Must Invaders Die?

The Prodigy make angry music for calm minds. I've been a fan since a friend lent me Music for the Jilted Generation some time around '95, and since then the Prodigy's music has got angrier and louder, and thumped and twisted its way to the edges of genius.

Fat of the Land was a heavier album, and deliciously furious. Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned lacked much of the vocal talent, but was funkier, and somehow kept its aggressive edge.

So what to make of their latest album, Invaders Must Die?



Well, it's not a disappointment. Whatever witchcraft the Prodigy use to make their seminal sounds is back doing its unusual evils, and the full ensemble is in attendance. The album is less nuanced that Never Outgunned, almost a throwback to the endless layers and visceral sounds of the Jilted Generation. The Prodigy have returned to their roots and constructed another great opera of noise.

The vocals are very English, and I wonder if there isn't something of our frustrated little island in the frenetic beats; as if punk got lost on acid. There's also a speaking part for 8-bit classics in tracks like Colours and Piranha which made me get all nostalgic about early gaming (and also took me back to Fire starter races in Wipeout).

So Must Invaders Die? Armed with this album I suspect that the Invaders are in deep trouble. The music is merciless and the Prodigy aren't taking any prisoners. Turn up the bass, turn up the treble, then give up and buy a better stereo.

This kind of thunder breaks walls and window panes :-)