They kicked their career off with an almighty hiss and a roar, thanks to breakneck 90s dance anthems Breathe and Firestarter. Twenty-five years on, The Prodigy are showing no signs of slowing down with the British quartet's sixth album their angriest, most violent sonic assault yet.
The Day Is My Enemy often sounds like Liam Howlett, Keith Flint and Maxim are preparing for full-scale warfare. Songs like Wall of Death and Rok-Weiler are brutal in their determination to attack all your senses and, armed with Flint's punk sneer, they sound like they're redlining every level on Howlett's mixing desk.
Watch the music video for Nasty by The Prodigy:
In small doses, it's thrillingly visceral stuff. But over 14 tracks, with generic throwback filler like Wild Frontier, those relentlessly pounding breakbeats can become tiresome.
It's much better when Howlett dives into his bag of tricks to show off his pinpoint production perfectionism: try the moody Nine Inch Nails instrumental, Beyond the Deathray, Medicine's Middle-Eastern hip-hop cacophony, and Ibiza, a tongue-in-cheek dance-hip-hop hybrid featuring the brawling vocals of rap punks Sleaford Mods. They're kindred spirits - and it's final proof that if you're looking for a band to melt your face off, The Prodigy are still your best bet.
Artist: The Prodigy
Album: The Day is My Enemy
Label: Cooking Vinyl
Verdict: Dance-punk veterans prepare for war
- TimeOut / elsewhere.co.nz