Prodigy - Invaders Must Die Album Review

Review of The Prodigy's album 'Invaders Must Die'.

From one of the biggest bands of the 90's comes album number five, half a decade on since the underwhelming 'Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned'. The trio are set for a busy year, with a UK arena tour in April to be followed by festival appearances at Isle Of Wight, Download and Rockness, as well as others across Europe.

Mastermind Liam Howlett has suggested that 'Invaders Must Die' would see The Prodigy return to their earlier sound and this becomes apparent within the first few songs of this record. The title track opens with dark heavy beats to trouble your bass system and an electronic rave riff, yet it struggles to thrill. Lead single 'Omen' shows an improvement and us certainly energetic, with a reprise version later on being more synth-based. Whereas most albums tend to start strongly, it is only in the mid-section that The Prodigy really hit their stride; Take Me To The Hospital' chugs demonically and begins a trio of euphoric dance tunes that really get under the skin. 'Warrior Dance' is a sonic blitz, while 'Run With The Wolves' kicks off with crunching chords and manic drumming, courtesy of Dave Grohl. It also features Keith Flint's most effective vocal contribution of 'Invaders.' which is rivalled by Maxim's appearance on the apocalyptic 'World 's On Fire'. These highlights are weighed down by a few uninspired inclusions, the worst of which is the trashy 'Colours' and lacklustre 'Piranha'.

Like many bands into the second decade of their career, 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