Cleansing | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Studio album by | ||||
Released | January 25, 1994 | |||
Recorded | 1993 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 58:02 | |||
Label | Epic | |||
Producer |
| |||
Prong chronology | ||||
| ||||
Singles from Prong | ||||
|
Cleansing is the fourth album by the American heavy metal band Prong, released on January 25, 1994, by Epic Records. It was produced by Terry Date, whereas Prong's previous two albums had been produced by Mark Dodson. The album features ex-Killing Joke members Paul Raven on bass guitar and John Bechdel on keyboards and programming. Featuring an industrial-influenced sound, the record received moderate commercial success. [1]
The single "Snap Your Fingers, Snap Your Neck" received a commercial interest; [2] its music video received heavy rotation on MTV and was featured on an episode of Beavis and Butt-Head . [3] As a part of the album's promotion, the band toured with Sepultura and Pantera as an opener for their Chaos A.D. and Far Beyond Driven tours, respectively. [4]
The record was reissued by SPV/Steamhammer in 2008. [5]
Prong's vocalist and guitarist Tommy Victor has stated that the record was largely written in the bathroom of his Williamsburg apartment on an acoustic guitar at night. [3] Despite the label's opposition, the band chose Terry Date as the producer, recording the tracks at Bad Animals and Magic Shop recording studios. The album was mixed at Electric Lady Studios. [3]
Compared to band's New York hardcore-infused 1980s work, Cleansing incorporates Pantera-influenced guitar grooves and industrial metal sounds; [6] the album's style was also described as alternative metal. [7] According to Victor, the band "really went in the direction of anything that wasn't thrash metal, because we were sick of the whole thing," with The Sisters of Mercy's 1990 album Vision Thing being an influence on the record. [8]
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [9] |
Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal | 8/10 [10] |
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [11] |
Kerrang! | [12] |
MusicHound Rock | [13] |
Ox-Fanzine | [14] |
Record Collector | [7] |
Record-Journal | A+ [15] |
Rock Hard | 9/10 [16] |
AllMusic critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine described the record as "the band's most varied and best record yet," remarking that the record "tightens up their trademark drilling guitars while adding some slight techno and industrial touches." Erlewine further noted that the new elements "heightens the tension" but also "strengthens their already muscular metallic roar." [9] Record Collector 's Joel McIver described the record as "a respectable seller rather than a monster" and wrote: "although the album sounds great to this day, all slablike, noisegated riffs and pulsating beats, it wasn't to be." McIver also compared the staccato guitar sound to the more commercial works of Fear Factory. [7]
Jason Roche of The Village Voice included Cleansing on his list of Top 20 New York Hardcore and Metals Albums, saying that it "proved to be as catchy as it was heavy". [6] Tommy Victor has ranked it as the second best Prong album. [3]
All tracks are written by Prong
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Another Worldly Device" | 3:23 |
2. | "Whose Fist Is This Anyway?" | 4:42 |
3. | "Snap Your Fingers, Snap Your Neck" | 4:11 |
4. | "Cut-Rate" | 4:52 |
5. | "Broken Peace" | 6:11 |
6. | "One Outnumbered" | 4:58 |
7. | "Out of This Misery" | 4:25 |
8. | "No Question" | 4:17 |
9. | "Not of This Earth" | 6:25 |
10. | "Home Rule" | 3:57 |
11. | "Sublime" | 3:53 |
12. | "Test" | 6:40 |
Total length: | 58:02 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
13. | "Corpus Delicti" | 3:33 |
14. | "No Souls Rising" | 3:50 |
15. | "Snap Your Fingers, Snap Your Neck" (live) | 4:32 |
Album credits as adapted from the liner notes. [18]
Chart (1994) | Peak position |
---|---|
Billboard 200 [19] | 126 |
"Snap Your Fingers, Snap Your Neck" has been covered by several artists:
Cowboys from Hell is the fifth studio album and major label debut by American heavy metal band Pantera, released on July 24, 1990, by Atco Records. It marked the first of many collaborations with producer Terry Date. This was also the album where Pantera fully abandoned the glam metal style of their previous albums in favor of a heavier sound. It has been recognized as one of the first ever groove metal albums.
Prong is an American heavy metal band formed in New York City in 1986. The band is fronted by guitarist/vocalist Tommy Victor, Prong's sole constant member. To date, they have released 13 studio albums, one live album, four EPs, one DVD and one remix album.
Beg to Differ is the second studio album by American heavy metal band Prong, released in 1990 through Epic Records. The album includes one live track recorded at CBGB's in New York City in 1989. Brian "Pushead" Schroeder did the design and cover artwork for the album. Part of the song "Lost and Found" was used for commercial breaks of MTV's Headbangers Ball in the early 1990s.
