Strung Out
Black Out The Sky
(Fat Wreck Chords)
4/5
California punk rockers Strung Out branch away from their original mosh-pit-hungry roots in the mainly acoustic Black Out The Sky. And it works: this album showcases what it means to be human through a mix of elegant songwriting and great, melodic, fast punk.
There are points throughout “The Architect” where it sounds like lead singer Jason Cruz is straining himself to not return to his usual higher decibels of angst, but he settles into his new role soon enough.
The title track, “Town of Corazon,” and “Requiem” are high points of this bold, diverse, never-dull release. Cruz gets comfortable in his pipes, and his lyrics are divine spoken literature that have undertones of that original punk spark.
I raise a glass to the fast, precise guitar work and wide-ranging—both in terms of notes hit and the range of emotions conveyed—vocals. They slide between a brooding dark anger in “Unkoil” and “Requiem” and a sad rejuvenating reflection in “Town of Corazon.”