Prong (band)

The band was founded by singer/guitarist Tommy Victor (then a sound engineer for the club CBGB) and bassist Mike Kirkland (doorman at CBGB's). Ex-Swans drummer Ted Parsons joined a few months later. Prong released an EP[3] Primitive Origins and an album Force Fed that were noted for their brutal hardcore punk sound. The recordings were released on Southern Records in the U.K. and Europe in the late 1980s. Although Force Fed was recorded and completed in 1987, due to label problems, the album was not released until early 1989, coinciding with the band's first European tour.

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 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 and John Bechdel, both from Killing Joke and Murder, Inc. The new line up released Cleansing (Prong's 5th major release). With a slight industrial metal influence, 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. The band toured America with Sepultura and Pantera as an opener for their respective Chaos A.D. and Far Beyond Driven tours. They also undertook a headlining European tour with Life of Agony and The Obsessed as their support.

Prong's sixth album Rude Awakening was released in 1996. It entered the charts at No. 107 and sold 10,000 units in America in one week. Epic Records decided Prong were not selling enough records and released them from their contract three weeks later. Shortly thereafter, Raven left prior to a tour supporting Type O Negative; He was replaced by Rob "Blasko" Nicholson, Mike Riggs later joined on guitar so Victor could focus more on vocals, This line-up later disbanded, Victor later joined Danzig as Glenn's guitar player, Ted Parsons left to join Godflesh. Parsons also played with Jesu and Toured with Paul Raven in Killing Joke.

In 2002, Victor re-formed Prong with bassist Brian Perry (Dirty Looks, Jake E. Lee), 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 Glenn 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 Brian Perry and Mike Longworth on bass as Longworth replaced Perry after his departure in 2003. Dan Laudo left the band in 2005 and the band enlisted 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 2006 album Rio Grande Blood. 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.

In 2007, Prong signed to Al Jourgensen's 13th Planet Records, who released Power of the Damager on October 2, 2007. The band embarked on the "Slicing Across America" and "Slicing Across Europe" tours supporting the album in 2007 and early 2008. Joining Tommy Victor for the tour were Monte Pittman and drummer Aaron Rossi; Paul Raven had died of an apparent heart attack in his sleep on October 20, 2007 at the age of 46.

Aaron Rossi joined Ministry as their new drummer on the "C U LaTour" which started in March 2008.

Alexei Rodriguez and Tony Campos from Static-X were on the lineup with Tommy supporting Soulfly on the "Blood Fire War Hate" tour in the fall of 2009. They were replaced by Jason Christopher (bass) in 2011[4][5][6] and Art Cruz (drums) in 2012.

The band supported Fear Factory on their tour which ended on June 6, 2010. Prong released a new album, Carved Into Stone, on April 23, 2012, with Long Branch Records/SPV. It was produced by Steve Evetts. The band toured as a headliner and with acts such as Crowbar in the US and in May 2012 performed Beg to Differ in its entirety during a two-week tour in Europe.[7][8]

In the summer of 2013, the band performed an extensive European festival and headline run and also recorded a self-released "Official Bootleg" entitled "Unleashed In The West - Live in Berlin" via Bandcamp.com.[9]

After spending November and December 2013 in the studio, Prong released their ninth album Ruining Lives on Steamhammer/SPV in April 2014 and toured relentlessly in its support. Blabbermouth.net calls the album "Tommy Victor's personal liberation."[10] The album was produced by Tommy Victor and mixed by Steve Evetts.

The band started a second wave of touring behind Ruining Lives in July 2014, with European festivals and headline shows. They also toured in North America, both as headliners and as support to Overkill, followed by a tour in Europe as main support to Overkill in October and November.[11][12] In 2015 the band released the cover album Songs from the Black Hole, followed a year later by their eleventh studio album X (No Absolutes). Another album, Zero Days, was released in 2017.[13] In 2017 at the beginning of August they also played a concert in Polish Woodstock Festival. Prong's next release was the EP Age of Defiance, released on November 29, 2019.[14] They also have a new full-length studio album in the works.[15]

• Tommy Victor – guitar, lead vocals (1986–present)
• Aaron Rossi – drums (2005–2009, 2018–present)
• Jason Christopher – bass, backing vocals (2012–present)

• Ted Parsons – drums (1986–1996)
• John Tempesta - drums (1997)
• Dan Laudo – drums (2002–2005)
• Alexei Rodriguez – drums (2009–2013)
• Art Cruz – drums (2014–2018)
• Mike Kirkland – bass, backing vocals (1986–1990)
• Troy Gregory – bass (1991–1993)
• Paul Raven – bass (1993–1996; died 2007)
• Rob "Blasko" Nicholson – bass (1996)
• Frank Cavanagh – bass (1997)
• Brian Perry – bass (2002–2003)
• Monte Pittman – bass (2002, 2006–2009), guitars (2002, 2003–2006)
• Mike Longworth – bass, backing vocals (2003–2006, 2016–2017)
• Tony Campos – bass (2009–2012)
• Mike Riggs – guitars (1996-1997)
• John Bechdel – keyboards, programming (1993–1995)
• Charlie Clouser – keyboards, programming (1995–1996)

• Joseph Bishara – keyboards (1994)
• Vince Dennis – bass (1996)
• Matthew Brunson – bass (2012)
• Dave Pybus – bass (2012)
• Fred Ziomek – bass, backing vocals (2019-2020)