Largely ditching the slick sound that made “Blackhawks Over Los Angeles” a little too catchy according to some of you out there, “Agents Of The Underground” sees Strung Out going back in time to the days of “Another Day In Paradise” and “Suburban Teenage Wasteland Blues”. This is good news because these guys were already awesome then and they have only become better players since.

Thanks to producer Cameron Webb (Social D, Ignite, …) Jason Cruz” voice shines again over the metallic riffs and killer drums laid down by Jordan Burns. Opener “Black Crosses” is a killer track while“Vanity” and “Jack Knife” round out this album’s top three songs. These are also the only songs that offer some new ideas. Don’t get me wrong… I like all of the songs on here. But I know what to expect by now and the rest of the material on here is vintage Strung Out.

I guess that means that other than the rather lame artwork, there is not a whole lot wrong with “Agents Of The Underground”. If you liked these guys in the early 90s, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t like them now. After all they’re still doing the same thing. Or that would have to be the reason not to like them anymore.