That’s the word that Liam Howlett, Prodigy head-honcho, has used repeatedly to describe his band’s new album in the run up to its release. Invaders Must Die, their previous album, didn’t sit well with a lot of hardcore fans who felt that the band had gone a bit... soft, and that they'd sold out for radio. Understandably, then, there’s a lot of expectation for their latest effort, The Day Is My Enemy, to deliver in a big way.
The Prodigy, perhaps more so than any other band I know of, have a massively divided fanbase. There are the ‘original’ fans, who have been there from day one, though the 90s’ rave culture - they long for the skittish beats of old. There are also the ‘new’ fans, who perhaps didn’t even exist back then, and only became aware of The Prodigy with the aforementioned Invaders Must Die - they’re more than happy with the bombastic tracks that have become the norm from The Prodigy.
Pleasing both sets of fans, then, was never going to be an easy feat. But with The Day Is My Enemy, the boys might, just might, have pulled it off.
The first thing you notice whilst listening to The Prodigy’s latest album, is that it is the antithesis to IMD in almost every way, something that even the album’s title seems to acknowledge. The Day Is My Enemy: do not expect to find radio-friendly singles here. It’s a lot heavier, far more intense, and is jam-packed with an infectious, raw energy that IMD lost somewhat in an effort to appeal to a wider audience.
In short, ‘violent’ is definitely the right word.
It’s clear right from the off that with this new record, The Prodigy mean business. TDIME’s first track - also the album’s title track - is Howlett and co. at their absolute best. The Day Is My Enemy is a bombastic march, a call to arms, with a sensational beat and screaming synths. Starting your new album with your most energetic and innovative track is an audacious move - it’s undoubtedly the best track on the whole album - but here, it absolutely pays off. It’s a statement that can’t be ignored. And it should appeal to both new fans and old, with the old school vocal samples and modern production values colliding to create a cacophony of energetic sound.
That’s not to say you should stop listening after this first track, though, as TDIME has a lot more to offer, with many others that standout.
By now you’ve probably already heard the two main singles, and both tracks stand up well amongst the unheard tracks of the album. Nasty got a lot of stick upon release, which baffles me, to be honest. It’s been labelled ‘Omen 2.0’ by a lot of people, and I just can’t hear that. To me, it was an excellent first single, and did a good job of drawing in fans of IMD whilst introducing the darker edge that is prevalent throughout TDIME.
Meanwhile, nobody seems to have noticed the far more glaring similarities between Wild Frontier and Colours, another track from IMD. Not that that’s necessarily a bad thing, as Wild Frontier is another excellent track, and its accompanying music video is just fantastic.
Rok-Weiler is a new track, but will almost certainly be familiar to big Prodigy fans, as the band has been playing it live since at least 2013. It’s great to finally have a release for it, and whilst this studio version can’t quite capture the energy that explodes within the crowd whenever it’s dropped live, it’s still worth the wait. The aggressive stabs of guitar and furious beats are only part of the story - sirens blare, and Keith Flint snarls over the bridges. “See me in the alleyway, coming / biting at your heels, running” - it’s hard not to be just a little bit scared. Especially if you’ve seen Flint…
Get Your Fight On is another excellent track for many of the same reasons. The further you get into TDIME, the more and more apparent it becomes that this is absolutely an album that was created with live shows in mind. Get Your Fight On has also already had its live debut, and it’s an absolute crowd destroyer. The pulsating, driving rhythms and the rising, squealing synths compliment the addictive chords of the guitar part to create one of the most wonderfully, overwhelmingly energetic and violent tracks on an album that is certainly not lacking in them.
For the fans of old, there’s Destroy. It definitely couldn’t have come from Experience or Jilted Generation, but it does carry a whiff of nostalgia about it. The chords are totally old-school, the opening sounds very Breathe-esque, but there’s also the modern production values that we’ve become accustomed to - it’s almost like a patchwork quilt of highlights from The Prodigy throughout the ages (even the bells from Omen make a cheeky appearance midway through). This track was actually created during the IMD era, originally featuring lyrics from Wiley - though it’s undoubtedly more polished now, and a far better fit for this album, it can sound slightly empty at times if you’ve heard the demo.
If it’s variety in sound you’re after, then Beyond The Deathray has you covered. It serves as an interlude, a break from the madness, and is an excellent showcase for Howlett’s production prowess. It’s somewhat reminiscent of the opening to Weather Experience, and provides a welcome breather midway through the album - hopefully they’ll play it live for the same reason.
Elsewhere, you’ve got tracks like Roadblox, Rebel Radio, and Medicine filling out the rest of proceedings - all are solid entries into Prodigy canon. There’s also Invisible Sun, a very respectable foray into the world of Trap, with catchy retro bleeps and intense guitars being the order of the day.
But it doesn’t all work.
Ibiza, for example, is very poor. The Prodigy employed the talents of Sleaford Mods for this track, to create a sort of modern, angry take on Blur’s Parklife, but a few f-bombs here and there certainly aren’t going to save what is an incredibly bland track. Yes, it's obviously meant to be satirical, a dig at the EDM establishment, but that only works if it's funny. It's not. It's just irritating, and the joke falls flat. Sleaford Mods manage to use a lot of words, but say very little. “What’s he fucking doing?” we’re repeatedly asked, and you can’t help but think that if someone has asked the same question of Howlett, this waste of a track may never have seen the light of day. Mercifully, it’s also the shortest track on the album.
Also poor is the only other collaboration on the album, Rhythm Bomb, with Flux Pavilion. You would expect these two heavyweights of bass and beats to come together to create something extraordinary, but it just falls flat. It’s not bad, just pretty inoffensive. It’s very difficult to find any of Flux’s style or influence at all, making me wonder what part he actually played in this.
And Wall Of Death isn’t great as an album closer. Sure, it’s got energy, but unlike all of the other massive tracks on this album, here it just comes across as a bit… forced. Again, it’s by no means terrible, and I’m sure when the inevitable, real walls-of-death open up during the live shows, it’ll make a bit more sense. But as a final track, it feels slightly like the good ideas have dried up.
Those anomalies aside, however, was The Day Is My Enemy worth the wait? Absolutely. It’s The Prodigy moving forward, but glancing back fondly upon their roots every now and again. Liam promised a violent record, and that’s absolutely what we have. And live, this new collection of tracks is going to tear the place apart. Is it destined to become a classic like some of their older albums? Probably not, and it’s not going to convince all of their old, hardcore fans either.
But let’s be honest, The Prodigy never really give a fuck what anyone thinks anyway.
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Writer, musician, and all-round top guy. I set up Excited Octopus. Currently, I'm on a one man team. It gets lonely sometimes. But I don't mind, because I love you all.
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