UMUR "Force Fed" is the debut full-length studio album by US, New York based thrash/groove/crossover metal act Prong. The album was released through Spigot Records in January 1988. It´s not the band´s first label release though as they released the "Primitive Origins" EP in 1987.

"Primitive Origins (1987)" was more or less a hardcore release, but "Force Fed" adds thrash metal traits to the band´s sound, and therefore crossover thrash metal is now a more valid description of Prong´s style. It´s raw, harsh, and aggressive music. While the pace varies between heavy mid-paced sections and faster hardcore/crossover influenced sections, there isn´t much variation between tracks, and it´s not an album where you come out remembering many individual songs. Lead vocalist/guitarist Tommy Victor has a raw/hoarse voice, but his performance here is one-dimensional and it sounds like he did his vocals in one take...warts and all, and as a consequence he sometimes sounds a little tired and out of breath.

The sound production is pretty thin sounding, and especially the guitar tone lacks bottom end heaviness and power. Fans of 80s crossover thrash metal like Cro-Mags, Suicidal Tendencies, and Beöwulf (just to mention a few contemporary artists in the genre), may find something to enjoy here, but personally I don´t hear anything special on this release and "Force Fed" is to my ears as mediocre as they come. A 2.5 - 3 star (55%) rating is warranted.

UMUR "Primitive Origins" is an EP release by US, New York based thrash/groove/crossover metal act Prong. The EP was released on the independent label Mr. Bear in August 1987. Prong grew out of the strong New York hardcore/crossover scene of the early- to mid 80s, but like so many of their contemporaries weren´t satisfied with exclusively staying within hardcore territory and soon started flirting with thrash and groove metal elements.

So stylistically the 8 tracks on the 18:12 minutes long EP are aggressive hardcore/crossover thrash. Lead vocalist/guitarist Tommy Victor has a nice aggressive vocal style and a raw voice, which suits the predominanlty fast-paced and aggressive music perfectly. Prong wouldn´t win an originality contest based on the material on "Primitive Origins", but the music is both well performed and effective.

"Primitive Origins" features a raw, powerful, and stripped sound production, which is perfect for the material. No need for a fancy polished production for music as raw and simple as this. "Primitive Origins" is upon conclusion a decent start to Prong´s recording career, but when compared to similar contemporary releases it is a pretty standard quality hardcore/crossover thrash metal release from the mid- to late 80s. A 2.5 - 3 star (55%) rating is warranted.

Kev Rowland It has been years since I last listened to Prong, probably not since 2003’s ‘Scorpio Rising’, but although there is a different rhythm section since then, singer/guitarist Tommy Victor is still at the front as he has been for more than 30 years. Five songs, less than 20 minutes in length, only two are new with the other being three live cuts. I’m not sure why this has been released, but possibly as a stopgap given their last album was in 2017, since when they have replaced bassist Mike Longworth and brought back Jason Christopher who was in the band for four years prior to ‘Zero Days’. This is an okay release without ever really hitting its straps, and it feels like the band is marking time. Let’s hope that when they come back with their next album there is more enthusiasm and excitement as while this is okay it is rarely anything more than that.

Unitron Attitude, balls-out aggression, and industrial soundscapes: this describes Prong’s 1994 breakthrough album Cleansing. Taking the massive thrashings of Pantera, the grungy aggression of Helmet, and the atmosphere of Killing Joke, Prong threw a bunch of what made 90’s metal great into one absolute sucker-punch of an album.

With this album, Prong hit the perfect stride of simultaneously being monstrously heavy and infectiously catchy. Especially with “Snap Your Fingers, Snap Your Neck”, which I would easily call this one of the best songs of the 90’s. The dense, bass-heavy, and rhythmic hook that drives the song makes this an instant mosh-pit anthem. “Cut-Rate” can join the likes of Pantera’s “Domination” and Sepultura’s “Dead Embryonic Cells” as having one of the greatest massive grooves to dominate the bridge of a thrash song, while “Broken Pieces” and “Test” bring in a bit of funky bass to blend with the shredding riffs.

Frontman Tommy Victor barks with utmost conviction throughout each song, and even on the rare chance that the music lets up, he maintains a roughness that still works. With Killing Joke’s Paul Raven on bass coupled with Victor’s love of the band, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that songs like “Not of This Earth” and “Home Rule” are very reminiscent of the aforementioned band. Similar also, is that the whole album maintains an underlying industrial backing sound. Raven and drummer Ted Parsons dominate the entire album with an incredibly strong rhythm section, and Victor’s surging guitar playing blends beautifully to create what really is one of the grooviest albums I’ve ever heard.

While Prong never quite got to the same big-name status as some of their contemporaries, I believe Cleansing deserves to be mentioned alongside classics such as Vulgar Display of Power and Arise as one of the greatest metal albums of the 90’s. When it comes to crushing riffs and monster hooks, Cleansing delivers with some of the best of them.

Kingcrimsonprog There's an argument to be made that a lot of bands put out their best material on their first to fifth album, or before they turn 40 years old. Think about all the bands who were better when they were newer. Of course, there are exceptions. Notable among those exceptions are New York's mighty Groove Metal Veterans, Prong.

Tommy Victor, who basically is Prong in the way that Dave Mustaine basically is Megadeth or Trent Reznor is Nine Inch Nails or Jeff Waters is Annihilator, has arguably only been getting better and better the more he works. Especially since the band really hit their new stride with their 8th studio album, Carved Into Stone in 2012. Basically, ever since then, everything the band touch has turned to gold. Great production, great tone, great vocals, great choruses, great riffs. Absolutely consistent, basically no filler, no drop-off from album to album.

You may have guessed already from that introduction, but I like Prong's newest album, 2017's Zero Days. I like it a lot. It is Prong's 11th full-length studio album (not counting remixes, covers albums and compilations),  and it is an absolute gem.

It follows that perfect formula of the past three studio albums perfectly, delivering more of that fantastic modernized Groove Metal with small hints of the different parts of their career all refined and with a lot of chug, pace and groove balanced out with catchy but not saccharine melodies. 'Bad Ass' are really the best words to describe their current sound.

Combining the crunchy, crushing riffs of a Pantera, the eerie melody and mechanical sensibilities of a Fear Factory, the hardcore-influenced groove of a '90s-era Sepultura and muscular power of a Machine Head, but with an updated sound and masterful production job; Prong batter the audience with a perfect blend of styles as easily enjoyable by a Black Label Society fan as a Five Finger Death Punch or a Pitchshifter fan.

Highlights include the speedy Hardcore influenced 'Force Into Tolerance' with its bouncy floor tom drive, opener 'However It May End' & also 'Interbeing' with their fat bouncy '90s riffing, as well as 'The Whispers' which seems to be a hark back to their classic single 'Snap Your Fingers, Snap Your Neck' but with a much more melodic chorus that sounds like it should be in a pro wrestling event.

Just because they've been going a while, doesn't mean Prong aren't putting out some of the best material of their whole career. This album is a superb blend of tooth-kicking riffage and sweet but uncommon melody. It has all the advantages of Nu Metal without all the questionable drawbacks. Its fun, its bouncy and its accessible, but it still has ferocious riffs, impressive guitar solos and a direct through-line to beefy hardcore, classic thrash metal, and the slightest hints of industrial lurking deep in the background. If any of that sounds good to you, check this album out and check the three studio albums that preceded it too. You won't be sorry.