The Prodigy have always been somewhat of a guilty pleasure for me. Back in the days of ‘Firestarter‘ and ‘Breathe‘ we couldn’t get enough of them. But can the UK’s classic electro hunters fire off another hit all these years later?
Right off the bat the title song screams ‘Omen‘ from the album ‘Invaders Must Die‘ with surging distorted lines and a catchy but repetitive main vocal line. It still feels pretty…. well, big. The drop certainly had me nodding along and that’s really what The Prodigy are about. Getting involved in the music and getting swept away by the rhythmic pattern that can be so simple but so effective.
‘The Day Is My Enemy’ is The Prodigy’s 7th studio album.
There’s a slightly Middle-Eastern vibe on ‘Nasty‘ that certainly gets torn up after a few seconds before dropping back into a heavy beat. The mid section breaks off with an almost ‘Specials – Ghost Town’ vibe before delving back into the expected rasping loop. I expect these two to be the biggest singles off the album, they certainly have the most grasp and commercial ability.
I like ‘Wild Frontier’ thanks to its 8bit-esque track that feels a bit more like they are going back to their roots. Shouty yet engaging and exhausting but for good reason.
‘Beyond the Frontier’ sounds like it should be in both a movie and game all at once with its cinematic melodic pause in what is otherwise a very fast paced album. I can see this being remixed by some rather big producers in the near future – Pendulum are you listening?
There is so much to hear on this album that at times it can be a little overwhelming and certainly if you have a very sharp, or precise, pair of speakers you may find the top end a little harsh. It’s a far cry from the joys of the classics or even the more recent ‘Voodoo People’, but then again if they did exactly the same thing over and over again they would never touch a new audience. This album is certainly worth a listen for fans but for those stepping fresh into their musical library, I would still start at the beginning.
Author: Andrew, Weybridge store
