Strictly Diesel Review

07/13/2005 7:24 AM, AMG


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, All Music Guide