For the past ten years, Prong has sat on the edge of achieving great success in the hard rock genre. Their lineup has changed, their label has changed, and their sound has metamorphosed from straightforward late-eighties metal to a more industrial flavored sound. Now, with their latest release, Rude Awakening, Prong can finally see the payoff of those ten years.
Of course, these days to say a band has been around for ten years is saying something in itself, especially in the rock genre. Ten years ago, we were dead in the middle of "glam rock", with groups like Poison and Motley Crue ruling rock radio and rock album sales - while bands like Prong, Metallica, Anthrax, and others screamed noisily from the sidelines. But in the past few years, those former sideline players have seemingly taken over the field, while those who once ruled the roost are on a perpetual tour of some third world country where they can still sell an album or two.
Rude Awakening is hard to pin down in terms of sound. Produced by guitarist/vocalist Tommy Victor and Terry Date (White Zombie, Pantera), the album does have a definite metal edge, but like Date's work with White Zombie, there are little additions here and there that separate Rude Awakening from the usual mix of drums, guitars and bass. Add to that the collaboration of Charlie Clauser (Nine Inch Nails), and the sound becomes what could best be called "techcore" at points.
The multimedia track that accompanies Rude Awakening does have a couple of interesting features - for instance, an audio remix of the leadoff track, "Controller" - but some less than interesting points, like a "game" (for lack of a better word), where you have to figure out the URL for the band's webpage. Overall, I'm glad the disc won't cost any extra for the track - but it certainly doesn't bring down the value of the overall disc, either.
The bottom line is this - when you listen to Rude Awakening, you'll think about Nine Inch Nails and White Zombie, and about ten other bands. But the key is that Prong has been around as long if not longer than newer bands who are using the Prong influence as a basis for their music. These guys aren't an older band trying to cash in on the new sound. This "new sound" has been a part of their makeup for some time now - and people would do good to remember that.
