I dunno if there was a topic where you can write your impressions of the
album - your own review ! Post it here...
Now "Invaders Must Die" album is out and here is my review of that album:
01 INVADERS MUST DIE
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What to say about this track? The Free download edit version of this tune splits the fans into
lovers and haters, discussions if it´s just a kind of Justice or Pendulum tune or if this will
be the new Prodigy direction/sound? I´m not into Justice or Pendulum music so this tune sounds
fresh and new for me and I still love it. I played it again and again and it doesn´t need to grow
in me, cos it was a energetic, positive slap into my face from the beginning, the aim, Liam wants
to reach with every track he does - especially the opener. I will never forget the time after downloading it
for free from their homepage, full volume over headphones on and after that short intro the sample
"We are - the prodigy" and than those beats - yee-hah.
Yeah, what a great opener for this album and I don´t care about the moaners which said these were the weakest
arranged beats Liam ever has done. Yes, the beats
are easy and not really miscellaneous, but is there a formular for a good track to say, this track
is better cos the programming /arrangement is more complex? Take a listen to "Billie Jean" by Michael Jackson or "Seven
Nation Army" by The white stripes .... very easy, uncomplexed music and those are great tracks, too.
Sometimes too much complexity also can destroy a tune, too and I found good example on this prodigy-album, but
this maybe is only my opinion - you will see ...
What about anything that´s added in the album version of "Invaders Must Die" in comparison to the edit version ?
I like the longer sub-bass beginning and the ending without the beats that leads into Omen - the rest is okay
but not really neccessary - I like both versions of this track.
10 / 10 Points
02 OMEN
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The first single of the album and it is different to the video / single version. I see this as a good alternative and you
can compare it with "Spitfire" album version and the 2005 version. "Omen" on album has less beats and little other
changes in the arrangement. The newest thing on "Omen" for me is the kind of way how Maxim sings and it fits well into this
tune - I never expected such singing from a prodigy tune. "Razor" went this way a little bit, but this is more different.
I really like both versions but the only small critic I have is, that both versions are too short. But this isn´t a
problem cos of music editing software. Now you can make your own version combining both "Omen" tracks and maybe more
and more xylophone elements. Thanks to Liam for putting this version on album and not the single version.
Success for this track concerning the charts ? - no way IMO, cos it´s too hard and special for the common society especially
in Germany. Like "Girls" and "Spitfire" - great tunes, but less people were really interested.
10 / 10 Points [also for the single version]
03 THUNDER
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During my first listen I only said one thing : "Wow!" What a beginning of a track - awesome!" First that rising synth
along with those small beats, than these unexpected raggae sounding vocals "I hear thunder but there´s no rain, this
kind of thunder break walls and window pain, I hear thunder but there´s no rain, this kind of thunthunthun... " and
then BOOOOM! Very Industrial / EBM like influenced beats - Liam knows how to bring you to scream "Fucking hell" in your
own home.
Massive, indescribable.... And then the melody parts and the quiet synth in the background during the vocals -
yeah ! That´s what the Prodigy stands for .... reminds me on good old days where Liam movin his head behind his keyboards
in the 90´s .... Nothing to say more to this track - it´s like "Invaders Must Die" - it don´t need to grow in me, that´s
pure prodigy music from the beginning - I hope this is
10 / 10 Points
04 COLOURS
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I must admit, this tune is 80 % a mashup of old prodigy-tunes: Breaks of "Memphis Bells" [or "Back 2 School"], main beat
like "First Warning" melodic synth-line intro just slowed down from "First Warning",too , guitar elements of "Shoot Down"
and the main synth line discussed here before in the forum is similar to the one from "World´s On Fire". "Liam lacks on
ideas ?" was the question... No he doesn´t IMO. I guess he just wanna show what you can do with recycled things just by
adding new elements and he does it very well. If you´re not into prodigy you will believe it´s a totally fresh and great
prodigy tune. I like it a lot, cos the new elements are way enough to say, yeah, this tune is unique enough to bring
it on the album. I assume, it´s Liams answer to the question "Will be there are "First Warning" with Flints vocals on it
available soon?" and he answers "No - take this one! It´s not "Second Warning" or something like that, but it is similar to
it"
"I can see the freak in your eyes" - part is cool alson Keith´s lyrics fits good into this track.
09 / 10 Points
05 TAKE ME TO THE HOSPITAL
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Back to the roots - yes, that´s what Liam wanted to put in the album without beeing repetitive like in old "Experience"
days when he was bored after "Wind It Up" single, starting a new era in his own music production. And after 15/16 years
... why not ? Is it brave or lacks it on ideas ? No, cos it´s not 100% "Experience" - style. It´s in a particular way
different and more modern. Elements like some breaks reminds me of "Out Of Space" and the high pitched sample of "Fire
[Sunrise Version]" and the whole old british rave days the prodigy is still missing.
