The original lineup consisted of vocalist Jason Cruz, guitarists Jake Kiley and Rob Ramos, bassist Jim Cherry and drummer Adam Austin. After releasing a self-titled 7" record, they became one of the first bands to be signed to Fat Wreck Chords, the record label owned and operated by Fat Mike of the band NOFX. Austin left the band in 1992 and was replaced by Brad Morrison who also left the band and was replaced on drums by Jordan Burns, formerly of fellow Simi Valley natives Ten Foot Pole. Their first album, Another Day in Paradise, was released in May of 1994. Suburban Teenage Wasteland Blues followed in 1996. In 1998 they released The Skinny Years...Before We Got Fat, a compilation album of their pre-Fat Wreck Chords material.
The band showed notable musical growth on their 1998 album Twisted by Design, which was both speedy and technical but also punk-based and with darker overtones. The album established a mixture of the fast, poppy sound the band had established with Suburban Teenage Wasteland Blues but mixed it with more atonality and more abstract song structures. Bassist Jim Cherry left the band in 1999 and went on to play in Pulley and Zero Down, but died of heart failure in 2002. He was replaced by Chris Aiken, whose musical background had a strong impact on the 2000 album The Element of Sonic Defiance, which continued in the fast, melodic punk tradition of the band while introducing more hard rock and metal elements.
In 2002 the band released their fourth full-length album An American Paradox, their first release to appear in the Billboard Top 200. The initial production run contained a bonus song entitled "Don't Look Back". A video was filmed for the song "Cemetery" and was included on several punk rock video compilations. In 2003 they recorded and released a live album as part of the Fat Wreck Chords Live in a Dive series. Exile in Oblivion, was released in 2004, with a video filmed for the song "Analog." Strung Out released their sixth full-length album, Blackhawks Over Los Angeles on June 12, 2007.
In March 2009, Strung Out released a compilation of B-sides, demos, and covers called "Prototypes and Painkillers" with material from all eras of the band's history. Many of these tracks have been on various punk compilations and/or were included in their "Live in a Dive" recording.
On September 29, 2009, Strung Out Released a their 7th studio album titled Agents of the Underground.
Cult of the Subterranean
Strung Out Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Till too much feels alright
The feast has been laid out
To the hungry eyes inside our minds
We are not without a cause
The passion's in our vice
We are not content to judge
Or fit to moralize
We're on the outside looking in
Unbreakable in all we are
Enemy of the Sun we are the subterranean
Apocalyptic daydream casual delirium
So take a deep breath and close your eyes
And be glad that you are here
Let each passing moment sterilize
And wash away like tears
Any means to and end
Are the means that I use to get by
And I try to be good
But it's understood
That tonight we'll both look the other way
The smoke of all our thoughts
And cigarette exhaust
All possibility
Of ever getting out
Of this place
Nodding off
But still aware of all
That's pulling us to do
The things we always do
Any means to and end
Are the means that I use to get by
And I try to be good
But it's understood
That tonight we'll both look the other way
We are not without a cause
We are not without a vice
We are not content to judge or moralize
So close your eyes and see
Take a breath and believe
That tonight we'll both look the other way
The lyrics of "Cult Of The Subterranean" by Strung Out describe a gathering of like-minded individuals who have chosen to live outside of mainstream society and indulge in their own vices, whether it be drugs, alcohol, or any other means to an end. The chorus declares the group's unity and strength, referring to themselves as "the subterranean" - a reference to their underground lifestyle. The verse "Any means to an end are the means that I use to get by" expresses that the members of this group will do whatever they need to in order to survive in their unconventional lifestyle.
The lines "The smoke of all our thoughts and cigarette exhaust / All possibility of ever getting out of this place" suggest that the group is trapped in their own world, unable or unwilling to escape. The final lines of the song, "We are not without a cause / We are not without a vice / We are not content to judge or moralize / So close your eyes and see / Take a breath and believe / That tonight we'll both look the other way" reinforce the idea that the members of the subculture have chosen their way of life and are content to remain outside of mainstream society.
