Prong is a metal band from New York City, New York, US, formed in 1986. Pro… Read Full Bio ↴Prong is a metal band from New York City, New York, US, formed in 1986. Prong had two independent releases, Primitive Origins and Force Fed. The albums attracted the attention of Epic Records, which signed the trio in 1989. The group disbanded in 1997 after the Rude Awakening tour, but re-formed in 2003. A pioneer of the urban scene, Prong is fronted by Tommy Victor.
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".

Slicing
Prong Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Never had a thought so how can you see me?
A man without a mind can never judge evenly.
Forever passing judgment compared to a fraud.

I'll never pare up.
I'll only distort your sight;
Only distort your sight.
It don't matter, knife in your hand.

I'll cut you down with a knife in my head.
It don't matter knife in my hand.
You can never mend it with a knife in your head.
I want a slice, can I carve evenly?

A man with no part moves so passively.

Can I cut you up, can I say you're a fraud?
You'll never pare up, I'll only destroy your size.

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Prong's "Slicing" initially appears to be a commentary on the human condition. The first few lines indicate that the singer, who is unknown, never really had exact thoughts to define himself, and he's questioning how others can see or judge him if he can't even figure himself out. He goes on to state that someone without the capability of clear thoughts can't judge people objectively. Forever passing judgments compared to a fraud. This refrain seems to speak to the idea that it's easier to criticize and judge others from a distance than to look into oneself and make changes to one's own behavior.

The rest of the song is a little more sinister. The singer claims that he will only distort the perception of others and not pare up or return things to their original state. He speaks about knives in his hand and head, and how any attempts to mend the damage will be fruitless. He wants to slice things, and he wants to carve evenly, which seems to indicate that he wants to cut through everything and see things more clearly.

Overall, the song appears to be about someone who is unhappy with their own life and status, and they take it out on others through criticism and violence. The lyrics of "Slicing" may have darker undertones, but they are also thought-provoking, and give listeners something to ponder.

Line by Line Meaning

Never had a thought so how can you see me?
Someone who has never had an original thought can never truly understand or perceive another person.

A man without a mind can never judge evenly.
If someone lacks critical thinking and intellectual capacity, their judgment will always be biased and unfair.

Forever passing judgment compared to a fraud.
People who constantly judge others are often projecting their own insecurities and flaws onto them, making them no better than the people they criticize.

I'll never pare up.
I will never conform or fit in with society's expectations.

I'll only distort your sight;
Instead of fitting into your worldview, I will challenge it and force you to see things from a different perspective.

It don't matter, knife in your hand.
The presence of a weapon does not intimidate me or deter me from speaking my truth.

I'll cut you down with a knife in my head.
Even though I may appear damaged or unconventional, I still have the power to defend myself and others using my intellect and unconventional methods.

You can never mend it with a knife in your head.
Violence and aggression can never heal the wounds caused by our differences and disagreements.

I want a slice, can I carve evenly?
I want to dissect and analyze your perspective with fairness and impartiality, despite our differences.

A man with no part moves so passively.
Someone who does not identify with any group or label may seem apathetic or disinterested in matters, but they may have a unique and valuable viewpoint to offer.

Can I cut you up, can I say you're a fraud?
Can I challenge your beliefs and expose any hypocrisies or contradictions in them?

You'll never pare up, I'll only destroy your size.
You will never fully fit into society's norms or expectations, and instead of trying to fit in, I will use my words and perspectives to dismantle these norms and create a more inclusive world.

Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.

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