Prong - X (No Absolutes)

Tommy and company are back with some righteous thrashy hardcore and I dig it heartily.Ol' Tommy Victor's outfit has been on a pretty nice roll the last few years, putting out an album pretty much every year since their comeback from hiatus in 2012, most recently impressing with their last studio album [of original tunes] Ruining Lives, which I liked a lot.

Well, thankfully the trend continues as Prong continues to crank out high-energy, thrashy hardcore you're likely to find. Seriously, whatever Tommy's been drinking to remain so fresh and prolific after 30 years of making music with Prong, get me a case of that shit. Tracks like Sense of Ease exemplify this tireless groove, with the verse riffage of Without Words sounds like a Testament B-side from Souls of Black. I say verse because the chorus has a catchy melodicism that you don't often hear in straight up thrash metal - which is Prong's strength and perhaps the secret to their longevity. That formula plays out for most of the album, including some righteous soloing from Tommy.

The Bottom Line: Prong is firing on all cylinders these days with more energetic hard core. Perhaps the arranging and recording of their preceding album Songs From The Black Hole (filled with covers by such bands as Hüsker Dü and Neil Young) galvanized the band with a newfound creativity, I don't know. But this latest effort sounds fantastic.

- Genghis is looking forward to checking these cats out in April...