Three years after the release of their fifth straight U.K. chart-topping album, original electronic bad boys
the Prodigy returned with their seventh collection of high-octane rave-punk anthems,
No Tourists. Much like preceding albums
The Day Is My Enemy and
Invaders Must Die,
No Tourists leaves little space to breathe, delivering a short and sweet set of blows to the head that was designed specifically for performing live. For better or worse, there aren't many new ideas here, but main man
Liam Howlett is so adept at crafting explosive body-shakers that the lack of fresh concepts can be overlooked. Aggressive and pounding,
No Tourists benefits from the tight track list, kicking off with the muscular swagger of "Need Some1" -- which combines the group's early devotion to hip-hop beats and the stabbing synths indicative of their late era -- and propelling without pause until closing highlight "Give Me a Signal," which features English singer/songwriter
Barns Courtney on a surprisingly fitting union between
Courtney's smoky blues voice and
the Prodigy's clattering mayhem. In between, it's typically exhilarating, with songs such as "Light Up the Sky," "We Live Forever," and "Timebomb Zone" setting a straight trajectory toward festival headline stages.
Keith Flint and
Maxim appear when needed -- though they aren't as crucial to the formula as during the glory days of
Fat of the Land -- blending seamlessly between the breakbeats with animated mischief and ominous mantras. Elsewhere, spooky rap-punk duo
Ho99o9 slather some grit onto a particularly threatening "Fight Fire with Fire," but the collaboration offers little, serving as the sole stretch where the energy is not as completely overwhelming. Even though
No Tourists is yet another same-sounding entry in
the Prodigy's late-era discography, it's also another satisfying dose of thrills designed to wreck the dancefloor and the mosh pit. ~ Neil Z. Yeung
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