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Album Details

• Artist: Strung Out
• Album: Exile In Oblivion
• Label: Fat Wreck
• Year of Release: 2004
• ME Rating:
• Reviewed by: dscanland on 2005-01-08

I don't even know how I ever stumbled on it but the first Strung Out album I was ever exposed to was Twisted By Design. It still holds a place in my heart as one of my favorite punk albums of all time. I have been faithfully following the bands progress since then and have pretty much enjoyed everything since. Exile In Oblivion is their latest offering and it dishes up a new helping of exactly what we have grown to love. They still manage to mix melody with lightning-fast metal guitar riffs to make a very listenable although aggressive punk sound. There are times on Exile where I feel that Strung Out are just going through the motions but then they pull of a track like "Anna Lee" which gives the band a youthful nature. I mean you can't deny that Fat Wreck Chords looks to Strung Out for consistency but it good to hear the band still pushing the boundaries, although only slightly on this release. The aggressiveness is still apparent on tracks like "Skeletondanse" or the intro into "Scarlet" which sounds like a Helloween track. They just sound like they are having a blast on "Swan Dive". Twisted By Design remains my favorite Strung Out album but Oblivion comes in a close second. The band still has what it takes. I hope to catch them live one day.

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