This Florida-based nu-metal formation, which is said to be the reminiscent of bands like Slipknot, Korn or Deftones, was formed in 2017 by Johnny Crowder, who was the vocalist of the former blackened death metal band, Dark Sermon (originally named as In Reference to a Sinking Ship back in 2009) after the members of DS decided to go on an indefinite hiatus. As the description on their Facebook page says: they deliver "heavy müsic with a positive message." The lyrics of Prison songs discuss different kinds of topics, from mental illness to addiction to sexual abuse, trying to give comfort to those who suffer.
Photo taken from Prison's Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/prisonfl/)
Their 2019 album, Still Alive, is a smasher, in my humble opinion. It starts off in an interesting way with "Hurt" which is voice recordings from people who had to cope with traumas in their lives, but they are still alive. Therefore, "Hurt" is a positive message that goes on through the whole album. What I really like about this album is how they went from one song to the next, like it was one continous piece, without any breaks. That's how track no. 2, "Pray For Me" kicks off, too. What amazes me the most about this song is the very beginning with the drums sounding like a heartbeat, which gives the impression of being alive.
Which leads us to the next song, which is "Still Alive" (and also, the title of the album). Again, it starts in a creative way: with the beeping sounds of the heart of the defibrillator after someone being brought back to life. I simply love the positive message of the whole album - it keeps telling you traumas can break but can never destruct you.
My personal favorite on the album most probably is "You and Me and the Devil". The heavy riffs are constrasted with some softer sounds in the background at the very beginning, and the rythm of drums and vocals is just fantastic during the lines "Dear Devil, is it safe to assume that I'm the only one in this room?"
"Obituary’s Son" is the perfect closing of the album, with its lyrics and its ending. It's perfect. As a matter of fact, the album itself is perfection, and if you haven't listened to it yet, I would suggest you to do it as soon as possible. The band has a new single titled "I Don't Want to Be Afraid Anymore" that came out in October. Go and check it, too, out.
Give a visit to their social sites as well, along with Spotify, Bandcamp, Apple Music, Youtube, and their merch site: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/prisonfl/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/PrisonBand/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/prisonlives/ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4UVyBJPlg3bV69JZk1trYq Bandcamp: https://prisonfl.bandcamp.com Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/prison/1246981534 Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/prisonfl Merch: https://www.prisonmerch.com