It´s like to say Liam wants to say: "Thank you for this good old days".
The main beats - like them - of "Take Me To The Hospital" reminds me a little bit of the "Bouncy Ladie" - beats Liam
used to play at the end of the gigs in FOTL days.
The climax of this tune starts at 2:20 with the melody that changes the mood of the track from funny dance rave music
to a kind of poitive sentimentalism. I really love this passage and without this the track wouldn´t be so special as it
is.
I also would like to interpret, that Liam don´t want to say, that this kind of "Back 2 the roots" stuff doesn´t only refer
to the Prodigy... No, it stands for a lot of acts from the old scene, especially The Chemical Brothers. You will find
similarities to the "Leave home" album by the chems.
Full points for this tune - never change that masterpiece, Liam !
10 / 10 Points
06 WARRIORS DANCE
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Sorry - I´m just honest and I tried to get into this track, but I can´t. I dunno how to describe it, but let´s say it
this way: The only thing that annoys me is the female vocal part sample in it, else it is a good track. Don´t misunder-
stand me, it´s not crap, but I don´t like it. I hear some differences especially at the end of the track to the first Live
performed version... but this also could be the fact of the shitty audio recordings, who knows ?
So - what is it, what annoys me ? It´s the fact that this tune sounds for me like 90´s euro-dance shit like "Mr. Vain",
"Max don´t have sex with your Ex" and all that stupid eurodance-stuff I hated in the early 90´s , just because of
the female vocal part here. Kind of played happiness ....
I hated those kind of music in the 90´s and that was for me one reason why I loved the Prodigy in this time.
They were a million times better with their unique sound than this common everybody-is-doin-the-same-crap in the 90´s.
I ever said to my friends "Fuck eurodance and listen to the prodigy - that´s cool music!" And now, 15 - 16 years later
Prodigy themself doin tracks like that ???
I couldn´t believe it - for me it is a step backwards, not forward. It´s not bad to say, we go back to the roots, but
this IMO was the wrong path. The right path was "Take Me To The Hospital"
Liam reworked that tune [maybe?] like I said before and I still like that added synth sounds starting at 3:50. There are also
high sounds at 4:26 beginning - reminds me on "Halloween"-theme. The end ? What´s this ? Haha ...
I know a lot of poeple loved this tune from the beginning and I was one of the first moaners. Maybe it has something to do
with my age. Would be interesting how old the people are which love and which hate this track?
05 / 10 Points
07 RUN WITH THE WOLVES
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The guitarr riff intro is the same riff as from their website - and that means badass quality! It sounds tinny and weak! It needs more
power in my opinion.
The main melody is cool [starting at 0:36], sounds dangerous, mean and dirty, that´s what I like on Prodigy. And I also
like the drums supported by Dave Grohl - but there is something that says, Liam could do this drums alone and don´t needed
him for this track. The tune itself is nice, the lyrics by Keith fitting great and especially that silent part in the middle
is a good brake in that tune, but something destroyed it in an unexplainable way.
I think that raw deep synth line starting from 1:30 - it´s too dominating and too weird for this energetic
tune. If it depends on my taste or on my stereo system, who knows ... it doen´s really fit into this tune. Maybe this
track will grow in me after a few more listenings ? I will give it a chance. Maybe it depends on the weak guitar riff
concerning the sound quality ???
It sounds by the way very AONO-ish for me and if I would have the chance to decide, I would prefer "Hotride" with
Juliette Lewis.
07 / 10 Points
08 OMEN REPRISE
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Yeah - the brake for takin a deep breathe during listening through the whole album... It´s very atmospheric and a cool
interpretation of "Omen" - it should be longer. It reminds me a little bit to the "Weather Experience" Live-brake, where Maxim
wants to see everybodys hands.... Yeah, way too short, we want more of this, Liam. More such melodic tunes like "Climbatize",
"3 Kilos", "Skylined" ... all those outstanding tunes with their SPECIAL melodies.... A - sadly - short masterpiece
Liam used some synths from good old Amiga 500 times IMO
09 / 10 Points [longer track would get 10 Points]
9 WORLD IS ON FIRE
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I talked about complexity in music during "Invaders Must Die" track of the album. This track is a good example
in my opinion for makin a good tune not as good as before it was, cos of changin some parts with adding more breaks or
changing some bridges. It´s my taste and the track now is more complex than before but with the bigger complexity
it get´s into something like "Look, I put this here and there inside, now it´s sounds more proffessional and felixible with
the added brakes..." - compare it with the version they aired on BBC live.
