Spineshank

Spineshank is an American Grammy Nominated nu metal band.

History
Formed in February 1996, Spineshank was assembled from the remains of a previous musical endeavor called "Basic Enigma". That band included future Spineshank members in vocalist Jonny Santos, guitarist Mike Sarkisyan and drummer Tom Decker. Upon hearing Fear Factory's 1995 release Demanufacture, a new bassist in Robert Garcia was recruited, and with a refined musical style, Spineshank was formed.

The band soon befriended Fear Factory guitarist Dino Cazares. After hearing their demo tape, he offered them to open a show for Fear Factory at a concert held at the Whiskey A-Go-Go in Los Angeles. This led to other coveted opening slots, with such popular acts as Coal Chamber, Snot, Soulfly, Sepultura and Danzig. As a result, Spineshank had gathered interest from several record labels. Eventually, the band signed with Roadrunner Records, and released their debut album Strictly Diesel on September 22, 1998. Fear Factory vocalist Burton C. Bell provides vocals on the track "Stain".

Spineshank's second album The Height of Callousness was released on October 10, 2000. Unlike their debut album, The Height of Callousness had a strong industrial metal influence. The band featured at Ozzfest 2001, and toured with such artists as Disturbed, Hed PE, Orgy and Mudvayne in support of the album's release. The songs "Synthetic" and "New Disease" were released as singles.

The band's third album Self-Destructive Pattern was released on September 9, 2003. The album's lead single "Smothered" was nominated for a Grammy in the category of Best Metal Performance (2004). Shortly after the album was released the band went on a European tour with Ill Nino and Chimaira. The show on 6th October in Holland was filmed and was to be released on a DVD entitled Roadrage, which was never released.

Departure of Santos & The End of Spineshank
In January 2004, it was reported that Santos had officially quit Spineshank. Drummer Tommy Decker stated that the split was "amicable" and was mainly due to "musical differences". A day after the news was reported, Decker vowed that the band would continue, and stated that the musical differences were due to the fact the rest of the band wanted to play heavier music than Santos.

On January 17, 2004, Spineshank launched a search for a new vocalist.[3]

On November 7, 2005, Spineshank's official website announced that they had found a new vocalist in Brandon Espinoza. Also stated was that they had been working together for five months, and had produced five songs.

More than two years after his departure from Spineshank, Santos stated in an interview with Roadrunner Records that he left the band on a high note, and felt that the band had run its course, despite being nominated for a Grammy.

On July 7, 2006, Espinoza posted an update on the band's message board stating that they were still in the process of writing material.

February 7, 2008: After almost two years of silence about the band, Espinoza announced that the band has decided to break up due to the lack of chemistry between its members, and each member is going their own separate ways.

Later on February 24, 2008: The band (excluding Espinoza) announced open tryouts for a new unnamed project.

April 2, 2008: The band are currently working with a new singer, and have since been recording new material.


Santos after Spineshank
See also: Silent Civilian

On January 14, 2004, Santos reiterated that he left Spineshank due to musical differences, and that he was in the studio tracking demos for a new unnamed project.

In April 2004, Santos announced that he had formed a new project dubbed "Temper". Two demo tracks titled "Erase" and "Energy" were made available for download. After the quick demise of Temper, Santos put out an advertisement in late November 2004 seeking musicians for a new project.

On January 7, 2005, it was announced that Santos' new project dubbed "Silent Civilians" had signed a record deal with Corporate Punishment Records.[10] A September album release was also mentioned.

In November 2005, it was reported that Santos had changed the name of his new band from Silent Civilians to "Silent Civilian". It was also reported that the band had parted ways with Corporate Punishment, and signed a new deal with Mediaskare Records for their debut album.

On May 2, 2006, Silent Civilian released their debut album titled Rebirth of the Temple. Unlike his work with Spineshank, Silent Civilian's style can be categorized as metalcore


Current Members

Mike Sarkisyan – Guitar (1996-present)
Robert Garcia – Bass (1997-present)
Tom Decker – Drums (1996-present)

Former Members
Brandon Espinoza - Vocals (2004-2006) no recordings with the band
Jonny Santos – Vocals (1996-2004)