Like few other contemporary metal bands, Prong embody down-to-earth values, perseverance, and a strong connection with their fans. "Right from the start of our career, we did almost everything ourselves," recalls guitarist, singer, and band founder Tommy, looking back on the intense and extremely busy early days in the 1980s. "We didn't just write songs and record albums, but also managed ourselves, organized the merchandise, sent demos to clubs, and booked the vans. After that, there were a few years when record labels and agencies got involved and helped us out." But today the situation is back to how it was at the beginning; we're taking care of everything ourselves, the circle is complete." The latest result of this great commitment: A new Prong EP is being released via Steamhammer/SPV on digipak and 12" vinyl, featuring two brand-new studio tracks and three live tracks. The EP is titled Age Of Defiance. The first taste of this noteworthy release comes on October 25, 2019, with the digital single "End Of Sanity." With Age Of Defiance, Prong are deliberately bridging the difficult-to-endure transition period for their loyal fanbase between two full-length albums. Since the release of their 2017 album Zero Days, the band has been touring tirelessly around the world, so a follow-up album wouldn't have been expected until late 2020. Victor explains: "To avoid making our fans wait too long for new songs, we're releasing this EP. After so many full-length albums, I wanted to take a short break this time, partly because the two studio tracks on the EP absolutely deserve it, and partly because you can maintain a particularly high level of energy when you're only working on two songs. I think you can feel the band's sheer joy in playing in every note." The new 5-track EP opens with the title track, "Age Of Defiance," which Victor describes as "rather unusual for Prong." "The track is incredibly powerful, with a great groove, a catchy chorus, everything very fresh and modern." The second studio track, "End Of Sanity," is, according to the Prong frontman, "a typical thrash/hardcore/crossover song for us, which I specifically wrote for the American tour with Agnostic Front. Anyone who likes Prong will love this track." Age Of Defiance is rounded out with three live tracks recorded by Victor & Co. during their major headlining tour in April 2015 at Berlin's Huxleys Neue Welt: "Rude Awakening" from the 1996 album of the same name, plus "Another Worldly Device" and "Cut Rate" from the 1994 major-label album Cleansing. In total, five songs that skillfully bridge the gap between past, present and future. The current album was produced by Tommy Victor and Chris Collier (Korn, Lynch Mob, Ultraphonix), a proven studio professional with a keen ear for perfect prong dynamics. Collier also mixed and mastered Age Of Defiance. "Chris is a wonderful sound engineer who immediately understands my ideas and then implements them perfectly," Victor praises his production partner, adding: "We've been working together for years; Chris also produced Ruining Lives (2014), Songs From The Black Hole (2015), X-No Absolutes (2016), and Zero Days (2017)." You can tell that Tommy Victor is extremely satisfied with the current lineup in Prong, which also includes bassist Jason Christopher and drummer Aaron Rossi. "Aaron is a real powerhouse drummer and gives this band its rhythmic foundation," Victor raves. "He was already featured on Power Of The Damager in 2007 and returned to us last year. Aaron, in turn, has been with us for eight years and is a fantastic performer on stage." New product