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".
Unfortunately
Prong Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Spinning circles upon my brain.
No idea which way to go,
Roam around without a home.
So fucking lost, invalidated.
So brought down demasculated,
All the joy just disappeared;
Coming apart at the seams,
Want to be alone for the rest of my years.
Don't come inside,
Leave it to me to go on unfortunately.
Hope dissolved, degenerated.
The negative has penetrated.
No wish for sympathy.
It's all a mystery to me
All my wishes evaporated,
Insecurities saturated.
So many flaws reappeared.
The wrong way I tend to steer.
In the song Unfortunately by Prong, the singer is expressing their confusion and despair as they feel lost and without direction in life. The opening lines suggest the constant state of turmoil that the singer is experiencing, as they are unable to find any clear path or purpose. The repetition of "spinning circles upon my brain" further emphasizes the overwhelming confusion and frustration that the singer is feeling.
The lyrics also touch upon feelings of inadequacy and the loss of joy in life. The line "so brought down demasculated" highlights the way in which the singer's sense of self has been diminished, and how they feel invalidated by their circumstances. The image of "another bed full of tears" adds a sense of hopelessness to the overall tone of the song.
Throughout the rest of the lyrics, the singer continues to express their struggles with hopelessness and insecurities. The repeated use of the word "unfortunately" embodies the sense of resignation and fatalism that the singer is experiencing, as they feel trapped in their negative thoughts and feelings.
Line by Line Meaning
Confusions born here every day,
Every day brings new uncertainties and confusions into my life.
Spinning circles upon my brain.
These uncertainties and confusions swirl around in my head and cloud my judgement.
No idea which way to go,
I have no clear direction or path to follow.
Roam around without a home.
I feel lost and without a sense of belonging or purpose.
So fucking lost, invalidated.
I am completely lost and feel like my worth or value is being questioned or dismissed.
So brought down demasculated,
I am feeling defeated and emasculated in every aspect of my life.
All the joy just disappeared;
Everything that brought me happiness and fulfillment has vanished.
Another bed full of tears.
I am constantly crying and my sadness is overwhelming.
Coming apart at the seams,
I feel like I am falling apart and I am struggling to keep myself together.
Want to be alone for the rest of my years.
I crave solitude and isolation for the rest of my life.
Don't come inside,
I don't want anyone to enter my life or my personal space.
Leave it to me to go on unfortunately.
I am resigned to the fact that I will have to continue on with my life, even if it is filled with nothing but unfortunate circumstances.
Hope dissolved, degenerated.
I have lost all hope and it has deteriorated my mental state.
The negative has penetrated.
Negative thoughts and emotions have seeped into my being and have taken over my life.
No wish for sympathy.
I don't want anyone to feel sorry for me.
It's all a mystery to me
I don't understand why my life has taken this turn and everything seems like a complete mystery to me.
All my wishes evaporated,
All my dreams and desires have disappeared into thin air.
Insecurities saturated.
I am filled with insecurities and they have overtaken my life.
So many flaws reappeared.
I am surrounded by my flaws and they are constantly on display.
The wrong way I tend to steer.
I always seem to make the wrong decisions and steer myself in the wrong direction.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: PARSONS, RAVEN, VICTOR
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind