Prong is one of the most storied bands in the history of modern hard rock and metal. Having been formed way back in 1986, the band has seen more than its share of ups and downs over that course of its three-decade-plus life, having gone through a breakup on the cusp of its rise to fame in the late 90s, a band member dying at another point, its founder spending time with another band (Danzig) along the way, leaving audiences to wonder for some time if the band would ever return, and having built a global following through it all. What’s more, the band is considered one of the leading names in the worlds of groove and thrash metal. This even despite remaining just under the mainstream radar throughout the course of its life. Now early last month the band continued to cement its legacy with the release of its 13th album, State of Emergency. Released Oct. 6, the 11-song record proves to be some of Prong’s best work to date in part through its featured musical arrangements. This will be discussed shortly. The lyrical themes presented across the record are of their own importance to the presentation and will be examined a little later. The record’s production puts the finishing touch to its presentation and brings everything full circle. Each item noted is important in its own way to the whole of the album. All things considered they make State of Emergency not only some of Prong’s best work to date but also one of this year’s top new hard rock and metal albums.
State of Emergency, the latest album from veteran metal outfit Prong, is a powerful new offering from the band, both musically and lyrically, that will appeal to a wide range of audiences. That is due in part to the record’s featured musical arrangements. From beginning to end, the arrangements featured in this album are clearly influenced by the band’s earliest albums and even take audiences all the way up to its pivotal 1996 album, Rude Awakening, which definitely was a rude awakening for the band. That is because of what happened to the band with Epic Records following the album’s release. Even with the influence of those albums’ works in mind, the songs featured here still manage to maintain their own identity. The singles the record has already spawned – ‘State of Emergency,’ ‘Breaking Point,’ ‘Non-Existence,’ and ‘The Descent’ – make that clear. The arrangement featured in ‘State of Emergency,’ for instance, will take listeners back to the band’s 1991 album, Prove You Wrong thanks to its staccato guitar riffs and drumming alongside Prong founder Tommy Victor’s distinct vocal style. ‘Breaking Point’ meanwhile, takes listeners even farther back, to 1990 and the band’s then latest album, Beg To Differ. ‘Non-Existence’ is more reminiscent of the works featured in the band’s 1996 album, Rude Awakening with its more melodic and groove-oriented style and sound.
At the same time that the album’s musical arrangements feature songs that throw back to Prong’s early days, it also offers listeners a hint of what may be to potentially come from Victor and his current band mates in its later entries, ‘Compliant’ and ‘Back (NYC).’ ‘Compliant’ is a heavy, crunching work that is more modern in its approach what with its percussive style vocals and instrumentation in its verses against its more melodic choruses. There is something about the approach that can be likened to certain heavier bands out there today. ‘Back (NYC)’ is something of a hardcore East Coast style composition that is straight forward intensity meanwhile. It is an interesting change of style and pace for the record. The same applies to ‘The Descent,’ which not only has those hardcore roots but also can be compared to works from Fear Factory, to a point. Between all of this and all of the record’s other arrangements, the whole makes the album’s musical presentation a solid starting point for its presentation and just part of what makes this record impressive. The lyrical themes that are presented throughout the album are just as important to its presentation.
The lyrical themes featured throughout the album are just as important to its presentation as its musical content because they all follow the overall theme of the album’s title, State of Emergency. America is in a state of emergency because of how divided it has become, and each song addresses that in a different way. Case in point is ‘Disconnected.’ The song points to a message of the divisiveness that has become all too commonplace in the world today. This as Victor sings in the song’s lead verse and chorus, “It just means nothing/Nothing to me/I kind of see nothing/No injury/I only see something/Your misery/How could I possibly know/Your hopes/How could I possibly know/Your woes/It’s too much effort required of me/To be wary of your beliefs/Quick to develop animosity/Won’t give you credit/Dismissively.” He adds in the song’s second verse, “So everything is hurtful/Careful how we talk/So very hurtful/Your critical assault/I should be remorseful/For someone else’s faults/I should be ungrateful/Because this is what is taught.” What Victor is addressing here is how the two sides (ultraconservatives and ultra liberals) have divided themselves into their respective tribes so to speak. On one side nowadays, we are being expected to feel bad for what our ancestors have one and said. What’s more, we have to be so careful nowadays to not offend everyone so we have to be ultra careful of what we say, as he points out. On the other side, people feel so strongly that they shouldn’t have to be concerned of anyone’s feelings. Both sides are wrong and this has caused so much division in America. It is a powerful straight forward message and reminder of what has happened because there is no lesser evil here. Because both sides are so staunch in their views, it has played into that overall state of emergency in America.
‘Light Turns To Black’ is another example of how the record’s lyrical themes all play into the bigger picture of its title. In the case of this song, Victor seems to be addressing those selfish types who live to bring others down and make life all about themselves. This is inferred as he sings, “You speak, You see/You never have any vision/Never have any role/You keep, you hold/You never save acquisitions/You’re always wanting more/No way to live with this pain/No way to live/Light turns black/No way to live.” He continues, “You want, you need/Only have your decisions/Only have your goals/You’ve kept, you’ve lost/Never gave what was given/You only lose what you own/Place some blame on others/Never be the same/Dependent on a crutch/Feeling like you’re lost/Can’t live this way/No purpose.” This person sounds like a classic narcissist and sadly is more present in society than people realize. That is why not only Prong but so many bands have crafted songs about those personalities. It is just as certain to resonate with listeners as the commentary about how divided America has become and is just one more example of the importance of the album’s lyrical content.
‘Breaking Point’ is one more example of the importance of the album’s lyrical themes. In this case, Victor said during an interview earlier this year of its theme, that it was a reaction to what happened globally as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“There was so much insecurity going on,” Victor said. “What we were told kept changing…It’s a “general frustration in the world’ type song.”
Victor expresses that frustration and message as he sings, “It’s got to stop/It’s got to end/People have had enough/The flat out lies/All untrue/What is said/You cannot trust/They demand that you agree/With ideas you can’t believe/Thoughts are banned/Can’t disagree/And there’s no reprieve/What they teach/You won’t learn/It’s obscene/It’s the breaking point/The denial/It’s the breaking point.” He continued in the song’s second verse, “It’s going to end/It’s going to stop/It’s in decline/No moral view/With no dignity/It’s overdue.” He really is right. When it ended, those who tried to force people to go along with the overall mindset and not question things never admitted they were wrong, but only continued to push the view that we should “follow the science.” Questioning science is how science is done, though. That people never were given dignity who questioned the science really is harsh. The science constantly did change so why should people not question the science instead of being forced to blindly follow like sheep? This is another way in which America has, in recent years, come into a state of emergency. We have become a divided nation due to so many matters over the recent years and things only continue to look very bleak, as these songs point out. That includes the themes in the other songs not addressed here. When the themes in those songs are considered along with the themes in the works examined, the whole makes even clearer why the overall lyrical content is just as important to this album as the record’s musical arrangements.
The lyrical content featured in State of Emergency is not the last of the record’s most important elements. The record’s production rounds out its most important items. That is because of the heaviness exhibited in each song. The energy and fury in each song is expertly balanced with the fire in Victor’s vocals to the result that each side compliments the other in each song. The end result is 11 songs that hit just as hard in their aesthetic as their content. To that end, the whole of the record becomes another excellent offering from Prong and a record that is one more of this year’s top new hard rock and metal albums.
State of Emergency, the latest album from Prong, is a work that will appeal equally to the band’s established audiences and to more casual metal and hard rock fans. That is due in part to the record’s musical arrangements. The arrangements clearly take influence from Prong’s earlier records while still establishing their own identities from one to the next. At the same time, some of the works even give hints at a possible future for Prong. The lyrical themes featured in the record are important to the record’s presentation too. That is because they each connect in their own unique but clear way to the album’s overall theme of the world being in a state of emergency on a societal level. The record’s production ensures each song gives just as much punch as its counterparts thanks to the balance of the sound. The result is that the record is appealing just as much for its aesthetic as for its content and becomes one more of this year’s top new hard rock and metal albums.
State of Emergency is available now through Napalm Records. More information on the album is available along with all of Prong’s latest news at:
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