''X – No Absolutes'' is the eleventh studio album by American heavy metal band

Prong Prong or Prongs may refer to: * Prong, synonym of tine (structural), a branch or spike of various tools and natural objects * Prong (band), an American metal band * Prong (company), an iPhone accessories company in New York City * Prongs, British ...

. 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. Victor has described the songs from ''X – No Absolutes'' as "a collection of

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intensified crushers, furious barn burners, and fist pumping sing-a-longs." The album features elements from

thrash metal Thrash metal (or simply thrash) is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music characterized by its overall aggression and often fast tempo.Kahn-Harris, Keith, ''Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge'', pp. 2–3, 9. Oxford: Berg, 2007, . ...

groove metal Groove metal is a subgenre of heavy metal music that began in the early 1990s. The genre achieved success in the 1990s and continued having success in the 2000s. Inspired by thrash metal and traditional heavy metal, groove metal features raspy ...

and

industrial rock Industrial rock is a fusion genre that fuses industrial music and rock music. It initially originated in the 1970s, and drew influence from early experimental and industrial acts such as Cromagnon, Throbbing Gristle, Einstürzende Neubauten a ...

Critical reception

''X – No Absolutes'' has received generally positive reviews. At

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...

, 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". Writing for ''

Classic Rock Classic rock is a US radio format which developed from the album-oriented rock (AOR) format in the early 1980s. In the United States, the classic rock format comprises rock music ranging generally from the mid-1960s through the mid 1990s, primar ...

'', 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." Chris Ayers of ''

Exclaim! ''Exclaim!'' is a Canadian music and entertainment publisher based in Toronto, which features in-depth coverage of new music across all genres with a special focus on Canadian and emerging artists. The monthly Exclaim! print magazine publishes 7 ...

'' stated: "Though it's impossible to rewind to the

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

-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."

Loudwire ''Loudwire'' is an American online media magazine that covers news of hard rock and heavy metal artists. It is owned by media and entertainment business Townsquare Media. Since its launch in August of 2011, ''Loudwire'' has secured exclusive ...

's Chad Bowar noted the record to be a "very efficient 45 minute album, with very little filler." ''

Revolver A revolver (also called a wheel gun) is a repeating handgun that has at least one barrel and uses a revolving cylinder containing multiple chambers (each holding a single cartridge) for firing. Because most revolver models hold up to six roun ...

'' 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."

Track listing

# "Ultimate Authority" — 2:55 # "Sense of Ease" — 4:05 # "Without Words" — 3:19 # "Cut and Dry" — 3:52 # "No Absolutes" — 3:19 # "Do Nothing" — 3:41 # "Belief System" — 3:22 # "Soul Sickness" — 3:06 # "In Spite of Hindrances" — 2:46 # "Ice Runs Through My Veins" — 4:06 # "Worth Pursuing" — 3:13 # "With Dignity" — 3:16 # "Universal Law" (bonus track) — 3:25

Personnel

Album personnel as adapted from liner notes. ;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

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:X - No Absolutes 2016 albums Prong (band) albums Steamhammer Records albums SPV GmbH albums Albums produced by Tommy Victor