PRONG

Everyone agrees on one thing: live concerts are the icing on the cake—for both musicians and fans. Every show is a truly special experience and sometimes even creates an almost magical performance. Moments like these can’t be put into words—you simply have to be there to believe it, or, at best, capture them for posterity—just as the American metal band Prong has done with their new live album. That’s exactly what guitarist and singer Tommy Victor, along with his bandmates Christopher Dean (bass) and Tyler Joseph (drums), have achieved on *Live And Uncleansed*: Recorded over seven nights in July and August 2025, they present eleven powerful live songs (plus three live bonus tracks), all raw and unadulterated, authentic and honest—and that’s exactly what makes the result so incredibly captivating. “We were really in sync; this is a true live album—everything is just as it is,” explains Tommy Victor, proudly adding, “You can hear a few small mistakes here and there, but that’s exactly what makes it cool!”

The concerts in late summer 2025 were part of the tour celebrating the 30th anniversary of Prong’s classic 1994 album “Cleansing.” The venues and festivals where the recordings for “Live And Uncleansed” took place include Wacken Open Air on July 31, 2025 (“Snap Your Fingers, Snap Your Neck”), the Alcatraz Festival in Kortrijk, Belgium, on August 10, 2025 (“Revenge ... Best Served Cold,” “The Descent”), and at the legendary Colos-Saal in Aschaffenburg on August 2, 2025 (“Inheritance,” “Whose Fist Is This Anyway?”) and at the Hirsch-Club in Nuremberg on August 7, 2025 (“One Outnumbered,” “Corpus Delecti,” “Out Of This Misery”).

Prong was founded in 1986 by Tommy Victor and Mike Kirkland, who both worked at the legendary New York club CBGB. The band, which emerged from the Lower East Side art and music scene and had ties to the New York hardcore scene, quickly gained recognition for its unique sound. Initially, they built a local fan base, but with the release of the EP “Primitive Origins,” the band also attracted attention nationwide and in the UK. Following the release and success of the album “Force Fed” in 1987, Prong caught the attention of major record labels. This was followed by “Beg To Differ,” an album that influenced many and is considered the seminal groove metal album. It featured the riff that served as the theme song for the MTV show “Headbangers Ball.” This was followed by “Prove You Wrong” and the hugely successful album “Cleansing.” The latter introduced the music world to the rock club and radio hit “Snap Your Fingers, Snap Your Neck.” This song remains a classic to this day and can be found on many streaming playlists. In 2023, Prong released the critically acclaimed album “State Of Emergency.” This 13th studio album features the modern groove metal anthem “Breaking Point” as well as a highly praised cover of Rush’s “Working Man.”