helterskelter.ca

PRONG
1994 - Cleansing.
1996 - Rude Awakening.
way more Helter Skelter.

January 25, 1994 - 2024: 30 years of: Cleansing.

New era needs new metal.

With a long-term vision, PRONG had already broken the thrashmetal mold with 1990's Beg To Differ CD. Now deep into this post-Black Album era, these NYC-men made sure the old thrash clichés were left in the trash. New-metal is now official.

High-gain crunch snaps necks on cue, as "Another Worldly Device" kicks the bucket. Dropped-tuned and deadly, this new trick redefines the decade-old sound. Groovemetal gets a poster-track in "Whose Fist Is This Anyway ?", a proud exhibition of hip drum-patterns and right-hand palm-muting action.

Cool riffing with cool attitude reeks on "Out Of This Misery", while the head-shot killer of "Cut-Rate" and utopian-vibe of "No Question", pumps adrenaline into the future. The extra-hard jack-hammer of "Broken Peace" is another slick start / stop piece, while the street groove of "Snap Your Fingers, Snap Your Neck"s intense Headbanger's Ball rotation helped the track to become the band's signature-cut and one of the 90s ultimate flagship-track.

For extra tone, behind the desk, the new king of hard-stuff Terry Date ...and for extra deep-bass, welcome aboard ex-KILLING JOKE gentlemen Paul Raven. 1991's Prove You Wrong CD solidified Tommy Victor as a riffologist of high stature, yet it's through cleansing that they would bring the game to new heights.

Sadly PRONG never had the big stage opened for them, albeit being on Epic Records ...the scene was simply not ready for this unique metal alloy. Adding more industrial-flair to the mix, their next sonic-assault would leap-frog the genre into the millennium ...1996's pristine power-punch Rude Awakening CD.

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Snap Your Fingers, Snap Your Neck = video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VwUT1LTh7RE
Whose Fist Is This Anyway ? = video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLya_k_lQL0
Broken Peace = video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TbTJIHqNmc8
Cleansing = full CD
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=56xikc4Ovws&list=PLP3871vHLofIc4WKq5FHnuVus2PIxXp31
MTV interview in 1994
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gGkZH_t6Lwo
Live in Baltimore in 1994
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZ22Vrzy-yY

May 14, 1996 - 2021: 25 years of: Rude Awakening.

Thru cleansing, they proved us wrong.

From a NYHC background, a mature decade later, this trio is now the future of metal. Catching up steam with 1991's Prove You Wrong CD, they were now at the pole-position for new-metal. This unit were snapping fingers and snapping necks and by 1994's Cleansing CD ...you just couldn't look away !

Top production is instant on "Controller", another side of the now-trending groovemetal term. Downtuned and down to business, no riff opportunity is left aside. More oomph is added on "Caprice" and "Face Value" as keyboards and industrial-flair adds interesting layers of dark textures. The impressive catchy title-track force feds into the album, along the mosh-pit welcomer of "Mansruin" and the DYI-vibe of "Innocence Gone"

PRONG are the alternative to thrashmetal and American-metal as a whole, a futuristic hybrid between both genres. Produced by Terry Date and touring with WHITE ZOMBIE, TYPE O NEGATIVE, LIFE OF AGONY and PANTERA ...oh the glorious 90s and PRONG were in the zone. PRONG: one of the initial atoms of nümetal.

Sadly, thru changing rock-agendas, the band was dropped from their major-label deal and faded into nothingness, guitarist Tommy Victor appearing with DANZIG and drummer Ted Parsons tagging with GODFLESH ...all until a revival with 2003's blunt millennial-metal rebirth Scorpio Rising CD.

RIP Paul Raven (1961-2007)

*
Rude Awakening = video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXC-n_XVAl8
Rude Awakening = full CD
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9UCrBFLdD0k&list=PLdEtlEpvc6XKSB1nAWZ9Qy92s6V8kKk7g
Interview and live in 1996
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3S1dJkeVtc
Live in the parking-lot in 1996
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rdHZOoPgqY