User Score
8.6

Universal acclaim- based on 82 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 73 out of 82
  2. Negative: 4 out of 82
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  1. Apr 19, 2015
    9
    Timely and inspiring political messages fused with a matured version of that trademark Shikari style make "The Mindsweep" an album to truly be heard.

    R
  2. May 31, 2015
    9
    I feel this is Shikari's strongest album to date. The album flows really well, each of the songs has a purpose and message. I do find it interesting how they decided to finish the album. In FFOC the ending song 'Constellations' left the listeners with a bit of hope for humanity, but for The Mindsweep it has it hopeful song
    'Dear Future Historians' as the 2nd last song. Rather than
    I feel this is Shikari's strongest album to date. The album flows really well, each of the songs has a purpose and message. I do find it interesting how they decided to finish the album. In FFOC the ending song 'Constellations' left the listeners with a bit of hope for humanity, but for The Mindsweep it has it hopeful song
    'Dear Future Historians' as the 2nd last song. Rather than finishing the album on that hopeful note, Shikari decided to go with a more cataclysmic tone with 'The Appeal & the Mindsweep II'. Some long time Shikari fans may feel a bit disappointed with this album as it is notably lighter than their previous ones, with only 'There's a Price On Your Head', 'Anaesthetist', and bones track 'Slipshod' as being heavy in their entirety.

    I personally loved the entire album with the exception of 'The Bank of England' which was ok. I am a long time Shikari fan and I love all the work they produce. This album will definitely a tough act to follow, but then again they never fail to impress me with the quality they produce. My favourite tracks are 'The Appeal and The Mindsweep I,II', 'The Last Garrison', and 'The One True Colour'.
    Expand
  3. May 28, 2015
    7
    At last! A more focused compilation, as the St Albans four piece combine their post hardcore/metal/trance sound into something resembling maturity.

    It’s an aggressive, cohesive, strongly bonded set of songs that show a progression this reviewer thought beyond them. The rousing “The Last Garrison” is without doubt their best song yet.
  4. Apr 19, 2016
    10
    Back from Chester City, the fans love a f--king good behaving metal core!

    The mix was really-really good, and "The Last Garrison" track was soo good! It's like it was a story-telling song, and it's f--king amazing!

    Album of the Year... (So Far)
  5. Jan 21, 2015
    10
    So many epic sounds are created to reinstate their foundation as one of the neatest rock bands out there. I've followed them since the beginning and they have only seemed to have gotten better each release. It'll take a lot to top this one. Great work! Will be listening to this album for quite some time to come.
  6. Jan 21, 2015
    9
    many varying genres merged into shikari's similar sound to create arguably their best album yet, although it does lack great lyrics of previous efforts
  7. Jan 21, 2015
    7
    Brickfaced
    Jan 21, 2015
    7 The Mindsweep further reinstates Enter Shikari as an innovative, one of a kind band. The album is full of irresistible hooks (I'm looking at you, Anesthetist and Torn Apart) and in true ES style, social commentary is aplenty. To name just a few themes, Anesthetist critiques the privatization of the NHS, There's A Price On Your Head brakes down the idea of
    Brickfaced
    Jan 21, 2015
    7
    The Mindsweep further reinstates Enter Shikari as an innovative, one of a kind band. The album is full of irresistible hooks (I'm looking at you, Anesthetist and Torn Apart) and in true ES style, social commentary is aplenty.

    To name just a few themes, Anesthetist critiques the privatization of the NHS, There's A Price On Your Head brakes down the idea of class, and Dear Future Historians questions our purpose in today's society ('I was never struck by famine or fortune').

    As audibly and lyrically provocative as these songs are however, not all tracks feel quite so charged with meaning, and the album does feel notably emptier than previous albums. There is a larger emphasis on repetition and catchy hooks than there is painstakingly crafted verses.

    In terms of style, the album shifts from chaos to fragility with ease, and ES have always been great at combining the two. That said, this methodology is all too familiar for ES, and the chaotic moments are almost expected - something that chaos should never be.

    The exception perhaps, is There's a Price On Your Head, which even by ES standards is boisterous and experimental, sounding closer to System of a Down than themselves.

    And so, while the album is ambitious, it doesn't feel as exciting as some of their previous work. If ES held back on releasing the high quality singles of Radiate and Rat Race, instead releasing them with this album, it would feel in some respects fill in some of the gaps that The Mindsweep might not have accounted for (Similarly, Quelle Surprise and Destablise were also great tracks that were arguably better than any track on the core listing of AFFOC).
    Expand
  8. Feb 16, 2015
    4
    Good thing is there inspiring lyrics are ram packed in here with some eye opening stuff, though i feel that the passion and aggressiveness of the previous albums has faded away, the sense of struggle to fight off the tyrants and unite humanity has disappeared and that is quite sad as it was what made us love ES, Most of the songs in this album didn't move me or make me want to rise up andGood thing is there inspiring lyrics are ram packed in here with some eye opening stuff, though i feel that the passion and aggressiveness of the previous albums has faded away, the sense of struggle to fight off the tyrants and unite humanity has disappeared and that is quite sad as it was what made us love ES, Most of the songs in this album didn't move me or make me want to rise up and support there causes, Maybe due to ES's previous A* albums i hold standards at an A* level for them! check out The Last Garrison and The Appeal and Mind Sweep II Expand
  9. Aug 8, 2017
    10
    A slow start of the first track shouldn't scare you - Enter Shikari are as banging as they used to. However, if Take To The Skies was relying on pure drive, Rou's mad shouting and overall "hypeness" of the songs, The Mindsweep is way better paced. Mad bangers like Anaesthetist and There's A Price On Your Hand come after lyrical ballads such as The One True Colour and Bank of England. TheA slow start of the first track shouldn't scare you - Enter Shikari are as banging as they used to. However, if Take To The Skies was relying on pure drive, Rou's mad shouting and overall "hypeness" of the songs, The Mindsweep is way better paced. Mad bangers like Anaesthetist and There's A Price On Your Hand come after lyrical ballads such as The One True Colour and Bank of England. The ending is amazing two - "Dear Future Historians..." could be a 10/10 finisher, but it is followed by psychodelic The Appeal and The Mindsweep II which almost reboots the album, promising a new beginning and then comes to an abrupt end, leaving us waiting for more. Collapse
Metascore
89

Universal acclaim - based on 6 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 6
  2. Negative: 0 out of 6
  1. Kerrang!
    Feb 2, 2015
    100
    The Mindsweep is the most enjoyable album Enter Shikari have ever made. [3 Jan 2015, p.52]
  2. Jan 16, 2015
    40
    Enter Shikari have made their mark with a hybrid theory of conflicting ideas but, unsure where they sit between Rage Against The Machine and Radiohead, it lacks real conviction.
  3. 70
    It’s a shame that on The Mindsweep, Shikari's message is occasionally lost among the madness.