Leading up to the release of Prong’s 13th studio album, State of Emergency, I revisited their catalog and something hit me: Every modern metal and hard rock band of the past 25 years owes this band royalties. Their influence can be heard in the music of Chevelle, Lamb of God, Power Trip, and damn near every “core” band whose shirt has graced the Hot Topic wall, just to name a few. Now on paper, these aforementioned bands have little in common with each other. However, when we look at the variety of styles Prong have explored throughout the years, these connections make sense.
For nearly 40 years now, Prong, and more specifically Tommy Victor, has pursued an “anything goes” approach to extreme music, making him a trailblazer in the truest definition of the word. In the late ’80s, Prong was melding hardcore and metal in the heyday of crossover. Come the early ’90s, they beefed up their riffs, subsequently playing groove metal before groove metal and metalcore before metalcore. As the ’90s progressed, the incorporation of industrial tinges and arena rock hooks made them rock radio favorites, further confusing the tastemakers who attempted to pin them down as X, Y, or Z. State of Emergency feels like an amalgamation of all these styles and more.
The album opens in frantic fashion, unleashing pure thrashing chaos in “The Descent”. True to its title, the riffs and lyrics of this raging opener feel like a descent into insanity, which aptly sets the mood for the rest of the album. Although Victor will be the first to tell you Prong is not a “mosh band”, there are no shortage of crushing mosh riffage on cuts like the title track, “Breaking Point”, and “Light Turns Black”. The front half of State is reminiscent of Beg to Differ (1990), fusing the thuggish streetwise NYHC attitude with knuckle-dragging groove riffs and a sense of urgency.
Contrasting this is State‘s second half, which veers heavily into alternative/industrial metal territory. The focus switches from beatdown riffage and confrontational lyrics, to unforgettable melodies and a melancholic atmosphere. Mind you, I seldom, if ever, listen to so called “alt metal”, only because most of it comes off as stale and generic. However, in the case of Prong, cuts like “Obeisance”, “Disconnected”, and “Compliant” evoke the hook-driven honesty of Rude Awakening (1996), the album which bookended Prong’s classic era.
The vicious “Back (NYC)” thrashes it up one last time, before a doomy cover of Rush’s “Working Man” delivers the final blow. As far as I’m concerned, 99.9% of Rush covers should be burnt at the stake for heresy. This might be the 0.01% that makes it out unscathed. It fits with the theme of the album, both musically and lyrically. Not only this, but Victor gives it the Prong treatment, knowing a senseless rehash just wouldn’t do. I’d go more into detail, but frankly, you need to hear it for yourself, just like the rest of State. If the ’90s were Prong’s golden era, then the ’20s are their renaissance period. No neck is safe!
7 out of 10
Label: Steamhammer
Genre: Groove Metal
For fans of: Helmet, Life of Agony, Only Living Witness