The Prodigy: Invaders Must Die
The Prodigy: Invaders Must Die
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Monday, 23, Feb 2009 10:55
i>Take Me To The Hospital, out February 23rd.
In a nutshell...
Raucous, rabid, retro, relentless rave.
What's it all about?
With 11 new adrenaline-fuelled tracks, the Prodigy are back with a smorgasbord of beats that want to smash your face in while convincing you that making all the world's leaders take drugs and get on the dancefloor will secure world peace.
Who's it by?
Having emerged as part of the mainstream rave sound that exploded in the early 1990s, the Prodigy firmly established themselves as the face of the chemically induced counter-culture with hits like Charly and Everybody in the Place.
The band went from strength to strength throughout the decade before disappearing towards its end, following the release of 1997's Fat of the Land.
With the exception of a mixtape-style offering from the band's creative force Liam Howlett in 1999's The Dirtchamber Sessions, the group remained out of sight until 2004's Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned.
Now, Howlett returns with founder members Maxim and Keith Flint on vocal duties to remind everyone why they have always been an audiological force to be reckoned with.
As an example.
"I hear thunder but there's no rain, this kind of thunder break walls and window pane." - Thunder
Likelihood of a trip to the Grammys
Critical acclaim is something that the Prodigy have always enjoyed and even with a mixed response to their last offering, the band have always generated the interest of the press and the public.
A bombastic live act, the trio will no doubt pack venues when they tour later this year and looking at the record's first two singles - Omen and Invaders Must Die - it would seem the band have not lost any of their firestarting capabilities.
What the others say
"You hear it once and you want to hear it all over again. It is, quite simply, the big, brilliant, dumb rave album we have secretly wanted them to make for the past ten years." - Pete Paphides, Times
"The Prodigy have produced a collection with some welcome additions to their catalogue, but it doesn't sustain the quality for the duration of the album." - Alex Lai, Contactmusic.com
So is it any good?
Looking at the Prodigy's career from 1992's debut The Experience - which took the acid rave music of the late 80s and gave it a new twist - it could be argued the band's discography is something truly worthy of note.
However, where Music for the Jilted Generation refined the heavier elements of their sound and The Fat of the Land saw them enter the stratosphere with tracks like Firestarter, some have argued the Prodigy have since lost their way.
Largely seen as a solo project by Liam Howlett, Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned failed to capitalise on what had gone before and instead sought a fresher, more innovative approach.
Happily, I can say Invaders Must Die makes no such mistake and is nothing short of a blessing to the ears. Returning to the band's rave roots in tracks like Take Me to the Hospital, such reminiscences still manage to sound fresher than ever.
Thunder recalls 1994's Voodoo People and elsewhere the sound of The Experience echoes throughout - which is definitely no bad thing.
But that is not to say the record is without its problems; tracks like Piranha and Colours feel a little bit phoned-in and the albums swaggering Primal Scream-style climax Stand Up feels a bit out of place.
Overall, the spirit of The Prodigy is very much alive in Invaders Must Die, only time will tell if everybody in the place will agree.
8/10
Noel Mellor
"Thanks for a sane review! Rolling Stone had then erve to give it one and a half stars, while giving Miley Cyrus three stars in the same issue. Thank God you guys don't love crappy music like RS does. The Prodigy IS ON TOP OF THEIR GAME with this album!" - Paul Andrews