Interview: Prong's Tommy Victor

Metal Insider sat down with Prong’s Tommy Victor prior to the band’s set at the Electric Factory in Philadelphia as part of their Spring tour with Testament and Sepultura. Tommy gave us the lowdown on Prong’s ramped up activity over the past several years, which includes a new album titled “Zero Days” this Summer. He also chatted in-depth about Prong’s place on the legendary Lower East Side scene of New York City during the mid to late 1980’s, which also included bands like White Zombie and Helmet, and of which Tommy was integral player. He actually ran sound at CBGB’s for a number of years, and talks about mixing hardcore acts like Breakdown, Underdog and Rest In Pieces at the club.

Another pointed topic of discussion was his disdain for the sub-genre hell that metal seems to be undergoing at the moment – he’s not a fan. He reminisces about the days that he’d go see The Buzzcocks, Sisters of Mercy, The Cro-Mags, and Carnivore without blinking an eye at any stylistic differences, and notes the shambles that “alternative” rock became in the late 1990’s. Of course, he also fills us in on his tenure as Danzig guitarist (currently Glenn’s longest-serving axeman), and the working relationship upon which the pair thrive, musically.

We also ask Tommy about his “defining” musical statement; if, in fact, there has been one yet from him, which led to a discussion about young bands finding their identity in a world where it’s seemingly all “been done.”

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