Release Date: 30 June 1997
Song Count: 10
Duration: 56 minutes, 27 seconds
Rating: 8.3/10
Description:
(Note: Written and reviewed past midnight.)
The second appearance of the British electronic band on the site, and this time we're checking out a record slightly further along in their discography, being their third released, titled The Fat of the Land. Still carrying over the classic charm of the final decade of the millenium that was present in their previous works, this time around, their legendary dancer and performer Keith Flint provided his vocals within the tracks themselves for the first time in the group's history. Flintwould continue to leave a substantial imprint not only onto The Prodigy's music for the rest of his time making music with them, but also onto the minds of the dedicated audience he managed to garner through his crafts, to the point where when he unfortunately passed in 2019 from suicide, fans from all around collaborated online to get the song "Firestarter" from this very album onto the top of the UK Charts. It is safe to say that the record was a big success, through both the records it broke upon release and its cultural impact all around.
Expanding upon the classic breakbeat foundations set by themselves, with this particular release, The Prodigy seem to have injected in pinches of punk music and hard rock into their formula as a means to add a sharp punch to their sound, and it seems to have worked a treat. The appeal to this record is not unlike the one of where they came from, though it is most certainly not a direct parallel with the shifts in sonical identity introduced further down the line that can be found here. The vocals of both Keith Flint and Keith "Maxim" Palmer only add on to this newly found edge and aggression further, and act as a knot to tie the entire sound of the album together, laying atop the collection of rock-like instruments playing, samples, and digital mixing, that all culminate into one naturally charming stream of electro-punk music.
Though the pure breakbeat of their debut Experience was an example of pure fun bundled up into one full-length album for certain, The Fat of the Land took an additional leap in every way with its added innovation, unique approach to combining breakbeat with rock and punk, and overall improved composition that ended up gaining the slight edge on which album I ended up having more fun with - though it was certainly a close fight either way. There is simply little that can beat the power of strong beats and loops that weasel their way into one's brain in quite the same way The Prodigy's classic output does, and both of these early records of theirs are shining cases that highlight exactly this. Most definitely recommended to anyone looking for a good time.
Rest in peace, Keith Flint, and thank you for the music.