-twenties pot bellies."


Accolades


Track listing

;Limited edition bonus DVD ;DVD bonus dell'edizione limitata


Personnel

;Enter Shikari * Roughton "Rou" Reynolds – vocals, MC, growls,
electronics Electronics is a scientific and engineering discipline that studies and applies the principles of physics to design, create, and operate devices that manipulate electrons and other Electric charge, electrically charged particles. It is a subfield ...
, acoustic guitar,
celesta The celesta () or celeste (), also called a bell-piano, is a struck idiophone operated by a keyboard. It looks similar to an upright piano (four- or five-octave), albeit with smaller keys and a much smaller cabinet, or a large wooden music ...
, piano,
brass Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc, in proportions which can be varied to achieve different colours and mechanical, electrical, acoustic and chemical properties, but copper typically has the larger proportion, generally copper and zinc. I ...
and
string String or strings may refer to: *String (structure), a long flexible structure made from threads twisted together, which is used to tie, bind, or hang other objects Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Strings'' (1991 film), a Canadian anim ...
arrangements,
lyrics Lyrics are words that make up a song, usually consisting of verses and choruses. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist. The words to an extended musical composition such as an opera are, however, usually known as a "libretto" and their writer, ...
* Liam "Rory" Clewlow – guitar, vocals * Chris Batten – bass, vocals * Rob Rolfe – drums, percussion, vocals ;Additional personnel * Dan Weller – producer * Tim Morris – engineer * Bobo Ekrangsi – engineer * Mike Fraser – mixing


Charts and certifications


Charts


Certifications


References

;Footnotes ;Bibliography * * 22–24 * * *


External links


''A Flash Flood of Colour''
at
YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...
(streamed copy where licensed) {{DEFAULTSORT:Flash Flood of Colour, A Enter Shikari albums Hopeless Records albums 2012 albums Albums produced by Dan Weller Electronicore albums Drum and bass albums Dubstep albums