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".
Not Of This Eart
Prong Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's known to teach you time again a something
Not of this earth that something not of this earth.
12 o'clock time for bed say no to waking up again
Feeling not of this earth that's not of this
Earth brings all comfort to no reason never
Know where you go what if the intangible
That something to earth not of earth
In Prong's song Not_Of_This_Earth, the lyrics convey a sense of being disconnected from reality and feeling like an outsider. The opening line, "Just sit down and talk to death" is a reference to the idea of confronting mortality, which is known to teach us about life, and reveals the singer's acceptance of his fate, which is not of this world. The phrase "something not of this earth" is repeated throughout the song, and suggests that the singer is experiencing something that transcends human experience. The line "12 o'clock time for bed say no to waking up again" is a poignant reminder of our mortality, and the feeling of being trapped in this world. The final line, "That something all comfort no reason some reason" is a reference to the idea of the unknown, which can provide comfort, but can also leave us feeling confused and alienated.
Line by Line Meaning
Just sit down and talk to death
Take a moment to contemplate mortality
It's known to teach you time again a something
Death offers valuable insight that can be learned repeatedly
Not of this earth that something not of this earth.
There is something beyond this world that cannot be explained
12 o'clock time for bed say no to waking up again
Nighttime signifies the end of life, rejecting the waking world
Feeling not of this earth that's not of this
Experiencing an otherworldly sensation that cannot be defined
Earth brings all comfort to no reason never
Earthly pleasures provide fleeting satisfaction and no ultimate purpose
Know where you go what if the intangible
Questioning the uncertainty of what lies beyond tangible existence
That something to earth not of earth
The enigmatic nature of the afterlife
That something all comfort no reason some reason
The concept of an afterlife offers comfort despite its lack of rational explanation
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: PARSONS, VICTOR
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Steve
Only Prong can nail the weird style just right, Primus just sounds corny when they try it. This whole album is THE real deal.
This song sounds like a sequel to Prove You Wrong imo
radrcer
An underrated song.
Joshua Henry
Most underrated band of our time
Bob Hopes
Great band. Extremely underrated. I mean EXTREMELY.
TrephineArtist
Not of this EARTH! Great song, classic album, awesome band :)
Insomniac Random
Sooo good. Raven had one of the best bass tones.
8bitbeatbox
I wake up today with those drums in my head!
Deadleg
Drums are killer, real sludgy sounding.
Dr.Scorpiopus
One of my all time favorite songs to smoke a bowl to.
Mike V
this album reminds me of the best of times