By DJ Monk
Prong founder and frontman Tommy Victor freely admits that this EP is very much a stopgap. With the band having toured virtually nonstop since the release of ‘Zero Days’ in 2017, a new studio album is deemed to be unlikely before the end of next year.
But, Victor was keen to offer up some new material in the interim, hence these two new songs, in the shape of the title track and ‘End Of Sanity’, and three live tracks, the latter of which, ironically, were not recorded on their last tour but hail from back in 2015.
The title track is archetypal, old school Prong, a crunching staccato riff sounding the opening punches before Victor’s characteristic snarl kicks in with more ferocity than Aaron Rossi’s most fierce blastbeat. It burns slowly, but then when it impacts it does so as effectively as a bush fire ripping through an Australian village.
‘End Of Sanity’ is more immediate, with a punkier feel but still very much in the old school Prong mien, delivering exactly what it says on the tin in terms of both impact and effect, forcing you to snap both your fingers and neck (sic) with an unconscious and equally uncontrollable sense of it being the only thing to do. Another huge crunching riff coupled with a beautifully snarled vocal.
The live recordings do present something of a problem, however. And that is summed up in the fact that there is absolutely no crowd noise. None. If it wasn’t for the breathlessness of Victor’s delivery, you would swear that these are studio recordings. Yes, they are convincing performances, but some sense of interaction would have added to the authenticity of the experience rather than leaving us with the feeling that they might well have done a Frampton/Priest/Sabaton on us…
- ‘Age Of Defiance’ is out now. You can get your copy HERE.
- Prong play the University of London Union (ULU), with Unearth and Dust Bolt, on Saturday 15 February.
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