Live in a Dive
Another entry into Fat Wreck Chords' Live in a Dive series, Strung Out's show was recorded at Chain Reaction in Anaheim, CA, on October 1st of 2002. The amazing thing about the series is that by capturing the live intensity, the recordings make otherwise only moderately interesting bands sound great. Strung Out's progression from pop-punk to ska to speed metal on the opener, "Too Close to See," sounds downright amazing with the yells of the crowd in the background. After that the band follows with another 20 machine-gun blasts of Southern California hardcore, including the Misfits-meets-death metal "Ultimate Devotion," the Black Flag-esque "The Kids," the venomous "Population Control," and the lyrically moving punk ballad "Velvet Alley." Live in a Dive takes a band that someone who wouldn't normally venture beyond SoCal's hardcore classics -- Black Flag, the Descendents, the Circle Jerks -- wouldn't ever listen to, and by catching them in their true environment -- the all-ages show -- makes them sound truly mind-blowing.