It's A Cult Thing

Having survived two decades, brief hiatus aside, Prong remain a more than viable entity, recently issuing their Ruining Lives LP. As for where their groove-thrash/hardcore/industrial hybrid sits within the current metal landscape, the New York outfit’s sole remaining original member believes they’ve carved a niche. “It’s a cult following, it’s very different than everybody else. I think there’s a focus on, like, rock songs, like anthems, and songs, more than just riffs. So that’s an essential difference, and where we come from it’s a lot of post-punk, a lot of New York, East Coast sound to it. It’s difficult (to market), because you have AC/DC, where it’s a consistent sound. Prong evolves and we do a lot of different things, it’s always changing.” Who does he consider to be their contemporaries? “It’s hard to say. I’d say Helmet would be the closest. That’s what’s good about it – we’re the only ones doing it.”

“It’s a cult following, it’s very different than everybody else"

Prong heavily inspired others who have subsequently reached sizeable commercial heights though, nu-metallers Static-X for instance. Not that the frontman appears bitter about their pile-driving riffs being pillaged. “I don’t pay attention to that too much. Everything’s out there in the universe today, I don’t care. I like those guys. I stole from Bad Brains and stuff like that, I don’t care.”

The Music meets with Victor following a well-received Wacken set. His laid-back conversational demeanour belies the trio’s high-energy performances, which Australian audiences will finally experience in November. Grinspoon’s 1998 cover of Prong’s Snap Your Fingers, Snap Your Neck introduced them to many new sets of ears Down Under. “I heard it – they did a really good job with it. It came out great, I really liked it.” Discussing the Australian tour, the main-man promises a “legacy band (with) a lot of different songs”. “We’ve put a great set together and it’s really been working. We’ve been hitting it pretty hard this year, all the shows have been great. I got blessed, I’ve got really good players with me. These guys kick ass; really good guys, really good players, so we have a lot of fun. That’s the main thing; having a good time and enjoying going on stage. There’s a lot like a punk rock attitude about that, which is cool.”

Certain musicians would resent the legacy or heritage act tag, but it doesn’t faze Victor. “I accept it for what it is. But we have new records that are doing well, that people like, so that helps. The new records, they’re pretty good. People like the new songs (live) better I think, believe it or not. Carved Into Stone and Ruining Lives, those two records really had a good impact on people.”