Through the ups and downs of the minefield that is the modern music industry, New York City metal veterans Prong are the epitome of resiliency, artistic integrity and an unwavering passion for making and performing gritty, insightful, powerhouse music for fans around the world.
The latest evidence of all of these admirable characteristics comes in the form of the forthcoming new EP, Age of Defiance, set to be released digitally and on vinyl by SPV/Steamhammer on Nov. 29.
Comprised of co-founder, guitarist, lead vocalist and songwriter Tommy Victor, Prong is a classic power trio structure, featuring drummer Aaron Rossi (now on his second tenure with the band since 2018, formerly bashing the skins for Prong from 2005 to 2009], and Jason Christopher on bass.
Victor has been especially prolific in recent years. As the driving creative force behind Prong for the entirety of its 33-year existence, he takes pride in the fact that the band has always made music on its own terms, has not be beholden to anyone else other than themselves and their fans, and continues to release metal music in its most classic, gritty and memorable forms.
After forming in 1986, Prong broke up in 1997, but reformed just five years later, releasing the records Scorpio Rising in 2003 and Power of the Damager in 2007, while Victor also worked with Glenn Danzig and Ministry for part of that time. Realizing he wanted to focus pretty much exclusively on the Prong band and brand, a revitalized lineup released four albums in five years from 2012 to 2017 – Carved Into Stone, Ruining Lives, X – No Absolutes and Zero Days.
Wanting to continue to provide new music for fans, and as a teaser for a new album expected to come sometime in the first half of 2020, Prong has released a special five-song EP, including a 12-inch vinyl edition, called Age of Defiance, which features two brand new compositions, as well as three live tracks.
“Initially I thought the new album would come out this year. I recorded a demo of 11 songs and we just picked out one and that became Age of Defiance. So just one of the songs from that demo made it onto this new EP. I think the rest of it is just going to go in the trash can. Then I wrote End of Sanity for this record too. We didn’t want to have filler. I didn’t want to half ass anything for this EP. We haven’t had any filler on any of the records, but I think this method is like ultra quality control when you just put out two songs that you can really concentrate on and not have a huge task of putting together 14 or whatever it takes for a full album. So, we’re doing it this way and we will see what happens,” said Victor, from his home in California.
“There is no definite plan right now in terms of will we release a couple of songs at a time until we have enough for the album, or just release a couple more singles to tease the album. So many bands have done that and repackaged their singles. Back in the day, albums really started from a collection of singles didn’t they, so maybe that’s a good idea. Not all the songs are going to be singles, obviously, but I am still not sure if that’s the way to go. Prong doesn’t really do anything by the rules. We have a knack of really knowing what the fans want, and I just think they want good songs. We put out four consecutive LPs and I think that was a very ambitious period, but I also don’t know if it was the greatest idea in the world. People got spoiled with the long playing format and a lot of songs got ignored and bypassed.
“I like what happened here with this project. It’s really great because we seriously focused on the mixes and getting them right on the two songs. We didn’t have any time restrictions preventing us from getting that right, because there were only two songs. So, we were able to make any adjustments within a week and bust this thing out while I was still on the road [touring with Agnostic Front.] And we’re doing physical vinyl as well for this EP, and that’s the beauty of being on Steamhammer Records because they are all about the vinyl because especially in Germany, they are all into that stuff and hopefully other people start to get back into that stuff. With Zero Days, even though I think a lot of people overlooked that record, Steamhammer couldn’t always press enough vinyl to meet demand. Every time we did another pressing it would sell out.”
Even though Victor is realistic about the increasing tendency for fans to stream or download music digitally, meaning a lot less revenue for creators throughout the music industry, he still believes it’s important for him and for Prong to release new music regularly, because there is always something to say.
“We’re talking about a legacy band whose legacy continues. I am looking at the whole complete career, really, that spans over 30 years. There are enough holes in Prong’s career to be disgusted of already: the band broke up once and then I reformed it again, and then we went away once more, and then came back again. So, we have had those disjointed periods,” Victor said.
“That’s why I put out records consistently since 2012, to make up for that lost time and productivity, really. I want to keep this thing going, and why not? The last few records have been really good. We have been putting out some really good music. Listen, I have been home for a couple of weeks, and I am already getting edgy and I am like, ‘okay I may need to start writing stuff.’”
Age of Defiance is a tonic for the current age of dislocation, discombobulation, dissension and divisiveness that we currently find ourselves in on a global scale. It is anthemic, cathartic, and truth-telling to the extreme – three characteristics that have always infuses Victor’s writing and Prong’s music.
