Prong
Prong is an American heavy metal band formed in New York City in 1986. The band is fronted by guitarist/vocalist Tommy Victor, Prong's sole constant member. The band was originally composed of Victor, bassist Mike Kirkland, and drummer Ted Parsons. Their first two studio releases, the mini-album Primitive Origins (1987) and full-length album Force Fed (1988), were released independently and leaned into the crossover thrash genre. The trio signed with Epic Records in 1989, and their first major label release, the following year's Beg to Differ, was a minor success as it received regular exposure on MTV's Headbangers Ball. The album transitioned the band into a groove metal sound.
Bassist Troy Gregory replaced Kirkland for 1991's Prove You Wrong, which was Prong's first album to appear on a Billboard chart as it peaked at No. 34 on the Heatseekers Albums chart. The lead single, "Prove You Wrong", peaked at No. 58 on UK Singles chart, the band's highest position on that chart. Gregory was soon replaced by bassist Paul Raven. The band's lineup expanded to four members for the first time with the addition of keyboardist John Bechdel for 1994's Cleansing. The album marked a change of direction towards a more industrial sound, being regarded as Prong's "most varied record". Cleansing peaked at No. 126 on the Billboard 200 chart and the single "Snap Your Fingers, Snap Your Neck" became one of Prong's most prominent songs. After the departure of Bechdel, Prong would release 1996's Rude Awakening. Despite reaching moderate positions on the charts, the decreased commercial performance of Rude Awakening prompted Epic to drop the band, which led to their disbandment.
After a five-year hiatus, Prong was reformed in early 2002 with a new lineup and tour. Victor was the only former member to return, and the band has revolved around him since then. Prong subsequently signed to Locomotive Music to release 2003's Scorpio Rising. In 2007, the band released Power of the Damager through 13th Planet Records. In 2012, the band switched to SPV Records and released Carved into Stone that same year, followed by Ruining Lives (2014) and the cover album Songs from the Black Hole (2015). Three more albums followed, again on SPV: 2016's X – No Absolutes (which gave Prong their highest position on the Heatseekers Albums chart in over two decades at No. 7), 2017's Zero Days, and 2023's State of Emergency. The band then signed to Napalm Records for the 2026 album Prong.
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