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 CBGBโs) 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 (Prongโs 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 Prongโs most successful release to date. The videos for these two songs became staples of MTVโs 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".
Face Value
Prong Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Image blatant and obvious
What's there more to assess?
Never looking beyond the frontal
All your present fears.
I hope to never be caught again by the visions too clear.
Erase it.
Conceal it.
Just take it for the face value
Concealment, nonetheless.
Just take it for the face value
You never know what you may get.
A wise man carried on about what you see is what you get.
I've peeled off covers,
Revealing what I want to forget.
Why not go base yourself on simple visages.
Scarring the complexion or scratching the surface.
The lyrics of Prong's song Face Value seem to speak to the frustration and resentment felt by someone who has always had to face difficulties and challenges that others cannot or will not see. The opening line, "You've never come close to seeing what I've always had to face," sets the tone for the rest of the song. The singer feels that others are blind to the harsh realities of life and fail to look beyond the surface. The image they present is "blatant and obvious," and there is nothing more to assess beyond that. The singer wants others to understand that there is always more to someone's story than what meets the eye.
The chorus urges listeners to "just take it for the face value," implying that even if others cannot or will not see beyond the surface, the singer is resigned to this fact. They urge listeners to conceal and erase their fears and scars, in order to maintain a simple visage. The final lines of the song, "Scarring the complexion or scratching the surface," are a poignant reminder that life is not always easy, and hiding our true selves comes at a cost.
Overall, Face Value seems to be a critique of the superficiality and lack of empathy in modern society. The song suggests that we should strive to look beyond the surface and see the full complexity of others' experiences, rather than simply taking them at face value.
Line by Line Meaning
You've never come close to seeing what I've always had to face.
I've faced some harsh and painful experiences that you wouldn't even come close to imagining.
What's there more to assess?
What else do you need to see or understand to realize the gravity of the situation?
All your present fears.
The things you fear most are happening to me right now.
I hope to never be caught again by the visions too clear.
I don't want to relive the traumatic events that are seared into my memory.
Erase it.
I wish I could forget everything and start afresh.
Deface it.
I want to destroy the memories and leave nothing behind.
Conceal it.
I wish I could keep everything hidden from everyone and never have to confront them.
Just take it for the face value
Don't try to look beyond what's in front of you and take everything at face value.
Concealment, nonetheless.
Even if I try to conceal everything, the pain and trauma will still be there.
You never know what you may get.
Life can throw unexpected challenges and situations that can be difficult to cope with.
A wise man carried on about what you see is what you get.
A wise person once said that what you see on the surface is all that you can expect to get.
I've peeled off covers,
I've tried to hide my pain by putting on a facade or burying my feelings deep inside.
Revealing what I want to forget.
Sometimes, when I try to confront my pain, it only ends up highlighting the things that I wish I could forget.
Why not go base yourself on simple visages.
Maybe it's better to focus on simple things and not delve too deeply into complicated issues.
Scarring the complexion or scratching the surface.
Trying to dig deeper into my pain may only end up causing more damage and scarring.
Lyrics ยฉ BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: PARSONS, RAVEN, VICTOR
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Dav2Kink
Lyrics
You've never come close to seeing what I've always had to face.
Image blatant and obvious
What's there more to assess?
Never looking beyond the frontal
All your present fears.
I hope to never be caught again by the visions too clear.
Erase it.
Deface it.
Conceal it.
Just take it for the face value
Concealment, nonetheless.
Just take it for the face value
You never know what you may get.
A wise man carried on about what you see is what you get.
I've peeled off covers,
Revealing what I want to forget.
Why not go base yourself on simple visages.
Scarring the complexion or scratching the surface.
@danewinge1367
One of the most underrated metal bands !!
@plasticplanetdiscgolf
These tracks need the headphones experience. Years...later I think Paul Raven has the coolest bass tone in metal.
@KennethDonnellyStargazer21
STILL my favorite Prong LP...wore out the cassette, it's their heaviest and best so far for me. 'Close The Door' and dig it
@TrinityMartin1
It is their best, so underrated.
@hydra11b__18
Kenneth Donnelly this and cleansing are my favs. I got this the day it was released.
@AcidTechnoMan5000
Kenneth Donnelly yep. Anybody donโt like prong? GFU
@jamestorres5582
Close the Door is the shit .. This is Bad Ass too .. Love it !!!
@downandout73
I smashed mine into a 100 thousand pieces, I was reeeally mad, but not at Prong.
I'm sorry Prong.
Please forgiv...haha, that's not what they're about, though...me, either.
Yeah, this was their best.
@durden7933
Great Music!.Prong is The Best!
@Ruffnek310
perfect old school blend with new school prong!