Enter The Lexicon: Enter The Lexicon

Artist: Enter The Lexicon
Title: Enter The Lexicon (S/T)
Format Reviewed: MP3
Format Released: 3rd June 2014
Reviewed By: Ben Chapman

Enter the Lexicon released their self-titled début EP earlier this month to a crowd of patient fans and promising music channel exposure.

Do you Feel the Same opens the EP with some warble-effect chords for a brooding heaviness, atmospherically ringing like an Alexisonfire intro, only Enter the Lexicon have more of a pop feel as a dancey drum beat leads out of the intro. The depth of their mix also puts them on a level with some of the larger bands; the rolling bass' metallic rumble sounds great in the mix. Vocals follow a nice melody, almost soloing with his notes, while the shoutier parts reveal the band's self-proclaimed Nirvana influences.

It's a cleaner but still aggressive emo-grunge. The backing vocals stand out, but are sparse and effective in their note choice. Heavy riffs dominate a short breakdown that gains momentum under the repeated note bend wail of a flashy but not overly indulgent solo. There's some vocal tenderness to close, all making for a tightly structured end to the track.

I Am Not You has a celebratory garage rock intro that gives way to a chirpy though dissonant riff, crunchy distortion, and swinging bass. Catchy vocal harmonies accompany an excellent descending riff, which sounds slightly like a ballsier OKGO that would have to dance on caterpillar tracks. Sly chromatic runs add groove to the stomping bridges and verse. Later, another excellently placed breakdown of heavy interrupts the pop anthem make what is arguably the EP's highlight.

Full Moon's build up shows the band's sensitivity over a driving track. There's energy and singalong potential in the repeated chorus. It balances the heavy subject matter with more cheeky lines, “Same bad taste on a brand new tongue”, whilst the bassist holds nothing back with his vocal harmonies.

Enantiodromia features an excellent intro with some interestingly jarring chords. The dissonance has some serious groove to it. It's like a more enjoyable Alien Ant Farm. I had to look up the song's title, which clumsily scooped into a cheap nutshell is the idea that the extreme of one force must eventually produce the force's opposite. Good as the vocalist is, the word sounds a bit clumsy when placed in the verse. Still, at a stretch it does concur with the wayward dynamics of the track, it's levels of energy that flip, and a vague lyrical theme of love, “you were meant to be my fantasy / I don’t wait on my apathy”, is a self-explanatory but suited tone towards Enter the Lexicon's music.

This is promising stuff from a short EP that leaves the listener only wanting of a full album. Second track I Am Not You deserves to be in the EP’s foreground, signposting the best possible future of the band.