Prove You Wrong is an album by American heavy metal band Prong, released in 1991. It is their only album with Troy Gregory on bass guitar. The album includes a cover of "(Get A) Grip ", originally by The Stranglers.
Rude Awakening is the fifth studio album by American metal band Prong. It is an enhanced CD but was also released as a special limited edition on 12" red vinyl. The album was reissued in 2008 as a digipak version, featuring four remixes of the "Rude Awakening" single and a new booklet.
Chaos A.D. is the fifth studio album by Brazilian heavy metal band Sepultura, released in 1993 by Roadrunner Records. The album saw a stylistic departure from the band's earlier thrash metal style, by featuring a new groove metal sound. Chaos A.D. is also Sepultura's only album on Epic Records, who handled its release for North American distribution, as well as the first album to feature Paulo Jr. on bass after having played with the band in a live capacity since 1984.
Alternative metal is a genre of heavy metal music that combines heavy metal with influences from alternative rock and other genres not normally associated with metal. Alternative metal bands are often characterized by heavily downtuned, mid-paced guitar riffs, a mixture of accessible melodic vocals and harsh vocals and sometimes unconventional sounds within other heavy metal styles. The term has been in use since the 1980s, although it came into prominence in the 1990s.
Pro-Pain is an American heavy metal band based in New York City, formed in 1991 by vocalist and bassist Gary Meskil and drummer Dan Richardson, both former members of Crumbsuckers.
Pedro Henrique "Kiko" Loureiro is a Brazilian guitarist. He has been a member of several heavy metal bands, including Angra and Megadeth.
Groove metal, sometimes also called neo-thrash or post-thrash, is a subgenre of heavy metal music that began in the early 1990s. Heavily influenced by thrash metal, groove metal features raspy singing and screaming, down-tuned guitars, heavy guitar riffs, and syncopated rhythms. Groove metal is usually slower than thrash. Pantera are often considered the pioneers of groove metal, and the genre expanded in the 1990s with bands including White Zombie, Machine Head, and Sepultura. Successful groove metal acts of the 2000s include Lamb of God, DevilDriver, and Five Finger Death Punch.
Thomas Michael Victor is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, and producer. He is best known as the lead singer and guitarist for heavy metal band Prong, which he founded in New York City in 1986, as well as the guitarist for heavy metal band Danzig intermittently since 1996 and full-time since 2008.
Pushing Buttons is the third extended play by Australian alternative rock band Grinspoon, and was released on 21 September 1998 via Universal Records. It peaked at number 13 on the ARIA Singles Chart.
Prong is an American heavy metal band formed in 1986. The band was originally composed of founder Tommy Victor, along with Mike Kirkland (bass) and ex-Swans drummer Ted Parsons. Their first two studio releases, the EP Primitive Origins (1987) and debut studio album Force Fed (1989), were released independently and directed more towards the hardcore punk. The trio signed with Epic Records, and their first major label release, 1990's Beg to Differ, was a minor success, and received regular exposure on MTV's Headbangers Ball. Former Flotsam and Jetsam bassist Troy Gregory replaced Kirkland for 1991's Prove You Wrong. Gregory was soon replaced by ex-Killing Joke bassist Paul Raven, plus keyboardist John Bechdel for 1994's Cleansing. The album marked a change of direction towards a more industrial sound, being regarded as Prong's "most varied record". Prong would disband following 1996's "less inspired" Rude Awakening.
Cast in Stone is the ninth album by British heavy metal band Venom, and their first album in 12 years to feature the original lineup. Recorded at Lartington Hall Studios near Barnard Castle, it was released on SPV/Steamhammer in 1997. It is the last Venom album to feature Abaddon on drums.
Violence & Force is the second studio album by the Canadian speed metal band Exciter, released through Megaforce Records in February 1984. The album was produced by The Rods drummer Carl Canedy, who had already produced Anthrax's debut album Fistful of Metal.
Carved into Stone is the eighth studio album by American metal band Prong. It reached No. 13 at the Top Heatseekers chart. Released on April 24, 2012, via Long Branch Records/SPV, the work was produced by Steve Evetts with cover artwork by Vance Kelly.
Thomas Youngblood is an American metal guitarist, songwriter, and founding member of power metal band Kamelot.
Zero Days is the twelfth studio album by American heavy metal band Prong. It was released on July 28, 2017 through Steamhammer/SPV record label. The record was produced by the band's guitarist/vocalist Tommy Victor and longtime collaborator Chris Collier, the latter also engineering the album.
X – No Absolutes is the eleventh studio album by American heavy metal band Prong. It was released on February 5, 2016 through Steamhammer/SPV record label. The record was produced by the band's guitarist/vocalist Tommy Victor and engineer Chris Collier.
{{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)