SpineShank at The Rock
SPINESHANK is a rapidly rising new band who has, I think, fully developed their niche in the heavy scene. The sounds of a hurricane gale signal the opening of "Stain" and are a good indication of SpineShank's music, which itself is a blast of ultra-weighty guitar and rapid-fire rhythm. Interspersed within SpineShank's demonic howls is genuine singing which offers an innovative counterpoint to their generally dark sound. "Novacaine" was particularly absorbing with its alternating rhythmic patterns and bone-shattering guitar.
Review By: Lexie, taken from Rock City News

SPINESHANK at the Roxy
Each and every time I see SPINESHANK there is always something different. The first time they had 2 guitarists. The next time they had 1 guitarist and a new bassist. Well, hopefully the changes will stop with the recent acquisition of Alex for the second guitar spot! He fulfilled his duties with the greatest of ease. For a band that has been playing out for only 5 months, they are doing a great job. On this Tuesday evening, they had that dreaded 9:00 slot that all bands love to hate. They open their set hard and heavy and never let up for thirty minutes. Guitarist Mike with braided goatee looks so cool on stage playing those low power chords. I think he and Shavo(soad) should start a side project together and call it Scratch My Chin. just kidding. I heard a new song tonight, RAIN(REIGN) . Johnny tends to actually sing a little more in this tune. His tenor voice is an excellent counterpart to his throaty angst voice. This is a welcome element in their attack. A band should not have limitations in their approach. Mike also adds some innovative toggle switch effects during the verses of this song. Keep stretching those boundaries! My two favorites are still STAIN and MEND which segue nicely together live. Though I would love to hear those end harmonies live. The more SPINESHANK plays out, the bigger the crowds will get. Their time will come. But like a fine wine, it will take it's time. Never rush anything! Be patient and take it as it comes. They will have a new tape out in a couple of months, so keep your eyes and ears open for SPINESHANK.
Review By: GEELAGOO@aol.com

Taken from the magazine "Oor" (pronounced "Ear")
SPINESHANK - STRICLY DIESEL(Roadrunner)
It's obvious that there are a lot of bands that want to ride along in the slipstream of "new" metal acts like Deftones and Korn. However, most of those bands don't attain the Leader's quality and after the release of their album and one or two gigs they fall into oblivion. On the contrary, SpineShank could be here to stay. The band was built on the ruin of Basic Enigma and then spotted by Dino Cazares, guitarist in Fear Factory. SpineShank's music is a mixture of all of today's top acts. A little bit of Tool, tiny bit of Korn and a lot of Deftones. The Fear Factory bit can only be heard in Stain, where Fear Factory's Burton sings along. But most of all SpineShank is an excellent new colleague for Deftones. That's because of the emotional vocals by Johnny Santos and the raw guitar sounds that slightly remind us of Deftones' debut album Adrenaline. They're all well structured songs, with an uncommonly good groove and great climaxes. Everything that would make up for a good Deftones song. Over and over again, the record carries you to beautiful parts, to loud, frustratingly screamed songs and to simply flexible metal. At last, a clone that has succeeded. SpineShank : the Dolly sheep of new metal.
Review By: Frank Helmink, Oor 20, 3 October 1998

Thanks to Dean for transcribing for me.

