PRONG is one of those relatively unknown bands who have nevertheless played a very significant role in the history of Metal, with bands such as SLIPKNOT, KORN and NINE INCH NAILS citing them as an inspiration. Having originally been formed in 1989, and having reformed in 2002 after a five year hiatus, their new album "Ruining Lives" is set to be released shortly, with the band already having a European leg of their tour of the album behind them. On this recent tour through Munich, PRONG's new songs were most certainly very well received by the crowd. But then again, listening to an album isn't always the same as seeing the songs performed live, and PRONG is particularly known for putting on a good show.

Some of the songs, such as "The Barrier", are a lot more in the vein of older PRONG music, circa the "Beg to Differ" era, with more rebellious Post-punk undertows. PRONG has a history of excellent riffs behind them, with their song "Snap Your Finger Snap Your Neck" being listed as one of the top 100 riffs ever by Kerrang! Magazine, and the new album definitely has its fair share of such good riffage. Some songs such as "Remove, Separate Self" are groovy and catchy melodies that immediately get stuck in your head. In comparison to these lighter-hearted tracks, songs like "Ruining Lives" are darker and heavier, whilst if speed and technicality are what you crave, songs like "Chamber of Thought" are probably more up your ally.

One thing that does stand out on "Ruining Lives" in comparison to earlier PRONG stuff is that the vocals on this album are noticeably more prominent whilst much of the distinctive guitar work has taken a back seat. The vocals can also sometimes seem to be too melodic for the underlying heaviness put forward by the rest of the instruments. This may not necessarily be a bad thing; on the one hand, it does lend some freshness to the band's sound, but on the other hand, this may not be much to the liking of diehard fans. The production on this album is also very good, but again may verge on being too clean for fans of the more raw earlier works.

Overall, this is a harder hitting follow-up to "Carved into Stone"; in a recent interview with Metal Temple, frontman Tommy Victor himself says that "Ruining Lives" is a good follow-up to "Carved into Stone". It's a good album, with lots of variation thrown in, keeping songs fresh throughout. If you enjoyed this album, and in particular the harder songs, there is a good chance that you will love "Ruining Lives" and I would recommend checking it out.