The Prodigy

The Prodigy came of age when big pants and even bigger beats reigned supreme in England, but the band became known to most Americans in 1997 with the sadistic metal twang of "Firestarter." Outgunned, their first proper studio disc since that time and first without spiky-haired barker Keith Flint, hasn't moved much beyond the electroshocked rock that brought them that crossover success.

Related Content

• Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap: Music Fans Love Their A-Holes
  July 7, 2011
• Pop Rocks on Sting: "Rock Stars...Is There Anything They Don't Know?"
  July 7, 2011
• 10 Rappers In The Guinness Book Of World Records*
  September 15, 2011
• Fush Yu Mang: Future Charity Stunts By '90s Has-Beens
  July 7, 2011
• FAIL: Creed, Ice-T, Liam Gallagher
  July 23, 2010

More About

• Liam Gallagher
• Keith Flint
• Juliette Lewis
• Electronic Music
• Celebrity News

Most of Outgunned is dated grime-tronica, with gunmetal-gray riffs clunking over rhythms shredded with tired samples and overplayed arena-techno clichés. Particularly loathsome is "Hot Ride," a horrendous attempt at hard rock featuring a little-girl-gone-satanic reading of the Fifth Dimension's "Up, Up and Away" by Juliette Lewis. The highlights are few and far between: There's "Girls," with its maniacal synth squiggles, '80s electro breaks and rap breakdowns; Liam Gallagher's slurring sleazefest "Shoot Down"; and Twista's agile vocal tumbling on "Get Up Get Off." What stands out is how devoid of vibrancy or new ideas it all is.