X – No Absolutes
| X – No Absolutes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | February 5, 2016 | |||
| Genres | ||||
| Length | 44:17 | |||
| Label | Steamhammer/SPV | |||
| Producers |
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| Prong chronology | ||||
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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. The members on the album consisted of Victor, bassist Jason Christopher, and drummer Art Cruz. Christopher and Cruz had performed on Prong's prior album, 2015's Songs from the Black Hole; thus, it was the first time that Prong's lineup had stayed exactly the same between albums since 1990 (when the band's original lineup had released three albums between 1987 and 1990).[1]
Victor has described the songs from X – No Absolutes as "a collection of riff intensified crushers, furious barn burners, and fist pumping sing-a-longs."[1]
Critical reception
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 74/100[2] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Classic Rock |    [3] |
| Exclaim! | 8/10[4] |
| Revolver | 4/5[5] |
X – No Absolutes has received generally positive reviews. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has an average score of 74 based on 4 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[2] Writing for Classic Rock, Malcolm Dome described the record as "the sound of Prong feeling comfortable in 2016" and "still underground and recognisable as the band who snapped our fingers and necks, but also adding essential modern detail."[3][4] Chris Ayers of Exclaim! stated: "Though it's impossible to rewind to the MTV-fuelled frenzy around 1994's Cleansing, this album shows that Victor, who turns 50 this year, still schools bands half his age with focus and mettle."[4] Loudwire's Chad Bowar noted the record to be a "very efficient 45 minute album, with very little filler."[6] Revolver wrote that the record was "charged with brawn and brains—thrashy dynamics, chunky grooves, ferocious metal energy, and Tommy Victor’s sharp-tongued socio-political observations."[5]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Ultimate Authority" | 2:54 |
| 2. | "Sense of Ease" | 4:05 |
| 3. | "Without Words" | 3:19 |
| 4. | "Cut and Dry" | 3:52 |
| 5. | "No Absolutes" | 3:18 |
| 6. | "Do Nothing" | 3:40 |
| 7. | "Belief System" | 3:22 |
| 8. | "Soul Sickness" | 3:05 |
| 9. | "In Spite of Hindrances" | 2:45 |
| 10. | "Ice Runs Through My Veins" | 4:05 |
| 11. | "Worth Pursuing" | 3:13 |
| 12. | "With Dignity" | 3:15 |
| 13. | "Universal Law" (bonus track) | 3:25 |
| Total length: | 44:17[7] | |
Personnel
Album personnel as adapted from liner notes.[8]
- Prong
- Tommy Victor — guitars, vocals
- Jason Christopher — bass
- Art Cruz — drums
- Additional personnel
- Tommy Victor — production
- Chris Collier — production, engineer, mixing, mastering
- Sebastian Rohde — artwork
- Firma Freimauer — artwork
- Neil Zlozower — photography
- Secret Playground — photography
Chart positions
| Chart (2016) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| German Albums Chart[9] | 87 |
| US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[10] | 7 |
References
- 1 2 "X – No Absolutes by Prong". Metacritic. Retrieved February 3, 2021.
- 1 2 Dome, Malcolm (January 22, 2016). "Prong: X – No Absolutes". Classic Rock. Retrieved February 3, 2021.
- 1 2 3 Ayers, Chris (February 5, 2016). "Prong X – No Absolutes". Exclaim!. Retrieved February 3, 2021.
- 1 2 "Review: Prong – X (No Absolutes)". Revolver. Archived from the original on February 8, 2016. Retrieved February 3, 2021.
- ↑ Bowar, Chad (February 5, 2016). "Prong: X – No Absolutes". Loudwire. Retrieved February 3, 2021.
- ↑ "X: No Absolutes - Prong". AllMusic. Retrieved January 22, 2025.
- ↑ X — No Absolutes (CD liner notes). Prong. Steamhammer/SPV. 2017.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ↑ "Prong > Longplay-Chartverfolgung" (in German). Musicline.de. Archived from the original on May 8, 2014. Retrieved August 24, 2011.
- ↑ "Prong Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved February 3, 2021.