Album review: 601 – We Are Not The Same

It’s nearly thirty years since The Prodigy elbowed their way onto Kerrang!’s cover, the raw power of their electronic punk forcing the rock world to take notice. Leeds duo 601 were already making a name for themselves in the breakbeat scene back then, and if it’s taken us slightly longer to pay them attention, fourth album We Are Not The Same makes for a fiery-if-belated welcome to their jungle.

Vocal garnish here is provided by a selection of guests from the up’n’coming end of the UK alternative scene, though it’s notable that 601 prefer to retain their steely electronic core rather than pander too directly to rock listeners. That’s not to say that the music that Nat Slater and George Miller make is one-note, however: the sounds here range from the liquid drum’n’bass of Sleeper Cell (featuring Arian Malekpour of Hidden Mothers) to hard-as-nails techno on You Need This, Kieran Scott of DeathCollector matching the vibe with raspy menace.

Another guest who grabs the attention is fakeyourdeath’s Candi Underwood, whose caustic contribution combines with the hectic assault of Killer to push things into Atari Teenage Riot territory. Ironically, though, some of the heaviest moments on We Are Not The Same eschew rock-aligned collaborators. BSSLN’s bassline is sufficiently overpowering to justify the track title, while something approximating a chugging industrial riff appears midway through; Level Up goes gleefully haywire in a manner which will please anyone converted to junglist ways by Pendulum.

Inkblood closes proceedings by setting a terrific performance from Adam Sedgwick (Tribe Of Ghosts) to soca rhythms, signature breaks and the album’s most upfront guitars. Deft and unpredictable to the end, We Are Not The Same pushes boundaries with distinctive aplomb.

Verdict: 4/5

For fans of: The Prodigy, Pendulum, Enter Shikari

We Are Not The Same is out now via SeeHear