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.[1]

X – No Absolutes
Studio album by
ReleasedFebruary 5, 2016 (2016-02-05)
Genre
Length44:25
LabelSteamhammer/SPV
Producer
Prong chronology
Songs from the Black Hole
(2015)
X – No Absolutes
(2016)
Zero Days
(2017)

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

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Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic74/100[2]
Review scores
SourceRating
Classic Rock     [3]
Exclaim!8/10[4]
Revolver4/5[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

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

Personnel

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Album personnel as adapted from liner notes.[7]

Prong
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

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Chart (2016) Peak
position
German Albums Chart[8] 87
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[9] 7

References

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  1. ^ a b Henne, Bruce (December 12, 2015). "Prong detail X - No Absolutes". Louder Sound. Retrieved February 3, 2021.
  2. ^ a b "X – No Absolutes by Prong". Metacritic. Retrieved February 3, 2021.
  3. ^ a b Dome, Malcolm (January 22, 2016). "Prong: X – No Absolutes". Classic Rock. Retrieved February 3, 2021.
  4. ^ a b c Ayers, Chris (February 5, 2016). "Prong X – No Absolutes". Exclaim!. Retrieved February 3, 2021.
  5. ^ a b "Review: Prong – X (No Absolutes)". Revolver. Archived from the original on February 8, 2016. Retrieved February 3, 2021.
  6. ^ Bowar, Chad (February 5, 2016). "Prong: X – No Absolutes". Loudwire. Retrieved February 3, 2021.
  7. ^ X — No Absolutes (CD liner notes). Prong. Steamhammer/SPV. 2017.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  8. ^ "Prong > Longplay-Chartverfolgung" (in German). Musicline.de. Archived from the original on May 8, 2014. Retrieved August 24, 2011.
  9. ^ "Prong Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved February 3, 2021.
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