Prong – State Of Emergency
SPV/Steamhammer – 2023
Metal, Groove
Rated: ****
I count myself lucky for seeing Prong many ages ago. Somewhere in the early nineties, right around the release of their Cleansing album. And I felt lucky once again to be able to see them a few weeks ago at Helldorado Festival in Eindhoven, Netherlands. An extremely tight set, which felt like a home coming to them as much as it did to the older folks in front of the stage. Cause there were a lot of fans there, at the very front, that were possibly or probably all there as well, back in the early nineties. And many of those were as happy to hear Snap Your Fingers, Snap Your Neck from that 1994 Cleansing album, as hearing those new tracks from their October 2023 album State Of Emergency. Both The Descent and Breaking Point washed over the crowd in fine groove metal, break neck form. And it showed again that frontman, guitarist, vocalist and basically the sole Prong man, Tommy Victor, cause he implores the help of different artists for albums and live performances, is still a powerful player and singer. And perhaps he should be getting more accolades for the manner and the amount of time he has been firing all those groovy riffs off. All of which are also present on their new album. State Of Emergency is filled with eleven tracks, more than forty minutes of that famous Prong groove metal sound. Industrial tinged, post-punk touched, the rugged and angular guitar sound runs across intensely pounding drum work and bouncing bass. Hardcore hooks, punk attitude, all the elements that made Prong great are still there. And that after that many years. Tommy Victor still has that biting element in his voice, already in his sixties, there is still that venom, energy and zeal. Applause worthy and so is their cover version of Rush’s Working Man. Perhaps sounding like it came out of leftfield, compared to the rest of the album, they turn the song into much more of a machinal, metal and sludge track. Different, as Prong always was and always will be. Or better yet, brilliantly different!
(Written by JK)
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