Prong was founded in 1986 by singer/guitarist Tommy Victor (then a soundman at New York City's renowned CBGB's). With bassist Mike Kirkland (formely of NYHC band Damage and doorman at CBGB’s) and ex-Swans drummer Ted Parsons, Prong released two independent CDs that were noted for their brutal hardcore sound.
Epic Records saw the band's potential and signed them in 1989. Prong's major label debut album Beg to Differ, was released in 1990.
In the following year, Kirkland left the band and was replaced by Ex-Flotsam and Jetsam bassist Troy Gregory. Prong issued their fourth release Prove You Wrong which saw the band experiment with programming and electronic samples while still retaining an aggressive yet melodic sensibility.
By 1994, Troy Gregory was out of the band and was replaced by Paul Raven (bassist) and John Bechdel (keyboard), both from Killing Joke and Murder, Inc. The new line up released Cleansing (Prong’s 5th major release). With a strong industrial sound that still managed to be hard and heavy, Cleansing contained songs that are still considered Prong classics ("Broken Peace" and "Snap Your Fingers, Snap Your Neck") and is Prong’s most successful release to date. The videos for these two songs became staples of MTV’s legendary Headbangers Ball.
Prong's sixth album Rude Awakening was released in 1996. The album was not as successful as the last three albums. Shortly thereafter Parsons left the band to join Godflesh. Tommy Victor left New York and moved to Los Angeles. As the band Prong sat idle, Tommy Victor worked with legends of the rock world, including Rob Zombie, Marilyn Manson, celldweller and Glenn Danzig.
In 2002, Victor re-formed Prong with bassist Brian Perry, drummer Dan Laudo and guitarist Monte Pittman (Madonna). In 2002, after a 42-show American tour that was recorded for a live CD (100% Live, Locomotive Music) Prong entered the studio and recorded a new CD titled Scorpio Rising which was received with mixed responses.
Victor played on and off again with Glen Danzig from 1998 -2005 in between time with Prong. His final goal of playing and writing on a Danzig record was met with Circle of Snakes in 2004.
Prong released a live 2-disc DVD in 2005 entitled "The Vault" which features performances from the Hulstsfred and With Full Force festivals and a full show in Amsterdam. This disc has Mike Longworth on bass as well, who later replaced Perry. As a result of the drum performance on Scorpio Rising , band members Tommy Victor and Monte Pittman decided a change needed to be made. This resulted in the firing of Dan Laudo and the enlistment Aaron Rossi, who used to be in the bands Strife (Victory Records), Shelter (Century Media Records), John 5 (Shrapnel Records), and Ankla (Bieler Bros. Records)
Victor and Raven joined Ministry in 2005 to write and tour in support of their album Rio Grande Blood (2006). They were nominated for a Grammy in 2007 for the song Senior Peligro in the "Best Metal Performance" category. The two also appear on Ministry's follow up album The Last Sucker (2007), although in a more limited capacity.
On June 4th, 2007, Prong posted a MySpace bulletin stating that they were recording in El Paso, Texas. The band left Locomotive Music, and were signed to Al Jourgensen's 13th Planet Records, who released their latest album Power of the Damager on October 2, 2007.
The band embarked on the "Slicing Across America" and "Slicing Across Europe" tours supporting Power of the Damager in 2007 and early 2008. Joining Tommy Victor in the current live membership of the band is bassist Monte Pittman and drummer Aaron Rossi.
Paul Raven died of an apparent heart attack in his sleep on October 20, 2007 at the age of 46. He was recording with French recording artists Treponem Pal on their new album with Ted Parsons at the time of his death.
Aaron Rossi was joining Ministry as their new drummer on the "C U LaTour" which started in March 2008.
In February 2008, Headbanger's Ball premiered the video "Power Of The Damager".
