As soon as ‘Rats In The Wall, the opening number from Strung Out’s eighth studio album, blares out of the speakers, it’s clear that ‘Tranmission.Alpha.Delta’ is going to be a masterful listen. For a band who have remained consistently on form throughout their 25 year plus history, it comes as no surprise that their amalgamation of styles remains as fluid as ever.
Implementing elements of melodic punk, upbeat pop-punk and thrash metal, ‘Transmission.Alpha.Delta’ doesn’t set itself too far apart from what Strung Out have delivered in the past, yet effortlessly stand out of the crowd. ‘Rebellion Of The Snake’ offers an early introduction to their thrash metal stylings, placed against the classic rock-esque ‘The Animal And The Machine’ before the record packs a pop-punk punch with the high-tempo ‘Nowheresville’.
Clearly inspiring a wealth of heavier melodic punk bands, particularly across mainland Europe – look no further than Atlas Losing Grip for a top-notch modern contemporary – the Californian five-piece are uncompromising in their uniquely traditional style. This reluctance to falter keeps their sound fresh, with decades of experience laying as the foundation.
Although ‘Transmission.Alpha.Delta’ doesn’t stray too far from Strung Out’s usual path, they have always been ones to forge their own way. It’s a sound that has not only stood the test of time, but that is showing signs of a strong revival. Other than a few misjudged moments (the Spanish guitar break in the aptly titled ‘Spanish Days’ in particular), Strung Out are still the godfathers of their own sound.
BEN TIPPLE