Members:
- Jonny Santos - Vocals
- Tommy Decker - Drums
- Mike Sarkisyan - Guitars
- Robert Garcia - Bass
Since their inception back in 1996, Spineshank has been hitting the Los Angeles scene HARD. They attracted the attention of Roadrunner Records, and released their debut album, Strictly Diesel, a year and a half later. The band immediately hit the road, playing to enthusiastic audiences night after night with bands like System of a Down, Fear Factory and Static-X. Strictly Diesel paid homage to the more accessible hard rock and was, in essence, a dam barely restraining the heaviness that has been unleashed on The Height of Callousness.
After much soul searching during their road-weary days, Spineshank was ready to unload the blood sweat and fears borne of Strictly Diesel's recording and support touring. The end result was The Height of Callousness - a fresh, new album that captures the agony and ecstasy of Spineshank becoming the band they were meant to be. "This record is about hitting your breaking point," explains Tommy. "It's when you get to the point where you don't feel anything anymore, whatever it is that gets you to that point, things like anger, frustration & depression, when those feelings take over, that is The Height Of Callousness."
The album was produced by Gggarth Richardson (Rage Against the Machine, Kittie) at Mushroom Studios in Vancouver, BC, Canada, and mixed by Scott Humphrey (Rob Zombie, Methods of Mayhem) and Frank Gryner at the Chop Shop in Hollywood, CA. The high profile team brought out the heavy side of the band, pushing them to new limits and helping to truly define the Spineshank sound. "(Gggarth) came and talked to us for three days without us ever touching our instruments. He wanted to know what we were going for and really got into our heads. His whole thing was 'tell me what you want and I'll bring it out of you.' And that's exactly what he did. He saw our vision and helped us achieve that," added Mike.
While Strictly Diesel laid down the basic foundation of their brutally down-tuned guitars and an undeniable groove with electronic overtones, The Height of Callousness took Spineshank to a whole new level, letting down their guard and reaching new depths of emotion and heights of intensity. From the wall of guitars mauling the listener on "Asthmatic" to the over the top anger-fueled sonic assault on "The Height of Callousness" to the melodic overtones on "Synthetic" and "New Disease," Spineshank has truly arrived with 11 new tracks that will send heavy music into a tailspin. "There's no point in riding the fine line. This whole record is extreme from one end of the spectrum to the other," says Johnny.
"['Synthetic'] has driving house-like grooves kicking through it, making people want to dance. [On "New Disease"] we set out on this one not to do the middle of the road thing any more. It has a very hooky chorus and overall the song is very melodic. It shows that we could write songs like these. We're not limited to one type of thing. We have a wide range of influences," says Mike.
As Spineshank embark on their latest venture, they are doing so with humility and confidence at the same time - a paradox that has followed the band from the beginning. The songs on Height of Callousness show how the band are fully prepared to set the world afire and renew faith in the personal nature of heavy music.
