★★★★★
Sound: Right off the bat, I'm going to say that this is one of Strung Out's strongest efforts to date. The CD as a whole isn't as flashy as some of their other releases, but it has plenty of moments where the record sounds consistently full and equally balanced...
- www.ultimate-guitar.com
2012-04-12
★★★★★
When a band makes the decision to release a "Best Of", "Greatest Hits", or any other retrospective, several questions must immediately be asked. First, how long have they been around, and how deep is their catalog? Next, is there enough interest in their fanbase? Finally, will there be any incentive to the listener, such as new songs or remastering/mixing of the original tracks...
- www.punknews.org
2011-09-19
★★★★★
Release Date: July 19, 2011 Closing in on 20 active years as a band, Strung Out have marked the occasion with a "best of" compilation featuring 23 fully remastered songs culled from all corners of the band's storied career as well as three brand new songs. Strung Out have remained a staple in the punk scene, influencing a number of young bands and maintaining a sturdy relationship with their devoted fan base. Despite not reaching the same levels of success as label mates NOFX or Against Me...
- absolutepunk.net
2011-08-01
★★★★★
In many ways, Strung Out is the archetypical Fat Wreck Chords band. Mixing elements of metal with underground sounds and ultra-layered vocals, the Simi Valley fivesome makes music that is textbook California punk. Drummer Jordan Burns has ties to the motocross world that predate his 17 years on the label, and that crossover has kept Strung Out as the soundtrack to a host of broken bones and emergency-room visits...
- www.popmatters.com
2011-01-20
★★★★★
Punk Metal heads Strung Out have always maintained unconventional success and stick their middle finger up to all that is corporate and mainstream and their latest offering "Agents of the Underground" is a testament to that. "Black Crosses" kicks off proceedings with a fat solid chunk or dark dissonant metal fused punk, which will rock your core. It's pulse and sheer driving force is relentless and will leave in a cold sweat wondering what the fuck just happened...
- www.alterthepress.com
2010-12-21
★★★★★
On the album Exile in Oblivion Jason Cruz states: "All songs are better from confusion." Whether or not he intended this to be a summation of his lyrical devices remains a mystery. What can be said with Agents of the Underground is that he's back on unstable ground and Strung Out is, once again, at the top of its game. after 2007's mundane lapse, Blackhawks Over Los Angeles, this album was destined to be either a turning point or headstone...
- www.reviewrinserepeat.com
2010-12-14
★★★★★
Strung Out have a reputation for putting time into their work, and it shows on An American Paradox (which arrives four years after their last full-length), a technically perfect and sonically complex effort. The California five-piece have clearly still been listening to a lot of metal, if the tricky Vai-like riffage is any indication...
- www.hour.ca
2010-11-09
★★★★★
Sound: Over the past 16 or 17 years, Strung Out has been on the punk scene. With over a hundred songs and 7 full length albums in their catalog, a few are bound to go astray. That being said, Prototypes and Painkillers is the perfect Rarities/B-Sides disc to grab in case you were left out of the loop. The track "Don't Look Back", recorded in the "An American Paradox" era, was a song that was put on the tail-end of the album, if you were lucky enough to snatch one of the first 10, 000 copies...
- www.ultimate-guitar.com
2009-11-15
★★★★★
Sound: Marking the band's 20th year, the Punk Rock rooted quintet Strung Out has delivered quite possibly their best work to date, and trust me when I say this: I never get tired of saying "their best work to date." I'm not sure what shines the most on this record, or if it's honestly just the most structurally sound album they've ever made. It's like a collaboration of a bunch of different things they've already done, but improved on, polished, and raised to the nth degree...
- www.ultimate-guitar.com
2009-11-15
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