Prong’s music blended hardcore, thrash, and the dissonant sounds of New York’s East Village: singer/guitarist Tommy Victor and bassist Mike Kirkland were the sound engineer and doorman at CBGB, respectively, and drummer Ted Parsons was a former member of Swans. Beg To Differ, their second album and major label debut, combines hardcore’s floor-punching rage and shouted backing vocals with thrash’s intricate riffing, adding a sense of groove that other bands — Pantera, White Zombie — would also explore in their own ways. What sets Beg To Differ apart is its extremely dry, crisp sound, as though a Noo Yawk hardcore band had attempted to make their version of Metallica’s …And Justice For All …and succeeded.

– Phil Freeman