Tommy Victor’s Prong have been cranking out music at a furious rate lately, with 4 studio albums in the past 5 years. While this work ethic is admirable (and rivaled only by Creedence Clearwater Revival circa 1969-70)1, we all know quantity does not always equal quality. 2012’s Carved Into Stone was their best record since their early 1990s heyday, but the follow-ups Ruining Lives and X – No Absolutes were somewhat hindered by fake-sounding production and some half-baked attempts at melody. Can Zero Days reverse the trend, or continue it further?
“However It May End” is textbook Prong, although its mid-paced stomp makes it an odd choice for an opener — it feels like it should be track 2 or 3, preceded by something faster and/or more anthemic. “Forced Into Tolerance,” however, is a total rager, continuing Prong‘s pattern of including at least one or two thrash songs on each of their last few records. For the record, I am 100% in favor of this. The paint-by-numbers production from X – No Absolutes remains, sadly, making Zero Days sound like an AutoTune instructional video and/or a band that would be playing side stage at 10 AM on a tour sponsored by workout supplements.
The rest of Zero Days‘ A-side goes by without much incident, neither surprising or offending, until we come to track 7, “Blood Out Of Stone.” I was unsure of exactly how to describe this song, so I passed it along to my family proctologist Dr. A.N. Grier, who diagnosed it thusly: “Dude, this sounds like Linkin Park” (R.I.P. Chester). Indeed, the poppy melody and keyboard textures could be mistaken for something that plays over the credits of a Michael Bay movie, distinguished only by Prong‘s unmistakable vocal style.
“Self Righteous Indignation” finds Victor venturing into super-downtuned territory, vaguely approximating the deathcore movement at times. “Rulers Of The Collective” and “Wasting Of The Dawn” integrate electronic effects more convincingly than “Blood Out Of Stone,” sounding like a beefier take on the band’s Rude Awakening-era material. It’s worth noting that Victor has come a long way as a vocalist, with a more varied and emotive approach than in the band’s early days. As commendable as this is, I’m listening to Prong for the riffs, and that seems to be one department in which Zero Days is sorely lacking. For years, Victor was the Michael Jordan of squealy, atonal guitar madness, but it seems that he may be entering the Birmingham Barons phase of his career.
The rest of the album is an exercise in duality, veering wildly between Prong‘s trademark industrial thrash and embarrassing forays into more commercial waters. “The Whispers” is another pop-structured tune, completely omitting Victor’s unique guitar style in favor of predictable chord progressions. This song is sandwiched between a pair of heavier numbers, “Operation Of The Moral Law” and “Self Righteous Indignation,” which only highlights its awkwardness.
Look, I have no problem with bands trying new things. Prong is a band that could get stale very quickly if not augmented with new ideas, and I commend Victor for exploring his range as both a vocalist and songwriter. I also enjoy big, catchy hooks as much as the next guy, and Prong has never been lacking in that department — see “Prove You Wrong,” “Whose Fist Is This Anyway,” and obviously “Snap Your Fingers, Snap Your Neck.” But the “melodic” tracks on Zero Days sound like a completely different band, or more accurately, some producer’s demo reel. Prong hit it out of the goddamn park with Carved Into Stone, but the albums since then have sounded increasingly phoned-in and inconsistent. Zero Days is a mixed bag at best, split between building upon past glories and making ill-advised grasps at pop accessibility.
Rating: 2.5/5.0
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: SPV/Steamhammer Records
Websites: prong.bandcamp.com | prongmusic.com | facebook.com/prongmusic
Releases Worldwide: July 28th, 2017
