Voivod & Prong

Very few bands survive for four decades. Even fewer are those that continue to reach new creative heights, long after legendary status has been achieved. Vovod were never like other bands: even as the thrash metal scene exploded in the early 80s, the Jonquire, Qubec crew stood apart, both as unique visionaries and as proud subverters of the metallic norm. From early prog-thrash classics like Killing Technology and Dimension Hatrss through to the psychedelic explorations of The Outer Limits, Vovod have been standard bearers for individuality and creative freedom for nearly 40 years. Despite the pressures of working amid a global pandemic, Synchro Anarchy sounds like the work of truly liberated artists. Still one of the most fervently creative bands on the planet, Vovod have created another kaleidoscopic sonic monster. The perfect antidote to just about everything, Synchro Anarchy will light up 2022 with crazed, lysergic glee. Meanwhile, its creators are planning their next around-the-world campaign, armed with some of the finest music they have ever written. We cant wait to put out the album and go on tour, as soon as its possible and safe! concludes Chewy. Many things are on the way for Vovod, we have a documentary and a book, and we may do some more online performances well see! But there are a lot of options. We all miss the touring and meeting our friends and fans around the world. Thats what its all about: creating, travelling, connecting with people. Rising out of the East Coast thrash metal landscape, Prong carved a niche all their own with their minimalist take on the genre that combines hardcore punk and metal with gritty New York City noise-rock. Fronted by guitarist/vocalist and sole constant member Tommy Victor, the band earned critical and commercial acclaim in the early 90s with a string of albums (Beg to Differ [1990], Prove You Wrong [1991], and Cleansing [1994] that paired unrelenting grooves with brash alternative metal). The group ceased operations in 1997. Prong re-formed in 2002, and after releasing a live album, 100% Live, the bandmembers went back into the studio to write their first studio album in six years, 2003s Scorpio Rising. Signed to Al Jourgensens 13th Planet label, Prong released their well-received seventh album, Power of the Damager, in 2007, which peaked at No. 47 on the Billboard Top Heatseekers chart. A remix album, Power of the Damn Mixxxer, followed in 2009 before the band returned three years later with Carved Into Stone, which also placed high on the Heatseekers chart, this time reaching no. 13. Their ninth album, the thrash-heavy Ruining Lives, appeared in 2014, with an all-covers album, Songs from the Black Hole, arriving in 2015 and featuring songs from influences like Bad Brains (Banned in D.C.), Neil Young (Cortez the Killer), and Sisters of Mercy (Vision Thing). The following year saw the release of their 11th studio long-player, X (No Absolutes), which paired Victors socio-political observations with punchy, thrash-laden grooves. Prong continued in that vein on 2017s Zero Days and 2023s State of Emergency, both of which trafficked in elements from all of the bands eras, with punk, metal, noise, doom, industrial, and thrash given a wide sonic berth.

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