PRONG: CLASSIC OR DUD?

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The protorap-metal dude @ my office likes them. I have heard them namechecked. TALK TO ME ABOUT PRONG!

― 24 hours with the King of Snake. (SNAKE!) (ex machina), Thursday, 20 May 2004 13:21 (twenty-two years ago)

I saw them once. They were better than Filter, but not as good as Ozzy.

― Jordan (Jordan), Thursday, 20 May 2004 13:22 (twenty-two years ago)

ARE THEY "TECHNOMETAL"?

― 24 hours with the King of Snake. (SNAKE!) (ex machina), Thursday, 20 May 2004 13:23 (twenty-two years ago)

Are they ever!

Alex in NYC to thread, I'm guessing?

― Jordan (Jordan), Thursday, 20 May 2004 13:25 (twenty-two years ago)

Prong was a square peg from the beginning. They weren't thrash, they weren't techno, they weren't anything anyone was familiar with.

― Johnny Fever (johnny fever), Thursday, 20 May 2004 13:26 (twenty-two years ago)

Complete classic....or at least up through Cleansing (well, Rude Awakening had a decent track or two as well). The Prong that carries on today is solely the Tommy Victor show, so skip that shit.

They pretty much get very little respect outside of the metal community, but they played the same scene as Helmet (who, some argue, ripped them off). Ted Parsons (ex Swans) on drums is a monster. They've had a rotating roster of bass players (including Raven of Killing Joke).

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Thursday, 20 May 2004 13:26 (twenty-two years ago)

I might actually really like this.

― 24 hours with the King of Snake. (SNAKE!) (ex machina), Thursday, 20 May 2004 13:27 (twenty-two years ago)

Cleansing is a great album that I appear to have lost - rat's cocks.

They were one of the first Southern bands over here as well, when they had a sort of crossover thing going on.

― DJ Mencap (DJ Mencap), Thursday, 20 May 2004 13:29 (twenty-two years ago)

What the hell is "technometal"? In any case, no they're not (or at least they weren't, I don't know what Prong --- or what's calling itself Prong -- sounds like today). They were simply a classic three piece, initially.

Seek out Beg To Difffer and Prove You Wrong.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Thursday, 20 May 2004 13:32 (twenty-two years ago)

They were one of the first Southern bands over here as well

South of Canada, maybe. Prong are NYC to the bone.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Thursday, 20 May 2004 13:33 (twenty-two years ago)

i have an ep with typically OTT Foetus remixes and a cover version of a Stranglers song . its awesome stuff. though never ventured into a full length album.

― mark e (mark e), Thursday, 20 May 2004 13:34 (twenty-two years ago)

I think that might be Southern the record label. I've liked all the Prong I've heard.

― NickB (NickB), Thursday, 20 May 2004 13:43 (twenty-two years ago)

The drum sound on Beg To Differ is one of the greatest drum sounds of all time.

― Phil Freeman (Phil Freeman), Thursday, 20 May 2004 13:44 (twenty-two years ago)

Yeah ta Nick - I could have worded that a bit better

― DJ Mencap (DJ Mencap), Thursday, 20 May 2004 13:45 (twenty-two years ago)

prove you wrong. thats the lead track on the ep. damn going to have to dig that out of the archive this weekend. excellent stuff.

― mark e (mark e), Thursday, 20 May 2004 13:47 (twenty-two years ago)

From their show and the cd I had years ago (Rude Awakening), I remember lots of triggered drums and industrial sounds. I guess I sort of think of them as more of a Frontline Assembly except based around a live band, but this is all pretty hazy and I never heard their early stuff.

― Jordan (Jordan), Thursday, 20 May 2004 14:06 (twenty-two years ago)

Everybody always considers Prong underrated, probably because they never seemed to fit in anywhere. They were too quirky for the moshcore crowd, too loud for the punks and alt-rockers, too much tainted with mosh/groove tendencies for the metalheads, too aggressive for the industrial/experimental scenes. Everybody gave them respect, no-one was really a fan.

― Siegbran (eofor), Thursday, 20 May 2004 14:16 (twenty-two years ago)

Yeah, around the time of Rude Awakening (and especially Cleansing) they put on a little bit of an industrial guise. Still good stuff, but Prove You Wrong and Beg to Differ are much dirtier and loose.

