Here come the dance...

The obvious bias with which I will appraise The Prodigy's 7th studio album, No Tourists, knows no limits.

My teenage years were consumed with getting my hands on any and every version of music that the Essex group could put out, along with frequenting gigs either when they toured or appeared at festivals.

A rave act that successfully has evolved through progressive techno, breakbeat, big beats and ultimately the thing that coalesces all of this: the absolute audiovisual battering which have become their live shows.

No Tourists sets out with the intent of making you feel like "this shit is gonna sound even better live" and Liam Howlett knew this before he even put pen to paper, or should I say finger to laptop.

Howlett has often been quoted as saying his best work has been created off the back of "feeling the vibe and the crowd reaction during shows" and NT does this to almost beat-perfect effect. The album title alludes to this being one for the diehards and purists, but its a little more than that: its Howlett almost exclaiming "you know what we're about now, come with us if you want but f**k you if you won't"

Need Some1 kicks off the album, using a screeching synth and a rhythm that feels urgent alongside a beat that swaggers and grinds. This is clear indication it's gonna be a dirty and dark ride at times, for sure.

Light Up The Sky has Maxim's first vocal appearance shouting "radiate, 10,000 degrees" amidst a hard hitting beat and synths that are torn straight from MFTJG's Voodoo People. We have landed. I love it.

We Live Forever puts you straight back in the rave complete with beeps, techno beats, a sped up vocal and just a hint that we're in Out Of Space MKII territory. It could've been a lost B-Side from Experience in another form and it's Liam paying respects to his twenty-something self in some style.

Giving you a slight chance to draw breath is title track No Tourists, which enters the fray with a suitably eerie intro and a cinematic grandeur to its aesthetic. This could be a theme tune for a gritty drama or a boxers entrance music. Maxim gets on the mic again exclaiming "no tourists, no ride is free". It sits a beat below the first three tracks as it feels a tiny bit contrived and forced but it's no less impactful.

Lulling you into a false sense of security before punching you in the face, that's the way to do it. Fight Fire With Fire (featuring vocals by Ho99o9) is one of the dirtiest tracks to see the light of day since Poison. The screamed lyrics accompanied with the Exocet missile beats, scratching and one of my two favourite calls to arms on this album ("everyone, time to melt your mother f**kin' face") jolts the listener back into the experience perfectly.

Timebomb Zone has you hooked straight from the ticking clock, whispered vocals rising to rave-esque squawks, alarms sounding and a surging beat that breaks in the mid-section with a superb bouncing synth signature. I'm back in the mosh and loving it.

Champions of London takes centre stage next with vocals from Keith and Maxim; lyrics I could do without as the track itself hits hard and is urgent as hell. "Civil unrest, grab the bulletproof vest"....I did suck a bit of air in through my teeth at that point. However it does pack a punch as a tune.

Boom Boom Tap is my favourite track on the album, as I can see the mosh pit at every gig baying for blood and going postal when Howlett builds the crescendo and then cries of "F**k you" rain out around the arena. This is music to dance and fight to and it pulsates and sways perfectly whilst feeling like a slightly contrived guilty pleasure. There's rolling synths, stuttering beats and drums, guitar overlays and a dirty edge that just etches itself into your head.

A robotic voice starts Resonate, which pushes you back into 90's rave era again with its high-pitched vocals, beeps and blips but takes some great twists and turns with the bouncing beats and grimy echoed sampling.

Closing the album is Give Me a Signal (featuring English singer-songwriter Barns Courtney's vocals), which showcases Liam's ability to collaborate and bring the old Roland 303 out for a spin. The old kit still has its place for sure and its acid trippy and insistent in its climax.

Listening to a recent podcast curated by Scroobius Pip (click to listen) in which he extensively interviews Howlett about the past, present and future its clear that there's more to come from The Prodigy, and sooner than I might have expected as he alludes to "just wanting to release EPs" in future and potentially that means more (and frequent) output. He also binned a LOT of tracks during the creation of this and other albums and whilst some would have them see the light of day I may venture the opinion that they are left in the editing room or deleted from the laptop altogether for a reason.

In the quest for perfection The Prodigy will never be finished as Howlett is pushing 50 yet constantly tweaking and nudging the sound, as well as the band making their live shows something to behold and be the envy of for other Electronic artists across the globe.

No Tourists does no harm to that whatsoever and will serve to strengthen an already impressive catalogue of tunes to dance, jump, scream, fight and lose yourself to.

9/10.

Badger x