PRONG
Age Of Defiance EP
Steamhammer/SPV
I’ll go ahead and say that PRONG is another one of those old school bands that has had a subtle but steady and strong resurgence in the past decade or so. Catching them live in recent years, they never really went away as they continue to pack houses and it’s been fun seeing the response from the crowd as evidence that they have a great following. Until a full-length is ready, they have just released an EP through Steamhammer/SPV entitled AGE OF DEFIANCE and serves as a good remedy to hold us over since their last album ZERO DAYS (Steamhammer).
The opening track and title track deceptively starts off with some chugging riffs and had me fearing they’d switched to that stale modern “core” sound but once the second riff lets out and you have Tommy Victor’s unique vocals dive in, you automatically breathe a sigh of relief. Victor’s lyrics call out to you on this on telling you that you “got to learn how to be strong… got to learn to be brave… to be there for the long haul”. Although it’s an unusual sound for PRONG, they still maintain their style on a track that can easily be deemed radio friendly as a single, but still holds a heavy groove that will have your head bobbing.
The next track is a more vibrant and upbeat tune that is going to be a pit-pleaser. "THE END OF SANITY" indeed as the rush displayed on this track is high-energy. The rhythm section consists of that of drummer Aaron Rossi (ex-MINISTRY) who returns to the fold not since 2007’s POWER OF THE DAMAGER (13th Planet Records), and bassist Jason Christopher who has only been around a short time but shown the powerhouse he is as Victor points out, ”been with us for eight years; he’s the best bassist I’ve ever played with since the sadly deceased Paul Raven, and an amazing performer on stage.” And it shows on these new songs.
The 3 live tracks are taken from their Berlin dates from 2015 and they sound amazing. A great reflection of the tightness and power you get from their live shows, they included "RUDE AWAKENING", "ANOTHER WORDLY DEVICE" and "CUT RATE". These great choices of cuts take you back to what made you love this band in the first place. These and the couple of original material give you a great essence of what was, what is and what will be for the legacy of PRONG. Another band who I’d lovingly says it owes it (royalties and all, haha) to Beavis and Butthead who helped elevate them and their track "SNAP YOUR FINGERS, SNAP YOUR NECK", along with a lot of bands back in the day. This EP gives a good indication and retainer for fans to chew on while Tommy and the rest of his crew complete their next full-length.
It’s worth noting that Tommy and PRONG not only will be performing at but will also be inducted into the 2020 METAL HALL OF FAME, the Gala founded by DRUMS AND DISABILITIES (D.A.D.) CEO Pat Gesualdo and hosted by Jes Fama (ALMOST FAMA) and Eddie Trunk (Sirius/KNAC) during NAMM Week on January 15th. Congrats guys!
4.0 Out Of 5.0
