Prong

Prong is a metal band from the USA, initially founded in 1986 as R-Ruin. The three-piece band started in New York with Tommy Victor on vocals and guitar, Mike Kirkland on bass and Ted Parsons on drums. Stylistically, the band initially played simple hardcore. They later integrate influences from the thrash and industrial genres. Prong are regarded as pioneers of groove metal. They later influenced bands such as Korn, Demon Hunter and Nine Inch Nails. The first Prong album, Force Fed, was released in 1988, and with the following albums Beg to Differ (1990) and Prove You Wrong (1991), Prong made their first notable mark on the metal scene. The rockers achieved their commercial breakthrough in 1994 with the album Cleansing. The longplayer developed into an international hit. The singles "Whose Fist Is This Anyway?" and above all "Snap Your Fingers, Snap Your Neck" are now among the Prong anthems. The follow-up Rude Awakening received glowing reviews in 1996. However, the record company Epic Records had hoped for more and terminated the contract with Prong. After that, the band went quiet. At the beginning of the 2000s, the band's leader, Tommy Victor, tried to build on old successes with a new line-up. After a tour and the resulting album 100 % Live (2002), a new Prong album, Scorpio Rising, followed in 2003. Stylistically, the band remains true to itself, driving beats meet razor-sharp riffs. Prong subsequently released further albums. With Ruining Lives, the band managed to return to the German charts in 2014. Prong achieved further chart success with the albums X - No Absolutes (2016) and Zero Days (2017). After that, fans only see the band on tour. New material followed in 2023 with the album State of Emergency. The album climbed to number 29 in Germany. To mark the band's 40th anniversary, the live album Live and Uncleansed was released in March 2026.