Enter Shikari enlists WARGASM on ‘The Void Stares Back’

For their first release since 2020’s Nothing is True & Everything is Possible, Enter Shikari team up with electronic rock duo WARGASM, for a track that most definitely had people excited.

For a band who have released a fair amount of electronic leaning music themselves – most notably with tracks like ‘Rabble Rouser’ and ‘Anaesthetist’ but have moved away from the sound in recent years, I thought a collaboration with WARGASM would sound natural.

Unfortunately I don’t think the two bands marry their sounds together as well as they could’ve, resulting in a track that is slightly jarring to listen to at first. With a frantic, high energy first verse similar to Shikari’s more electronic efforts, but a very contrasting chorus that sounds straight off of the band’s last album, it almost seems like you are listening to two separate songs at times.

The chorus, sang by Shikari’s vocalist Rou Reynolds is undeniably catchy with a similar anthemic feel to the chorus of ‘Crossing The Rubicon’ from the band’s last album. The addition of WARGASM’s Sam Matlock’s heavier vocals in the later choruses is welcome, and does definitely help in joining the bands together. However I’m still left thinking that I’d rather listen to them separately than as a collaboration, which is a little disappointing.

Overall, the track improves as it goes on, and it is anything but boring to listen to. I particularly enjoy the later verses sang by both members of WARGASM, but Rou’s clean vocals don’t particularly suit the grittier parts of the track, which are the highlights for me.