“I think we need to do more anthems and more anthems and more anthems and this is definitely an anthem. I like having songs that can be interpreted in different ways too, and this song is one of those. To be general about it, it says that there is a solution within yourself to somehow escape all these complications of the world. And I know so, because I have been there myself. I have fought through obstacles and I have come out of them with an understanding that it’s best to have a path of least resistance type of attitude. I have learned to surrender, in a sense, and I have chosen to not engage, and I reject the concept of resistance for resistance sake,” he said, warming up to the subject.
“It’s like a meditative state where there’s a little bit of tranquility, which is the answer to a lot of things, including peace. The song talks about laying down your defenses after a while, and it’s got a world view to it too. It has sort of a world consciousness mentality to it, like quiet resistance, and non-violent confrontation, as opposed to what is happening so much today. I just feel that people are complaining a lot about a lot of things and pointing fingers and reacting without thinking. And I am like, ‘no, you know what, you get your shit together personally and keep your mouth shut.’ If everybody did that, I think that behind the scenes, in a spiritual sense, that would solve a lot of problems.
“Martin Luther King was great with that, and so was Gandhi, those are great examples. Today, everyone is so quick to yell and scream and blame other people – that’s what is so annoying. If you are channelling the right message, and taking care of your own house first, and you are on the side of good and what is right, things get taken care of eventually, somehow, and usually the way it was always meant to be.”
End of Sanity is a bit of a counterpoint to Age of Defiance, according to Victor.
“I wanted it to be sort of a juxtaposition with Age of Defiance. It’s more of a cerebral song. It’s heavy and is something that is more up tempo, more of an old-school banger, a little more violent in tone. And that’s the start of everything, it’s a rebel rousing song, with a simple message that nothing makes any sense, people have completely irrational mentalities about everything. It’s about this notion that you’re being an asshole, but you are still asking me for something, that I am still supposed to help you out, but I will not – I refuse,” he said.
The EP also features three live tracks taken from a show recorded at a club in Berlin in 2015, including Rude Awakening, Another Worldly Device and Cut Rate.
Once again, for Age of Defiance, Victor chose to work with Chris Collier to mix and master the EP. The two have collaborated on the band’s last five albums, including 2017’s Zero Days.
“We don’t spend a lot of time on things. That’s one of the keys to the Prong sound, because you can overwork things and overthink things ad infinitum. I have learned my lesson from doing that in the past, and it just doesn’t work. Eighty per cent is where that threshold is. It’s good to shoot for a B. You can shoot for an A in terms of perfect production, but that’s when you’re getting into gambling and you’re getting into babying everything and then you become an obsessive compulsive asshole,” Victor said.
“And that’s what Chris is good at. He’s got other things to do, which is good. People who are 24-hour-a-day music people, those are the people you’ve got to be afraid of sometimes. But Chris is amazing, he’s an ultra-talented guy but I don’t think he realizes it. He is a kick-ass guitar player and he can sing too, and that helps me out too when we’re working on shit. I need somebody who is going to beat me up a little but to get the best out of me. He’s great; I look up to him.
“He came from a musical family. His father was a professional musician, so it’s a different vibe working with him because he had a big jump start on figuring out shit in the music business. And his engineering skills and his gear is just insane. He is constantly renewing his rig, which is something I would never do. When I get something that works, I stick with it. I have the same ProTools 6 that I’ve had forever, and I didn’t even want to upgrade Windows. But Chris is always getting new monitors, always getting new patches, and that’s important to him. Producers are a dime a dozen now; everyone is a producer now, but Chris has the chops and credibility and talent, and he get’s me and my music.”
With a focus on writing and recording for the forthcoming album taking up most of the rest of 2019 and into 2020, Victor is also busy booking Prong dates for next year.
“We’ve got a tour in Europe in February and we’re going to announce the details soon. I am trying to get to South America, and I am trying to get us to Asia as well, and maybe Canada again too. We were just there with Agnostic Front and it was great. I would like to do more shows up there for sure,” he said.
For more information on Prong tour dates, the Age of Defiance EP and future new music, visit www.prongmusic.com.
- Jim Barber is a veteran award-winning journalist and author based in Napanee, ON, who has been writing about music and musicians for nearly three decades. Besides his journalistic endeavours, he now works as a communications and marketing specialist. Contact him at jimbarberwritingservices@gmail.com.
