If music teaches anything it is simply that preconceptions are one of the most deadly enemies that a band can face. Spineshank are a band who come burdened with a significant past. One of many bands to appear at the tail end of the nineties with a vaguely electronic, nu-metal sound they were, without a doubt, one of the better bands of their ilk and it would take a cynical heart indeed to reject the energetic, scattershot riot of riffs and jabbering electronica that made up ‘strictly diesel’. For all that, however, ‘Strictly Diesel’ was very much a product of its time and after two further albums (2000’s ‘the height of callousness’ and 2003’s ‘self destructive patterns’) the band ignominiously disappeared from view.
Time is a funny thing though. Bands, as much as they would like to pretend otherwise, get older; relationships twist, turn and fail; and creative urges long thought dead and buried, resurface. Now, nearly a decade on, Spineshank have decided to return, armed with a deal with the mighty Century Media and an album that is destined to raise more than a few eyebrows in ‘Anger denial acceptance’.
The first thing to note is that ‘Anger denial acceptance’ is an altogether heavier prospect than you might have anticipated. Opening track ‘after the end’ is a case in point, a bruising run that opens with coruscating screams and kicks into gear with a feverish, punk-infused energy that mixes up a strong sense of melody with sinus cleaning guitars all suitably clothed in an electronic ambiance that lends a subtle, industrial weight to the whole thing. ‘Nothing left for me’ is initially softer – a stony-hearted ballad with creeping, tom-heavy drums and well-sung, melodic vocals that recall the aggressive power of Stone Sour and Filter at their best. It’s clear from the sound and lyrics that Spineshank have grown, both as musicians and as songwriters and as the more brutal weight of the title track kicks in you can’t help but think that the band have had more than their fair share of rough times over the last few years, although the fact that they’ve poured such negativity into such a strong set of songs turns out to be inspiring rather than depressing, and it’s certain that Spineshank have made the right decision to return.
Early highlight of the album ‘I want you to know’ is a brilliantly atmospheric work that counterpoints moody vocals and stripped-bare verses with bass-laden menacing choruses and crushing guitars and a melody that is liable to get stuck in your head for some time to come. ‘Murder suicide’ is simply brutal – a screamed outpouring of damaging rage, all atonal guitars and torn-lung vocals and then ‘the endless disconnect’ surprises with its strangely muted introduction and odd-ball sound, all of which is subverted by a glorious chorus which is, once again, worthy of the mighty Filter a band whom, along with Fozzy and Stone Sour, Spineshank now share a fair amount of bases with. Melodic, intelligent and with enough heavy twists to keep your head banging, it’s not so much a return to form as an utter demolishing of their previous heights (which is in no way meant as a sleight on their previous body of work) with Spineshank emerging as one of the few bands able to perfectly mix melody and power without sacrificing key elements of either. ‘I am damage’ is a brief battering ram of an attack, almost hardcore in its unchecked ferocity and then ‘Ploratio Morbus’ allows time to recover as it transpires to be a rather beautiful, electronica-laden instrumental which then segues into the unhinged ‘everything everyone everywhere ends’, a track which clearly highlights just how good a drummer Tommy Decker is, whilst Johnny Santos deserves credit for his remarkable, multi-faceted performance throughout.
‘The reckoning’ is every bit as brain-crushingly intense as its title suggests with syncopated riffs piling up over pile-driving percussion and nerve-shredding screams and then the band attempt their most ambitious manoeuvre yet with a trilogy of songs closing the album. Of the trilogy ‘God Complex (Anger)’ is a devastating assault on the senses, ‘Motive method opportunity (denial)’ is a distortion-soaked industrial lament and ‘exit wounds (acceptance)’ is the grand, emotional climax that pays off all the rage with acoustic guitars and pained vocals. It’s a fine, complex ending to an album that consistently defies expectations.
Given the cull of nu-metal acts that took place in the mid-2000’s it is, perhaps, no surprise that Spineshank should have disappeared from the map even though there always more to the band than the lazy tag afforded them at the time. With ‘Anger Denial Acceptance’ we see a band reborn, their experience and maturity shining through the well-crafted hooks, intelligent lyrics and ambitious arrangements and, even if you didn’t discover the band first time out, this is a disc that is more than worth a spin. If you enjoy heavy, melodic, electronic-tinged metal then ‘Anger Denial Acceptance’ will certainly be your poison, and we can only hope that Spineshank get the support they need to carry on their career, because this album is a weighty, worthwhile experience that deserves your attention.
