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PRONG
State Of Emergency

Steamhammer (2023)
Rating: 8/10

With a title track that grooves not a million miles away from a mix of nu-metal and classic Machine Head, Prong’s new outing once again showcases the staggering ability of Tommy Victor and co. Don’t, however, be thinking that Prong have gone all groove metal on us, but let’s face it, the New York City-based band has always had an eye for a tune in whichever structure they choose to assemble.

Prong can rarely be pigeonholed. I recall seeing the band supporting Faith No More decades ago circa the Beg To Differ (1990) release and the ashen air of grey fumes which billowed from their set that night remain today. The choppy vocals, the juggernaut percussion, the rumbling bass and that semi-industrialised throb is the abrasive spine which holds this massive structure up.

Prong though have always remained left-field and yet without bamboozling their audience. No surprise then that this latest opus provides robust rhythms aplenty as ‘The Descent’ rages from the off. Muscular in its drive and angst-ridden vocally, the track vibrates with an intensity which has become the hallmark of their sound. ‘Non-Existence’ is fast and frantic, grinding its gears like a gnashing generator, while in contrast ‘Light Turns Black’ brings a 90s groove combined with a Fear Factory aesthetic.

Flashes of dissonance and starkness combine with those hefty, meaty riffs resulting in a metallic groove machine that is somewhat simplistic yet bombastic, harkening back to the early-to-mid 90s period when metal was shifting gears and striding toward more clinical and bruising angles. Even so, while the armour remains sturdy there are at times softer sides; just listen to the almost poppy ‘Disconnected’. Elsewhere, you get hints of Biohazard and a punky ethos, but all remain guitar driven power surges such as on ‘Who Told Me’.

State Of Emergency slips into the same framework which the band’s other post-2012 albums occupy; confrontational and gritty expressions flirting with 90s alternative rock wrapped up by an intriguing cover rendition of the Rush song ‘Working Man’, where Prong strip away the technicality and subtlety of the original and slap on a layer of sludge.

Prong remains an unwavering monolith in the metal scene – consistent and immune to the elements of a forever changing metal scene.

Neil Arnold

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