Prong: reviews, albums, industrial metal essentials

Prong

Musical Group

Forfans of industrial, groove and thrash metal; 1990s alternative metal listeners; riff and rhythm-section enthusiasts.
7 Reviews 2 Definitions 2 Charts

The Profile

Prong is an American metal band formed in New York City in 1986 by guitarist/vocalist Tommy Victor with bassist Mike Kirkland and drummer Ted Parsons. Blending thrash, hardcore, groove and industrial elements, they influenced 1990s alternative and industrial metal. After a 1997–2002 hiatus, Victor revived the band and continues to lead it.

Best-known track: Snap Your Fingers, Snap Your Neck (1994). Founders: Tommy Victor, Mike Kirkland, Ted Parsons. Origin: New York City, USA. Recognized for fusing thrash, hardcore, groove and industrial sounds.

Reviewers frame Prong as a pivotal New York metal group, fusing thrash, hardcore, groove and industrial elements. Beg to Differ is praised as a refined high point; Cleansing and Rude Awakening get strong nods for groove, precision and nihilistic bite. Later works like Power of the Damager and Carved Into Stone are seen as solid returns to form, while remix projects split opinions. Overall, emphasis falls on impactful riffs, audible bass, tight rhythms and lasting influence on 1990s alternative/industrial metal.

Notable Quotes

❝ Prong are certainly one of the most innovative and influential bands in the metal music scene, and not just in America.

❝ Prong has been a fundamental band for the development of Metal; born in the second half of the '80s, they contributed to the birth of new currents within the genre.

❝ "Rude Awakening" is a concentration of pure anger, alienation, inexhaustible energy, and a strong nihilism inferior (if not equal) only to those of the "fathers" of industrial Swans.