SPINESHANK - Strictly Diesel
In order to get a feel of what SPINESHANK is all about, you need to pay close attention to the lyrics. They mostly talk about depression, pain, being stabbed in the back, demented relationships, and something other that is unexplainable. This cd is one of the heaviest albums i own. With a friend like Dino Cazares (Fear Factory), no wonder these guys continue to grow bigger and stronger ever single show. With powerful guitar riffs, thumping bass sounds, great drums and vocals like no other. The first song, "intake", does exactly what the song says, it "intakes" you into the world of SPINESHANK. Then moving on to one of my fav's, "stovebolt" shows SPINESHANK's true power. With Mikey on guitars you never know what to expect when your listening to it for the first time. But if your like me, you will love what you hear. Then moving on you'll find more great songs. Then you come to a song in which i think SPINESHANK did absolutely excellent on. "While my guitar gently weeps", this is one of the best covers ive heard. Even though its a little bit harder than the beatles version it stands out ALOT! Then on the last song you'll notice ALOT of Fear Factory influence. Probably because Burton C. Bell does some vocals. I know alot of people claim SPINESHANK to be nothing but a deftones "clone". I personally disagree. SPINESHANK has that unique sound every band strives for, and they have mastered it to a tee. I would advise picking up this cd! One of the best cd's i own and continues to be the one i listen to most often. Watch out for these guys, i have a feeling their time will come, when its their turn in the spotlight. But this ALWAYS takes time, so sit back, relax, and enjoy the wonderful, dark, painful world of SPINESHANK.
Review by: James Gibson (j.gbsn@usa.net)

SpineShank strictly in it for fun
"Being is the music industry is all fun and games," says Spineshank guitarist Mike Sarkisyan. "It's all about having a blast and enjoying what you do. We are having fun and that's all that matters -- and making music that we are happy with."

With a truly crushing, groove-like manner, Spineshank's debut disc 'Strictly Diesel' (on Roadrunner Records) is a worthy addition to the evergrowing and ever-molding hard rock noise bands of the mid-90s. Fitting in with the likes of System Of A Down, Static X and Coal Chamber, Spinehank is a fitting testimony to the excitement that metal music, or even hard music, should be. "It's all about showing off what you can do in terms of heaviness. If you've got the right people you can really work magic," says Sarkisyan.

"The kind of music that Spineshank plays is the kind of music we want to hear. Whether it comes off sounding original or not, I am not the judge of that. People tell us it's good music and that's all that matteers. All we ever wanted to do was make good music. Labels and descriptions of the kind of music we do doesn't mean anything to me. Playing good music does."

The band - rounded out by singer Johnny Santos, drummer Tom Decker and bassist Robert Garcia - is currently on tour with Fear Factory. How has the live shows enhanced the recorded material? "It's changed things around a bit," admits Sarkisyan, "We do a few things differently on some song parts. We try to mess around bit and keep the fans and ourselves entertained.

As for being out on the road, is it still a fun time? "It's been great to be out on the road. People have been reacting real well to us. It's kick-ass. Playing live each night is a lot of work, it's truly like a circus each day that you play. But it's worth it. We worked hard to get to a level where we could go out on tour and play lots of shows. Now we have the opportunity and we're going along for the ride."

Where does the Spineshank guitar player think his band fits in in today's music scene? "We don't even look at the big picture that way. We're somewhere there in the picture, it's just not the way we see it. We don't evaluate our existence by saying we are there or there. We're just glad to be a part of. That's good enough for me."
Review by: Adrian Bromley -- Jam! Metal

Spineshank @ The Dynamo Open Air -May 21st, 1999
The band SpineShank from America aren't under the best circumstances on the stage of "the gallery". (note: This is the stage for upcoming bands to present themselves to a bigger audience.) Guitarist Mike Sarkisyan wasn't allowed to leave the country, he was replaced by someone named Chris. Not that it influenced the performance of the band, because the songs were "standing like a house". This band is described by Roadrunner as "spooky core" and then you will know what to expect. In contradiction to there lablemates Out (note: that band opened the same day on the same stage) these guys know how to give their music a private sound. The excellent performances of "40 Below", "Detached" and the intense "Where We Fall" are the evidence. The central figure of the band is, without any doubt, singer Jonny Santos, who appropriates the stage by screaming and yelling.

In a short 40 minutes this band applies for a place on the mainstage next year, in analogy with Skinlab in the past. (note: Skinlab played the gallery in 1997 and opened the mainstage the next day)
Review by: unknown

Thanks to: Metha de Heer for transcribing for me.