STRUNG OUT: Exile In Oblivion CD. Check audio samples.

STRUNG OUT: Exile In Oblivion released by Fat Wreck Chords in 2004.

It is one of those albums that grabs from the opening seconds and holds your attention through every song until ending perfectly. No filler on here though there are some songs better than others (none being anything less than 5/5). There are no other bands on the face of this Earth that sound like Strung Out which makes them all the more amazing to listen to... its kind of hard to even place them in a genre these days.

Listening to the blistering opener "Analog" you'll notice the band effortlessly blends the best metal elements they've begun to explore, with their root punk rock sound. What results is astounding. Tracks like "Blueprint Of The Fall" and "Lucifermotorcade" are shining examples of that. While Strung Out can obviously hit you heavy with those tracks, they can also recall their vintage sound from "Suburban Teenage Wasteland Blues" with tracks like "Swan Dive" and "Anna Lee". This gives the album an incredible balance. Strung Out has always been at their best when they were writing melodic, catchy music, and they prove they are still more than capable of doing that. The guitars can dazzle you with metallic riffs or solos on tracks like "Scarlet" and "Katatonia", but can also give you a solid punk feeling on "Angeldust" and "Never Speak Again". The drums are the best that the band has ever recorded, and further elevate the credibility of the musicianship. Jordan's lyrics are especially impressive on "Exile In Oblivion", as he talks about everything from the current state of our country to personal struggle. This gives tracks like "No Voice Of Mine" and "Skeletondanse" an extremely honest feeling. The album is perfectly paced, never dragging on too long or ending to abruptly. Rounding out at 14 song and 44 minutes, it's really the perfect length and you will find yourself overwhelmingly satisfied because every song on this album is a pleasure to listen to. Strung Out has proved they still have a valuable place in today's music world, which is more than lacking original bands like Strung Out (who go virtually uncredited, despite making some of the best music around). If you ever liked Strung Out on any of their previous releases, chances are you're going to find something about this cd to fall in love with. It will also probably open you to other aspects of their sound if you are a newer fan or a die hard original. "Exile In Oblivion" was easily one of 2004's top records in not only the punk genre, but any musical genre. Give it a listen, I promise no disappointments.
1. "Analog" – 2:55
2. "Blueprint Of The Fall" – 3:05
3. "Katatonia" – 2:46
4. "Her Name In Blood" – 3:20
5. "Angeldust" – 3:39
6. "Lucifermotorcade" – 2:43
7. "Vampires" – 2:46
8. "No Voice Of Mine" – 2:28
9. "Anna Lee" – 3:12
10. "Never Speak Again" – 4:01
11. "Skeletondanse" – 2:43
12. "Scarlet" – 3:19
13. "Swan Dive" – 3:30
14. "The Misanthropic Principle" – 4:06