― Johnny Fever (johnny fever), Thursday, 20 May 2004 14:18 (twenty-two years ago)

Funny this thread should come up, I mp3d (well, 4d) all my albums and sold them back last week at Amoeba. They're one of those bands that I remember the various riffs well enough but that's about it. At the time I suppose I cared more...

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 20 May 2004 14:52 (twenty-two years ago)

Yeah, I've got the song "Prove You Wrong" in my head right now, but I haven't heard it in many years so all I can remember is the chorus.

― Johnny Fever (johnny fever), Thursday, 20 May 2004 14:55 (twenty-two years ago)

Heh, that's the one I always remember as well. "DIGGING FOR ANSWERS..."

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 20 May 2004 14:55 (twenty-two years ago)

i haven't really head any bad prong stuff (haven't heard anything after "cleansing" though), but my favorites these days tend to be "force fed" and "cleansing." which is probably due to me listening to "beg to differ" and "prove you wrong" CONSTANTLY back then. "cleansing" really should've gotten more attention.

there was also an EP with a credible cover of chrome's "third from the sun" on it.

― el sabor de gene (yournullfame), Thursday, 20 May 2004 14:57 (twenty-two years ago)

All my memory is clouded now, as I probably haven't listened to Prong in close to seven years, but Cleansing was definitely the band's tour de force.

― Johnny Fever (johnny fever), Thursday, 20 May 2004 15:09 (twenty-two years ago)

http://girls.images.profiles.makeoutclub.com/the_stockholm_syndrome.jpg

― ARL (Adrian Langston), Thursday, 20 May 2004 15:13 (twenty-two years ago)

i loved cleansing so fucking much when it came out - total classic. and i tried to enjoy their work before and after that - but aside from the odd gem couldn't really get into the other stuff too much. who's fist is this anyway was always a fav of mine back in tha day.

― dyson (dyson), Thursday, 20 May 2004 15:19 (twenty-two years ago)

ADRIAN I KISS U

― 24 hours with the King of Snake. (SNAKE!) (ex machina), Thursday, 20 May 2004 15:20 (twenty-two years ago)

Cleansing was really the album where they tried to shed a bit of the metal trappings (brought in Raven from Killing Joke, John Bechdel on keyboards...itself an anomaly for a proper metal band). Tommy even cut his hair and stopped wearing football jerseys. It also yielded their finest single, "Snap Your Fingers Snap Your Neck".

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Thursday, 20 May 2004 16:47 (twenty-two years ago)

Yeah, Cleansing is great. Some of the songs are actually almost danceable.

― latebloomer (latebloomer), Thursday, 20 May 2004 18:53 (twenty-two years ago)

It's all about Beg to Differ. Some great tracks on there.

― tk, Thursday, 20 May 2004 18:59 (twenty-two years ago)

This thread is amazing - it's the epitome of "damning with faint praise"! I think if I were a member of prong, and I read this, i'd be suicidal.

(nb I saw them live, supporting faith no more iirc, and i honestly cannot remember a single thing other than a guitarist standing w/his legs apart a la porkbeast from crazyhead, and he was playing either an explorer or a flying v. That's it!)

― Pashmina (Pashmina), Thursday, 20 May 2004 19:00 (twenty-two years ago)

for about a month when I was 14 they were my favorite band. I got their first album for free with my subscription to Thrasher. I liked them a lot. Tuned out after that dreaful "Snap Your Fingers, Snap Your Neck" song that was in heavy rotation on MTV for a while. Great bass player (though I believe he left after the second album - tall guy - what WAS his name?)

― roger adultery (roger adultery), Thursday, 20 May 2004 19:47 (twenty-two years ago)

The last time I saw Prong was in the fall of 1995 at Tramp's on 21st street. Raven and Parsons had long since flown the coop, so to speak, and their places filled by the bald mustachioed gent who'd later play in Filter on bass and some no-name on rhythm guitar. Tommy kept chastising the crowd for not getting into it. Sometime shortly afterwards, he dropped Prong altogether to go play guitar for Danzig (to no great avail....his place swiftly taken by Todd Youth, ex-Murphy's Law and others).

