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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Perfectly Done, September 22, 2006
After going through three phases... Strung Out has come to the point where they have found their sound. They started out as an okay skate/punk band no better than others on Fat Wreck Chords at the time with their first two albums "skinny years" and "Another Day in Paradise". Then they made two excellent cds that some still consider their best, myself included as with "Twisted by Design" and "Suburban Teenage...". What came next was the transitional period where they tried to fuse punk and metal as on "Element of Sonic Defiance" and "An American Paradox"... both reletively good albums but nothing spectacular. Finally, they released "Exile In Oblivion". I knew this would be something better from the first time I heard "No Voice of Mine" on Rock Against Bush Vol. 1. 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.
1. Analog- This song has the ability to be one of Strung Out's greatest songs ever written. It starts the album off perfectly with its eerie intro and hard hitting guitar bursts. It also has some of the best drumming and lyrics of the album.
2. Blueprint of the Fall- Continues the album moving right along with one of the catchiest songs on the album. As with the rest of the songs this also has great lyrics.
3. Katatonia- One of my personal favorites has got to be this one. It is one of the best songs to mosh to or see live. One that you cant help but scream out with or pump your fists.
4. Her Name In Blood- This song is one of the first ones you will be able to sing along to when you first hear it. It is probably the most distinct song on the album.
5. Angeldust- This slower song is a great singalong. It has great lyrics with an eerie sound and talks about things which southern californian's can relate to.
6. Lucifermotorcade- This song is usually the least liked by people at first listen. I for one, think it is very good. It is the hardest song on the album and offers a change of pace from Angel Dust
7. Vampires- Another great "ballad"... extremely catchy and one that you pick up like that.
8. No Voice Of Mine- The first song I heard off this album and still one of my favorites. This great song has the coolest overall sound to it than any other song. A classic.
9. Anna Lee- Another very catchy song with an uplifting mood to it.
10. Never Speak Again- One of the best songs Strung Out have ever written... its sound shows all of the work they evidently put into this one.
11. Skeletondanse- Actually my least favorite song on the album although still an easy 5/5 Just not as magnificent as the rest of the songs.
12. Scarlet- A Strung Out love song... you know its gonna be good.
13. Swan Dive- An awesome sound with more of the Strung Out punk feel of their older days
14. Misanthropic Principle- Definately one that will eventually become a favorite... just maybe not one you will love right off the bat.. but an awesome song and a great way to close this album.
Overall: One of the best albums to be released in years... strung outs best?? maybe
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Return To Form, December 6, 2005
"An American Paradox" was slight dissapoint for me from Strung Out. On one level they were moving beyond their previous musical stylings and trying new things that in some cases worked extremely well, but they were also straying away from the great punk rock sound that they had always maintained, and that was kind of disappointing. However with "Exile In Oblivion", Strung Out shows they still have their punk sensibility to go along with the nact for experimenting with metal elements. What results is Strung Out's best album since "Twisted By Design", and very surprisingly went relatively unnoticed in 2004 when it was released. More than 15 years after their inception, Strung Out is still alive and kicking, and "Exile In Oblivion" is a true testament to that.
Where "An American Paradox" saw the band moving further and further into uncharted territory, often times losing their balance between punk and metal, "Exile In Oblivion" brings them right back. 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.
Whatever doubt I had in my mind about these guys has definitely been erased after listening to this record. 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.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
CD of the year, November 2, 2004
Tired of run of the mill "punk" acts populating FUSE? Don't worry, Strung Out understands. Playing an agressive blend of hardcore melodic punk and metal for over ten years now, Strung Out have developed a pretty huge name for themselves and still have been able to keep an underground status. After An American Paradox came out in 2002, a lot of fans were disappointed by the fact that it was a bit slower and poppier then previous cds. I liked An American Paradox, but compared to Twisted By Design and The Element Of Sonic Defiance, it was a step down do to a vast majority of medicore filler tracks in between gems like "Velvet Alley", "Lubricating The Revolution", "Satillite" and "Cemetery". Luckily, Exile In Oblivion puts the band right back at the top of their game. Is this their best record yet? Its a tough call and most fans will probably split on that outcome, however, all fans of the band will love this record either way.