Absence of Light
Prong Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
There have been no clues
I'd look if I could find
It's not for me to chose
There have been no signs
I can't make a move
I'd look if I could find
I've been left behind,
to sit here and brood
I've been in the blind,
I've been kept out of view
Getting dark with the absence of light
I'm not going, I'm not glowing
Feeling dark in the absence of light
There's nothing left inside
In a difficult time
Strength to be resolute
Time to clear my mind
Turn towards the absolute
There has been a sign
Now I'm back on the move
Look and you shall find
There's not more to lose
I've been left behind
but can't sit here and brood
I've been in the blind
and I'm living proof
Getting dark with the absence of light
I'm not going, I'm not glowing
Feeling dark in the absence of light
There's nothing left inside
In the dark with the absence of light
The not knowing, the not growing
In the dark with the absence of light
There's nothing left to hide
I see things that I wanted
I see nothing I need
I only see what is needed truly
The one thing that is perfect for me
There has been a sign
I can make a move
I looked and I did find
There's one thing to do
I was left behind
to sit there and brood
I was in the blind, now I got the proof
Getting dark with the absence of light
Feeling dark in the absence of light
There's nothing left inside
In the dark with the absence of light
The not knowing, the not growing
In the dark with the absence of light
There's nothing left to hide
I see things that I wanted
I see nothing I need
I only see what is needed truly
The one thing that is perfect for me
Getting dark with the absence of light
The song Absence of Light by Prong is a powerful and emotive track that speaks to the struggles of feeling left behind and kept in the dark. The lyrics describe a situation where the singer has been searching for signs and clues to a situation or problem, but finds nothing to guide them. Despite their desire to take action, they feel paralyzed and unable to move forward. The chorus - "Getting dark with the absence of light, I'm not going, I'm not glowing, Feeling dark in the absence of light, There's nothing left inside" - conveys a sense of hopelessness and despair.
However, in the second half of the song, the singer experiences a breakthrough. They find a sign and regain the strength to take action and clear their mind. The lyrics "I was in the blind, now I got the proof" suggest that the singer was being kept in the dark intentionally, and that they were able to break free and find the truth. In the end, the song conveys a sense of empowerment and hope, as the singer finally finds what they had been searching for - "The one thing that is perfect for me".
Overall, the song is a powerful expression of the human experience of feeling lost and unsure, but also finding hope and purpose in the darkness.
Line by Line Meaning
There have been no signs
I haven't received any indication or direction
There have been no clues
There's no hint to lead me in the right direction
I'd look if I could find
I would search for answers if they were available
It's not for me to choose
I don't have control over the situation
I can't make a move
I'm at a standstill and unable to take action
There's nothing I can do
I'm powerless in this situation
I've been left behind, to sit here and brood
I've been abandoned and left to dwell on my circumstances
I've been in the blind, I've been kept out of view
I've been uninformed and kept out of the loop
Getting dark with the absence of light
The situation is becoming bleaker with each passing moment
I'm not going, I'm not glowing
I'm not thriving or growing in this environment
Feeling dark in the absence of light
I'm overwhelmed with negativity because of the lack of positivity
There's nothing left inside
There's no motivation or inspiration left within me
In a difficult time, strength to be resolute
I need to have the power to be unwavering during adversity
Time to clear my mind
It's important to have a clear head to make good decisions
Turn towards the absolute
I need to focus on the fundamental truths in my life
There has been a sign, now I'm back on the move
I have finally received a signal or feedback, and it's time for me to act again
Look and you shall find, there's nothing more to lose
If I dig deep and search hard enough, I have everything to gain
I was in the blind, now I got the proof
I was uninformed before, but now I have concrete evidence
I see things that I wanted
I'm aware of my desires
I see nothing I need
However, I don't require most of the things that I want
I only see what is needed truly
I can only focus on the essentials
The one thing that is perfect for me
My gaze is set on the one thing that's right for me
The not knowing, the not growing
Without understanding or knowledge, there's no progression
There's nothing left to hide
Without a sense of privacy or seclusion, there's bound to be discomfort
Contributed by Josiah L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.