Jolt From Agent Orange : Agent Orange: “Virtually Indestructible” Gunka Disc (***)

Proof that punk rock isn’t just a passing phase lies not with the success of the MTV fave-of-the-minute but with the endurance of a band such as Agent Orange.

In terms of music biz clout, founder and creative spark Mike Palm and his latest lineup (bassist Sam Bolle and ace session drummer Charlie Quintana on the record; Bolle and new addition Dusty Watson live) have virtually nothing going for them.

It has been a full 10 years since Agent Orange’s last album of new material; after that release, the excellent “This Is the Voice,” Palm broke with his old bandmates, James Levesque and Scott Miller; wrangled with his now-defunct record label, Enigma; went through a few more sets of bassists and drummers; scrimped for money to pay for studio time; and, finally, has emerged with only the third full-length studio album of a career that dates back to 1978.

Strange for a key inspiration of the Offspring, but Palm remains on his own, without label backing, as he sells the initial pressing of “Virtually Indestructible” only at gigs and via mail-order.

“It’s pretty much on my shoulders,” says Palm, who will front Agent Orange on Friday at the Galaxy Concert Theatre in Santa Ana. “I wanted to get things back to normal after all the weird stuff that’s gone on business-wise. We’re ready to go on.”

Among the “weird stuff” has been Palm’s music publisher’s so-far unresolved claim against the Epitaph Records punk label alleging that the Offspring swiped one of Palm’s early guitar solos, from the song “Bloodstains,” for their hit “Come Out and Play.” In terms of music business politics, Palm made a questionable move by not distancing himself from the claim, which alienated a band and label that could have been powerful allies.

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Nevertheless Agent Orange has soldiered on, touring the United States, Japan and Australia over the past two years and proving that great punk bands, even if short on business machinery, can keep an audience and have an unlimited life span as long as they’re interested in playing.

The core theme running through “Virtually Indestructible” is Palm’s continued zest for rocking, straightforwardly set forth in the catchy opening tune, “This Is All I Need.” He’s a splendid guitar player, with a sharp sense of how to array multitrack parts for dramatic effect--witness the elemental swarm of “The Electric Storm” (which came out in 1991 as a vinyl single) and the dynamic chordal surge of “Tiki Ti,” an original surf-guitar instrumental that’s strong enough compositionally to rank with the early ‘60s nuggets that were one of Palm’s chief inspirations while growing up in Placentia.

Now in his early 30s, Palm has shed the cloak of teenage fear and paranoia that drove AO’s tremendous first album, “Living in Darkness” (1981). Actually, some judicious touches of that old bleakness and murky mystery would have lent emotional balance and depth to the upbeat “Virtually Indestructible.” Even when contemplating disappointment, in “Broken Dreams,” Palm sounds full of optimism, verve and can-do spirit:

Get the tool box out.

It’s time to find a way to fix these broken dreams.

Still, there’s much to be said for Agent Orange’s music of affirmation. Against a climate of pervasive punk-alternative irony and gloom, Palm won’t back away from his conviction that the simple act of rocking is a jolting tonic.

With its surf music influences and strong melodic sense, Agent Orange always stood against hard-core punk’s blaring orthodoxy. On “Virtually Indestructible,” Palm continues to make music that’s his own; no bandwagon-jumping here to sound contemporary, just an emphasis on music that, for all its fundamental muscle and dark drive, is fairly diverse.

“You Belong to Me” is slow, sensuous and seductive; “Broken Dreams” is a poppy anthem with acoustic rhythm guitar flourishes, and “So Close and Yet So Far” gurgles along brightly, recalling the Modern English nugget “I Melt With You.”

Elsewhere, Palm employs touches of Nugent-like metallic squall-guitar that are sure to offend punk purists. In other words, he’s carrying forward the ethic of the best early O.C. punks, which was to try different things and follow one’s own path. In that sense, the hopeful grown-up of “Virtually Indestructible” has exactly the same motivation as the threatened, insecure teen of “Living in Darkness.”

(“Virtually Indestructible” is available at shows or from Agent Orange, P.O. Box 16385, Encino, CA 91416. CD ratings range from * [poor] to **** [excellent], with three stars denoting a solid recommendation.)

* Who: Agent Orange.

* When: Friday at 8 p.m., with Purple Bosco and Supernovice.

* Where: The Galaxy Concert Theatre, 3503 S. Harbor Blvd., Santa Ana.

* Whereabouts: Take the San Diego (405) Freeway to Harbor Boulevard; go north and take the third right, Lake Center Drive. The theater is on the left.

* Wherewithal: $10-$12.

* Where to call: (714) 957-0600.