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".
Torn Between
Prong Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Your mind - transgression, deception, personal
Thought crime
Led into temptation, continuance sin
Punishment time, punish the mind
Guild embedded in
Tearing Torn Tearing Torn between two poles
Human animal flesh and bones
One undone, one's enough and one only knows
Tearing Torn Tearing Torn between two poles
You're never whole
The lyrics to Prong's song Torn Between depict a state of internal conflict and struggle between the contradictory polarities of the human experience. The opening lines speak of a conscience that constantly burns, creating a fiery hell in the mind due to the transgressions and personal thought crimes committed. This guilt is described as embedded within, suggesting a deep-seated form of self-punishment.
The song then goes on to describe the pull between temptation and sin, punishment and guilt, and the duality of the human condition. The recurring chorus of "Tearing Torn Tearing Torn between two poles" highlights this constant tug-of-war, with the two poles representing the animalistic, flesh-and-bones aspects of humanity and the more spiritual, ethereal side of existence. It is suggested that choosing between the two is an impossible task, as one can never be whole.
Overall, these lyrics suggest a struggle with personal morality and the challenge of reconciling our inherently flawed human nature with the desire for a more transcendent, spiritual experience.
Line by Line Meaning
A burning conscience torments you, filled with thoughts of wrongdoing, lies and guilt.
The first line talks about how a person's conscience troubles them with thoughts of their misdeeds, which they feel guilty for.
You're led into temptation, into a cycle of sin which continues relentlessly.
The line speaks about how a person is susceptible to temptation and struggles to break free from the cycle of wrongdoing they are involved in.
It's time for punishment, which will torture your mind.
The third line suggests that a person is aware of the consequences of their actions, and the punishment will lead to mental agony.
Guilt is deeply embedded in you.
The fourth line reflects that the guilt of their misdeeds is very firmly rooted within them and they cannot escape it.
You're torn between two poles, unable to decide which one to choose.
The fifth line is an analogy for the struggles a person undergoes while trying to choose the path of righteousness over temptation.
One side is the human body with its flesh and bones, and the other is the spiritual soul and aura.
The sixth line is an extension of the previous line, highlighting the struggle between the physical and the spiritual aspects of a person's being.
One path leads to destruction, while the other is right but difficult to pursue.
The seventh line again emphasizes the internal conflict within a person, where one path is easy to follow but self-destructive, while the other is the right path but challenging.
You can never be fully content or at peace.
The final line implies that a person who is struggling with this internal conflict can never be entirely content, as they are continuously battling to make the right choices.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: GREGORY, VICTOR
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind