A Flash Flood of Colour (Deluxe Version)

This Hertfordshire, England–based post-hardcore quartet keeps lashing out with upstart fervor in its third studio album, A Flash Flood of Colour. “System . . .” opens the album with a call to fight for the future. This is continued in “. . . Meltdown,” where Rou Reynolds yells “This is going to change everything!” before the song erupts with skittering beats, chaotic industrial noise, and a clash between distorted keyboards and rumbling bass. Over all this, Reynolds rails against the U.K.'s failing economic system with more bite in his voice than on previous recordings. “Arguing with Thermometers” takes the Korn approach of fusing screamo with hard dubstep—though here a bouncing britpop guitar follows the singing melody. “Stalemate” features acoustic guitar, subtle rhythms, and softened vocal harmonies musing heavily on the unfair distribution of wealth and war in the East; it's a relevant addition to the protest-song canon.