By combining the barely containable fury of
Korn and the Deftones with the artful progressiveness of Tool,
Spineshank should have no problem attracting the aforementioned band's audiences with their debut release,
Strictly Diesel. Singer
Johnny Santos is a disciple of the talk/scream/sing style that many metal bands of the late '90s use, while the musicians have no problem creating loopy, elastic rock. But
Spineshank isn't a direct ripoff of their influences; it's hard to think of any band today that would have had the guts to redo
the Beatles' classic "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" as a distorted, heavy dirge. The lyrics for their original songs usually reflect how hardships in their lives had made them stronger, as in the track "Where We Fall," while electronics seep into the music throughout (thanks to programmer
Josh Abraham, who's worked previously with
Limp Bizkit and Orgy). Fans of angst metal will have no problem latching onto such tracks as "Intake," "Stovebox," "28," and the title track. ~ Greg Prato