Line by Line Meaning
Tonight we're gonna burn it up
We're going to indulge ourselves tonight until we forget our problems
Till too much feels alright
We'll keep going until we feel good, even if it's too much
The feast has been laid out
There are many opportunities for us to indulge ourselves tonight
To the hungry eyes inside our minds
Our inner desires are driving us to indulge ourselves
We are not without a cause
We have a reason for our behavior, even if others might not understand it
The passion's in our vice
Our desires fuel our actions
We are not content to judge
We don't want to criticize others for their behavior
Or fit to moralize
We don't feel that we have the authority to tell others what is right or wrong
We're on the outside looking in
We feel like outsiders in society
Unbreakable in all we are
We're strong and committed to our lifestyle
Enemy of the Sun we are the subterranean
We're opposed to conventional ways of life and embrace a hidden, underground culture
Apocalyptic daydream casual delirium
Our lifestyle is a wild and surreal escape from reality
So take a deep breath and close your eyes
We're inviting you to join us in our indulgences
And be glad that you are here
We're grateful for your company and participation
Let each passing moment sterilize
We're enjoying each moment as it comes without worrying about the consequences
And wash away like tears
We want to forget our troubles and escape from reality
Any means to and end
We're willing to do whatever it takes to get what we want
Are the means that I use to get by
We're surviving by indulging ourselves in whatever way possible
And I try to be good
We're aware that our behavior might not be socially acceptable
But it's understood
We don't care about social norms or morality
That tonight we'll both look the other way
We'll ignore any negative consequences and just enjoy ourselves
The smoke of all our thoughts
Our thoughts are clouded by our indulgences
And cigarette exhaust
Our unhealthy habits are contributing to our decay
All possibility
We feel trapped in our lifestyle
Of ever getting out
We don't see a way to escape our culture
Of this place
We feel stuck in our current lifestyle
Nodding off
We're getting tired and disoriented from our behavior
But still aware of all
We're conscious of what we're doing to ourselves
That's pulling us to do
Our desires are still driving us to indulge ourselves
The things we always do
We're stuck in our routine of indulgence
So close your eyes and see
We want you to join us in our indulgences
Take a breath and believe
We want you to trust us and let go of your inhibitions
That tonight we'll both look the other way
We'll ignore any negative consequences and just enjoy ourselves
Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing
Written by: CHRISTOPHER TRAVIS JR AIKEN, JACOB IRA KILEY, JASON ALEXANDER CRUZ, JORDAN LIEBERMAN, ROBERT J RAMOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Monashee Roofing
Another day in paradise. Good
Wasteland blues. Amazing.
Element. Good
Crossroads. Amazing
Twisted. Mostly sucks
Paradox. Half amazing half sucks
Exile. Almost all amazing
Blackhawks. Mostly shit 3 songs maybe good
Agents. Meh not horrible. First half anyways
Whatever that acoustic album is i dont even wanna hear it
Jason Matthew
Man this is one of the first guitar solos I ever learned back in the early 2000s. Still sick in 2021!
Ryan Creamer
Just learned how to play the intro and main riff! Not even attempting that solo XD Their guitarists are sooo good like they sure beat some metal guitarists!
Jason Matthew
That solo is actually pretty easy
lowbuckfabrication
Soooooo fast ! I luv it !
MetalBloodyWolf17
Fantastic this song!!
Justin Skrzypek
no dislikes like it deserves keep it up ladies
Isaid Fugoff
awesome song
notyoursavior78
Yeah this band is pretty tight. "Exile in Oblivion" was good too but I fell out of following all their new stuff. I'm sure it's good but yeah this album and "Twisted by Design" great stuff.
WINSTON BENN
love this shit
FloodsOfSin
this intro is a-ma-zing