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Thursday, 20 May 2004 20:10 (twenty-two years ago)

"Snap Your Fingers" was dreadful? How much more wrong can you get, man? That's a perfect riff, with the perfect dynamics contrast to make everything just ROCK.
The first time I saw Prong, Victor got upset with the way security was handling moshers. So he kicked a security thug in the head from the stage. Security bumrushed the band, guitars went flying and the show ended with nine cop cars and a fire engine out front. (I remember stupid kids trying to tip over the fire engine, too; it would have squashed them ... idiots.)
Prong's newest album is called "Scorpio Rising." I just got it in the mail, because they're playing here next week. I'm listening to it right now. It's not as bad as I thought it would be. There are some nice, loose, spaced-out riffs. And Victor still sings with a hint of adult hardcore influence in his voice. But it's definitely no "Beg to Differ" or "Cleansing."

― Mr Deeds (Mr Deeds), Thursday, 20 May 2004 20:13 (twenty-two years ago)

whats "adult hardcore"?

― christhamrin (christhamrin), Thursday, 20 May 2004 20:19 (twenty-two years ago)

Great bass player (though I believe he left after the second album - tall guy - what WAS his name?)

You're thinking of either Mike Kirkland (who left after Beg to Differ) or Troy Gregory (who left after Prove You Wrong). In a bizarre bit of intraband incest, Troy's place was taken by erstwhile Killing Joke bassist, Paul Raven (himself very tall), while Troy went to go fill in for recently departed (for the second time) Youth in Killing Joke, for their aborted tour supporting Democracy. Ted Parsons, meanwhile, just played drums on the last Killing Joke tour.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Thursday, 20 May 2004 20:26 (twenty-two years ago)

"whats "adult hardcore"? "

the kind of punk jenna james listens to.

― latebloomer (latebloomer), Thursday, 20 May 2004 20:33 (twenty-two years ago)

Heh.
I guess I was trying to say like it's a MAN, not all these pimply Avenge Sevenfold-type metalcore singers.

― Mr Deeds (Mr Deeds), Thursday, 20 May 2004 20:42 (twenty-two years ago)

We're talking about a band who covered Chrome.

HOW BAD COULD THEY POSSIBLY BE?

I still have fond memories of Troy Gregory playing me Elton John in the tour bus and trying to convince me of his (Elt's) genius while my mate was throwing up out of the back door, during their UK tour with Treponem Pal.

― aldo_cowpat (aldo_cowpat), Thursday, 20 May 2004 20:46 (twenty-two years ago)

The Jesus Lizard covered Chrome as well, btw.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Thursday, 20 May 2004 20:49 (twenty-two years ago)

Troy is playing in the Dirtbombs at the moment in addition to his band the Witches. He doesn't like to talk about Prong too much, but he really doesn't like to talk about how he was (supposedly) almost in Metallica.

― Aaron W (Aaron W), Thursday, 20 May 2004 20:55 (twenty-two years ago)

Wasn't everybody "almost in Metallica" at some point?

― latebloomer (latebloomer), Thursday, 20 May 2004 20:56 (twenty-two years ago)

Ted Parsons & Troy Gregory apres Killing Joke's show at Webster Hall last October.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Thursday, 20 May 2004 20:59 (twenty-two years ago)

http://members.aol.com/ludlowstr/KJ-Webster-Hall-2003/images/TedTroy.jpg

There...

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Thursday, 20 May 2004 20:59 (twenty-two years ago)

And....somewhat worryingly...here's myself and Troy in a grimacing contest...

http://members.aol.com/ludlowstr/KJ-Webster-Hall-2003/images/latescrum1.jpg

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Thursday, 20 May 2004 21:00 (twenty-two years ago)

i read this thread and immediately remember prong but also realised i've never heard any of their records despite, in my youth really wanting to. i think i still want to. i went to AMg for a succint reminder but it's being silly. so should i start with the ones which have been mentioned favourably above???

― myke boomnoise (myke boomnoise), Thursday, 20 May 2004 21:15 (twenty-two years ago)

I love those pictures.

― Aaron W (Aaron W), Thursday, 20 May 2004 21:17 (twenty-two years ago)

three years pass...

Reviving cos I'm listening to Cleansing at the moment.

No mention of their 1st album Primitive Origins on this thread - probably because it's not really like their later stuff and gets slated on AMG, but I love it. The AMG review compares it unfavourably to Cro-Mags & Agnostic Front, but I think it's more like what Corrosion of Conformity were doing at that time than either of those bands. Plus it's definitely a fuck of a lot better than Liberty & Justice For...

