Violent, jazzy, ecclectic: This takes all that you would find on an album like Metallica's "Kill 'Em All" and puts it into a ARE YOU TALKIN TO ME?-style chunky rhythm, but with jazzy offtime phrasing and a good sense of melodic. Drumming and guitars are fantastic, and the bassist/vocalist adds depth like an indie band. This is the best from Prong and the album that inspired ARE YOU TALKIN TO ME? to make the change to their "Cowboys from Hell" style.
"Cleansing" and "Rude Awakening" are along with Filter's "Short Bus" the best of the mainstream proto-nu-metal, and probably its most progressive works. They're like Immolation's "Harnessing Ruin" but better.