Band:	Prong
Album:	State Of Emergency
Style:	Groove thrash metal
Release date:	October 2023

01. The Descent
02. State Of Emergency
03. Breaking Point
04. Non-Existence
05. Light Turns Black
06. Who Told Me
07. Obeisance
08. Disconnected
09. Compliant
10. Back (NYC)
11. Working Man [Rush cover]

The 51st state. 

Perennial underdogs Prong have long existed on the fringes of metal, always on the outside barking loudly, yet also having the bite to back those barks up when push came to shove. While the band have never fully taken things to the next level, save for a brief moment back in the mid-nineties, they have remained consistent in the quality of their output of alt-tinged groove metal. State Of Emergency is the latest iteration of the band's abrasive, yet mace-like swinging style: likely overlooked by many, but enjoyed by those that give it the time of day. 

You could be forgiven for thinking Tommy Victor was a man in his mid-30s, as the man belies his sixty years of age thanks to his powerful voice and exuberant presence. Perhaps thanks to the band's inability to break through the glass ceiling, Prong have maintained an attitude similar to bands trying to assert themselves on their first few albums, full of the anger and purpose that is lost as many groups ascend the ranks. "Breaking Point" has the kind of vim and vigour that is usually diminished after thirteen albums, but State Of Emergency is swimming in it. 

Prong have never been ones to pick a lane, with albums often drifting between groove metal (the title track), the swagger of NYC hardcore a la Madball or Warzone on "Lights Turn Black", to more alt rock-inspired tracks like the Therapy?-invoking "Compliant". This free flowing between styles is often what gives their albums a charm and identity of their own, and State Of Emergency is yet the latest record to benefit from this shifting nature. 

Perhaps the song that has caught many an eye (hopefully not in the same way Ruining Lives' cover art did) is the decision by the band to cover Rush's "Working Man", a band you wouldn't have thought had much in the way of crossover with Prong, but hey ho. While it does condense the seven minutes of the original down to four minutes, it does manage to put the band's own spin on the classic and isn't a case of merely photocopying the original. If it was an original track, I doubt many would give it much cop, however. 

Evatts' production work is a mixed bag, with Evatts managing to give shape and reason to the free-flowing nature of the music, each element sounding just as vital as the next. This, however, comes at the expense of condensing the sound into a tight and narrow package that lacks much in the way of expansiveness and doesn't pop when you would expect it to (such as on the chorus of "The Descent"). It is overall a more positive experience, but there are moments where you feel the shortcomings do hold the songs back from the heights they could potentially reach. 

When I mentioned Prong were consistent, I didn't necessarily mean solely in ways that were positive. One recurring issue throughout their career is that every album always has a few clunkers among their number, and State Of Emergency unfortunately doesn't break this habit. "Who Told Me" fizzles out, as "Obseisance" lumbers around and dabbles with electronics, providing an album with a mid-album lull that will make you wonder how Prong continue to include these tracks on their albums, instead of leaving them on the cutting room floor. Thankfully, the bad tracks are outnumbered by good, as the band's highlights far outshine and outweigh their low points. 

State Of Emergency is an enjoyable, if flawed, album. Prong continue to hit hard, but never fully cover the weak points that leave them vulnerable: worth a listen, but one where you should be prepared to hit the skip button during the album's mid-point.