I wouldn´t say, Liam destroyed this version now, but why in hell he changed the fast played really
cool melody [starting at 1:08] with a repetitive brake? Especially this melody makes that track in it´s early version
fresh and added a particular coolness in it.
Does Liam has read the forum where someone said "Oh, well the melody in "World Is on Fire" is similar to the "Colours"
one and that could be a lack of inspiration!" - I hope he wasn´t influenced by these words?
Also there was a brake into the piano line Liam throwed away on the
album version... this brake was very neccessary IMO, cos it raises the tension for a just a second where you can ask yourself
"What happens next - that track is great so far, I´m hungry for more on it..." ... hard to describe.
I still love this track and totally happy with it and don´t want to be fussy, but I preferred the BBC version -
the problem is, it is not possible to recreate the BBC version via music editing software. The brake part is not a
problem, but sadly the melody part. I still hope for a single where the older version will be available. Please, Liam !
09 / 10 Points [10 Points for the BBC Version]
10 PIRANHA
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This tune was not the best one after first and second listen, but know I´m into it and prefer it to "Run with the wolves".
A very weird intro, but if the track starts along with the beats you say "Yes, that fits very well!". I really like that
track, a nice powerfull beat, old-school synths in the background and used as bridges and something noone expected - scary
movie noises from old horror movies.
What a great and funny idea Liam had with that one. Maxim shouts the vocals along with a sexy voice in the background,
that´s great. Not the newest idea, but never wrong to do that. There´s a break similar to "Hot Ride" El Batori, but this
is acceptable here. "Piranha" is a good Prodigy track with no specials, but it´s just for entertaining like "Razor" or
"Fuel My Fire"
The whole track is very cartoonish IMO and you don´t get it the first time you´re listen to
it. I think this cartoonish style results in that weird melody, that scary cartoon-like synth sound and especially this
fact I noticed later: It needs more cowbell.... hahaha....
You cannot take this track serious - it´s still rockin´ but also a good party tune - wicked track.
09 / 10 Points
11 STAND UP
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After such a nice symbiosis between Party and Rock there is something nothing new for us: Liam brakes the rules in an album
and brings us [let´s quote Monty Python] "something completely different"
But this is new, HOW he brakes the rules on this album. No snotty dirty punk, no dance, no easy-listening track ... It´s a slow down
track along with brasses and very brit-pop like IMO. Prodigy goes Pop ??? I bet a lot of people will hate it and I guess
the critics say "This doesn´t fit into the album!" Oh, really, it doesn´t ! Or does it ...??? Who cares !?
Prodigy stands for surprisings.
Liam seems to wrote a
kind of hymn that you can use in lot of circumstances i.e during an ice-hockey game, at the end of a gig, movie credits, you
can play this in a circus if you want, it will fit....
.... something to say "Good Bye" and some kind of "Hello, I´m back after such a long time". I guess, there will be a second
part on the next album, but there this tune will be the opener... maybe something like "Stand Up Reprise" ...
A very great idea is the end of the track which I´ve never heard before: The music changes into some kind of old radio thing
and is attended with a whistle.... The last things I wanna hear are some steps after that, someone leaves the room and shuts
the door. Disc ends and we must wait for the next album.
Next album ? Will be there a next album ? I appreciate a second picture inside the cover of the next album, where Liam walks
behind the STOP sign on the ground
09 / 10 Points
Summary:
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Overall this album is a masterpiece - it isn´t better or worse than all the other prodigy albums, cos it
is different again. It´s Prodigy and NEVER an album will get 100% for me, cos every album has his good and bad points, and
never really everyone is satisfied with someones work. Mine good points can be your worst points and the other way
around, but that´s why there are discussions about.
I guess it wasn´t easy for Liam, Keith and Maxim to decide, what will be on the album and what will not
be on the album. There are some tracks left we all wanted to have. i.e "Mescaline", "Dead Ken Beats", "Heatwave Hurricane"
and we all should hope they will be released, cos we - the fans - have different opinions about releases than the band
members and sometimes we´re maybe disappointed about some decisions the band is doin.
But, we all should be grateful for the Prodigy to have a good time and I guess everyone is entertained and happy with the
actual album.
"Invaders Must Die" - It´s a masterpiece in it´s own with good and bad points and
by the way, if it isn´t as good as I expected I would know, it´s far better than most other shit I see in the charts today.
We are not chart freaks - we are The Prodigy
Total 9,5 / 10 Points
Thank you Liam, Maxim and Keith
well i may be wrong at this point