Prong + Sunlord

Prong started out playing hardcore, about what you’d expect from a band founded by a CBGB soundman. But if Tommy Victor & Co.’s early work conformed to the title of their 1987 debut, Primitive Origins, later releases such as Prove You Wrong showcased an ingenious cross-wiring of riff-happy thrash and improbably funky groove metal. Prong's recent material output has been some of its most focused: 2012's Carved Into Stone found Victor digging deep into his well of Killing Joke–style postpunk hooks, and the new Ruining Lives upholds the high standard.