After the band released an mp3 of "Lucifermotorcade" in mid September, it seemed as if the band was leaning stronger towards their metal side for this record. The band also announced that this was indeed their heaviest release yet. However, those who go into it expecting 14 Lucifermotorcades won't exactly find what they're looking for. I haven't quite decided if this is indeed their heaviest disc (this will be disputed for a while), but its not exactly an all out heavy record. The record delivers exactly what you think a Strung Out record would: fast, energetic hardcore punk with a hint of metal here and there. Don't let that detour you from checking out the disc tho, Exile In Oblivion is amazing. The band doesn't completely redefine themself, yet their take their songwriting and musicianship to a higher standard then on any previous record. Jason delivers the best vocals he ever has and Jake & Rob pull of some really incredible lines on their guitars. Jordan and Chris are both doing top notch work as well, and as a whole it really shows that the band is quite a force to be reckoned with. This is also the band's darkest cd yet. With lyrics like "Give it away, give it a away, ride this ***** to hell then blow a kiss / When you only think of me / Hold my hand and **** away this blankness of expression" show that Jason isn't holding anything back here, and for it he sounds completely convincing.
The disc opens up exactly like a Good Riddance cd, an out of place sound clip before blasting into the opening track. The clip here is from the 1930's movie Shall We Dance and features actress Peggy Lee singing a part from the song "They Can't Take That Away From Me" before the disc gets started. Its pretty hilarious and its hard to tell when the disc is gonna start, I guarantee you the first time you play it you're gonna jump five feet in the air when "Analog" begins because you're not gonna see it coming. From there however the record begins, and we get 45 minutes of non-stop greatness. "Analog" may be the band's slowest opener when compared to "Firecracker" and "Too Close To See", but it still remains a good song to set the mood for the disc. Jason's vocals really shine here, he sounds amazing. "Blueprint Of The Fall", Her Name In Blood", "Never Speak Again" and "The Misanthropic Principle" are all vintage Strung Out, energetic rockers complete with some really amazing breakdowns, similar to something like "Matchbook". "Katatonia", "Skeletondanse" & "Scarlet" are more vintage Strung Out, except this time they're mid paced and driving similar to something like "Savant". "Angeldust" and "Vampires" are the two slower tracks on the disc. Both songs create a dark and engrossing feel, with "Angeldust" sounding almost identical to b-side "Your Worst Mistake". "Anna Lee" is the poppiest song on the disc, similar in a sense to "Alien Amplifer" except there's no keyboards. Its not a bad song however and you'll definately have the chorus in your head at one point or another. "Lucifermotorcade" is the heaviest track here, going for almost an all-out metal feel. Its a good song but I have to say this is the weakest track on here and doesn't have a lasting effect like any of the other tracks. "No Voice Of Mine" has been re-recorded from the version on Rock Against Bush, its faster and has a different bassline. I've heard people say they either like this one better or the RAB one better, so it can go either way. "Swan Dive" however is the crown gem of this cd and may be the best song the band has ever put to paper. The song is a tribute to ex-member and now deceased Jim Cherry and is a brilliant, energetic track with a shout along chorus. People may bitch about it being a bit poppy but either way the song is fantastic and its almost impossible not to be really moved or get chills as Jason wails "I think about you every now and then, right now..."
My only complaint here is a slight one. I don't think "The Misanthropic Principle" is a fitting closer for the disc. Its a great song don't get me wrong, but it doesn't really put the disc at a proper close like "Matchbook" and "Cemetery" did before it. I think it should have been reversed with "Swan Dive", which would have been a much better song to end the disc with. Either way it doesn't matter, the disc is so close to perfect that nothing can ruin it.
I highly reccomend that everyone, fans or not, should have this disc in their collection. Wether or not this is their best disc ever is a matter of personal preference, but you can't get a more solid disc from the band then this one. Essential.
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