― Colonel Poo, Tuesday, 31 July 2007 12:20 (eighteen years ago)

Primitive Origins was great. I haven't heard anything past Cleansing.

― Herman G. Neuname, Tuesday, 31 July 2007 12:25 (eighteen years ago)

three months pass...

The guy behind me (not in the black KJ shirt) is fukin' Algis Kyzis of goddamn SWANS. GIVE IT UP FOR THE MAN!!!

― Alex in NYC, Friday, 9 November 2007 00:07 (eighteen years ago)

high 5 bro

― chaki, Friday, 9 November 2007 00:16 (eighteen years ago)

algis kizys of fuckin' OF CABBAGES AND KINGS, art-metal-noise as fuck. at least their early shit.

― GOTT PUNCH II HAWKWINDZ, Friday, 9 November 2007 04:01 (eighteen years ago)

seven months pass...

was i dreaming or is there a thread for "t/s: prong "snap your fingers" vs lil jon "snap your fingers""

― moonship journey to baja, Wednesday, 18 June 2008 05:48 (seventeen years ago)

Prong will win.

― Alex in NYC, Thursday, 19 June 2008 11:27 (seventeen years ago)

I used to love this band! I wonder what happened to the album I had by them.

― Tracer Hand, Thursday, 19 June 2008 11:34 (seventeen years ago)

i only have a 4 tracker with 2 Foetus remixes on it, and a cover of a Stranglers track.
it's a rather fantastic noise the band make (though that could be down to the remix work), and so have always contemplated getting more, but never know where to start.

― mark e, Thursday, 19 June 2008 13:14 (seventeen years ago)

Decent but very samey.

― chap, Thursday, 19 June 2008 13:32 (seventeen years ago)

i only have a 4 tracker with 2 Foetus remixes on it, and a cover of a Stranglers track.

Hm, I have a Prong single with two Orb remixes. Wonder who else they got to remix them?

― a passing spacecadet, Thursday, 19 June 2008 14:16 (seventeen years ago)

ten months pass...

God bless fucking Prong.

― Alex in NYC, Monday, 18 May 2009 00:35 (seventeen years ago)

Power Of The Damn Mixxxer

LOL

― GÖTT DAT SCHING (GOTT PUNCH II HAWKWINDZ), Monday, 18 May 2009 01:12 (seventeen years ago)

Prong were loudest band I ever saw live. They were playing a small club on a Halloween with a huge back line that was probably better suited for opening in arenas. My head rang for days, but they were good. The CDs never were the same as that live show, never listened to them much after wards.

― earlnash, Monday, 18 May 2009 01:33 (seventeen years ago)

one year passes...

snap yer fingers snap yer neck

― Political Unrest Stabilizes Society Yeah (Eisbaer), Saturday, 12 February 2011 22:30 (fifteen years ago)

Listening to Force Fed right now. It's pretty swell.

― that's not funny. (unperson), Saturday, 12 February 2011 23:23 (fifteen years ago)

one year passes...

DIGGING FOR ANSWERS

― Puppenmeister Meisterpuppen (Eisbaer), Thursday, 23 February 2012 16:57 (fourteen years ago)

One of the worst shows I've ever seen. Sometime in 1991.

― queequeg (peter grasswich), Thursday, 23 February 2012 17:17 (fourteen years ago)

ten years pass...

I can identify a Tommy Victor pinch harmonic easier than probably any other player.

― Ⓓⓡ. (Johnny Fever), Saturday, 3 September 2022 15:32 (three years ago)

Last night I set about checking out all the post-Rude Wakening albums. Ruining Lives is probably the best one (everything from the 00s was probably the worst), but it was neat to hear an album of covers from 2015 that includes Sisters of Mercy, Hüsker Dü, and Fugazi.

― Ⓓⓡ. (Johnny Fever), Saturday, 3 September 2022 15:38 (three years ago)

I like their albums from the last 10 years quite a bit. I would probably rank them Ruining Lives > Carved Into Stone > X - No Absolutes > Zero Days, but there's really not that much distance between them. The experiments are out of Victor's system at this point; they have a style and they mostly stick to it.

― but also fuck you (unperson), Saturday, 3 September 2022 15:55 (three years ago)

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