Prong - Zero Days album review

Thirty years into their existence, Prong have crossed over so many times that the knots they’ve created have ensured they’re knitted firmly into the fabric of metal history. It’s been a tempestuous ride – frontman Tommy Victor, like his contemporary Page Hamilton of Helmet, is the only original and consistent member – but Zero Days, Prong’s 12th album, is a focused and determined work with a fiery heart. Their thrash roots, gnarled and twisted, wind their way around everything they do here – particularly on the seething, full-pelt maelstrom of Forced Into Tolerance, with its beefy, pit-friendly breakdown that bloodies noses from 20 paces – latest drummer Art Cruz providing an uncompromising caveman foundation that rarely veers from its path. And yet Off The Grid has the hardcore punk fury that has always been a part of their genetic makeup, with a snotty obnoxiousness that screams of adolescent muscle-memory boundary-pushing even at their advanced age. While it’s more subdued than it has been in the past, their industrial side lurks just above the surface, as on the future-retro vocal treatment on Interbeing. The return of Prong may fly under the radar for many, but this old dog has plenty of bite left in it.