The new Prodigy album is disappointing in many ways. It doesn’t feature Maxim and Keith Flint, the egoistical front men of the group. Nearly all the tunes sound the same. Normally this wouldn’t be too much of a problem, many people say the same of their early works, but the tunes contain no musical innovation this time around. And being as this was 7 years in the making, it’s not a bad album, just not as good as you’d have expected.

Starting with Spitfire, this tune is most like their older stuff, and has a singer who sounds remarkably like Keith. Girlz is an OK tune, with a bit of a groovy feel, but after about 2 minutes you’ve heard the whole track, and don’t need to hear any more. The next few tunes are the typical punky electro you’d expect from the Prodigy, but there’s an edge missing.

Lots of other groups have done this style of music, both recently and in the past, and done it better, including the Prodigy. The guest vocalists of Kool Keith, Princess Superstar and the Gallagher Brothers do little to improve the music, mainly screaming over the levels of noise, or contributing nothing more than a sample to be looped.

The best tunes are those that lack vocals, such as Medusa’s Path, which harkens back to The Narcotic Suite off Music For The Jilted Generation. This tune features music from Iraq, giving it a more Middle Eastern feel with a contemporary political edge, without being overtly in your face. The Way It Is has the very recognisable Thriller mixed with funky electro vibe, and is in my opinion the best tune on the album.

Whilst the CD does grow on you, and is a welcome departure from the shock novelty of Baby Got a Temper, it’s not anywhere as groundbreaking as their previous albums. Maybe raising a family takes the edge off, or maybe the seven years in between drinks makes one duller, or maybe the influence of Maxim and Keith gave the edge. Whatever the case, Liam Howlett’s return will no doubt please fans, but not awe them as the Prodigy has done in the past.