Began in February of 1996, rising from the ashes of a previous band, Basic Enigma (which included future Spineshank members Jonny Santos on vocals, Mike Sarkisyan on guitars, and Tom Decker on drums). Basic Enigma broke up but soon reformed with a different sound and moniker, and a new bassist (Robert Garcia).
The band soon befriended Fear Factory guitarist Dino Cazares, who upon hearing their demo, offered the new band to open a show for F.F. 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, among others), and label interest, with Roadrunner eventually signing the band. Their debut, Strictly Diesel, was released in September of 1998, and featured yet another tie-in with their favorite band, Fear Factory vocalist Burton C. Bell sings on the track Stain. The Height of Callousness followed two years later. Two singles were released off of this album (as well as became available in video form); Synthetic & New Disease. The band would hold a second stage slot on Ozzfest 2001 for the majority of that summer as well as touring with the likes of Disturbed, (Hed) P.E., Orgy& Mudvayne.
2003 saw the release of the much anticipated Self Destructive Pattern, as well as the single Smothered.
After the departure of Jonny Santos in 2004, the remaining members searched for a new vocalist and stated earlier in 2005 they have been working with a new vocalist. No name was given and no other news has been reported since then. Jonny Santos has since re-emerged in a new band dubbed Silent Civilian.
After a very long wait, Spineshank updated their official website (11/7/2005) with news that the band had found a new vocalist in Brandon Espinoza and that they had been working together for a month and had recorded 5 songs during this time. The band goes on to say that their new music is: "still heavy and dynamic with melody, but its a little darker and more raw. Our sound is a little different from what a lot of bands are doing these days and we wont be jumping on any bandwagons to fit in, we're just writing what feels right to us. So far there are no loops or electronics, and no plan to use them any time soon." It also went on to say that the future of the band was very much in doubt, unless they found the ideal replacement for Jonny Santos.
Almost 3 years later, on September 18, 2008, the band issued a press release from their myspace page, stating that the issues that led to the break up have been put behind them and they are working together better than they have before. The band has completed 5 songs since reuniting and plan to write 15 more before recording their new album. One of the new songs, "Born Conform Repent" can be heard at the band's myspace page.
Spineshank's long-awaited fourth studio album "Anger Denial Acceptance" is set to be released June 19, 2012 through Century Media.
After years of silence, The band's Facebook page responded to a post on July 26, 2017 when a fan had asked about Spineshank's status, simply stating "Sorry, Spineshank is broken up. Thanks for the support over the years."
Murder-Suicide
Spineshank Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Who put the pain aside
It never felt this way
Till we began to die
You have a gunshot mindframe
With a victim style
I've never seen false hope
Decorated with a prettier smile
We divide
It's like you're bleeding out my eyes
We both die
Just like a murder-suicide
It took the second coming
Of the second fail
To make it look so easy
To bury in shallow ground
There's something beautiful
About your suffering
It's a welcome sight
When we're seeing God through bloodshot eyes
We divide
It's like you're bleeding out my eyes
We both die
Just like a murder-suicide
Murder-suicide
Just a little fracture
It's just a little fracture
Just a little fracture
Or a clean break?
It seems you want to heal all your own
You never reject the demons all alone
It looks like we have found a way to die... but alone
Hoping for a savior
But we're beyond God
Leave me where I fall
You decided, done
Needed an escape route
From which we flee
Punishment upon us
We will die alone
We divide
It's like you're bleeding out my eyes
We both die
Just like a murder-suicide
We divide
It's like you're bleeding out my eyes
We both die
Just like a murder-suicide
Murder-suicide
The lyrics to Spineshank's song Murder-Suicide are an exploration of the destructive nature of a toxic relationship, where both parties are trapped in a cycle of violence and despair. The first verse describes how the two individuals have become a "damage blueprint," suggesting that they are both equally responsible for the pain they inflict on each other. The line "It never felt this way till we began to die" emphasizes the intensity and urgency of their situation, as they both realize that their relationship is leading them towards self-destruction.
The second verse focuses on the individual characteristics that make the relationship so dangerous. The "gunshot mindframe" of one partner suggests a willingness to use violence as a means of controlling the other, while the "victim style" of the other suggests a tendency towards self-pity and a lack of agency. These traits are compounded by "false hope" and a "prettier smile," indicating that the relationship is built on deceit and delusion.
The chorus repeats the phrase "We both die/Just like a murder-suicide," emphasizing the inevitability of their destruction. The second part of the song introduces the idea of escapism, suggesting that the individuals are looking for a way out from the pain they have inflicted on each other. However, they are trapped by their own demons and are ultimately doomed to die alone. The final repetition of the chorus drives home the finality of their situation, with the phrase "murder-suicide" serving as a stark reminder of the destructive power of human relationships.
Line by Line Meaning
We were the damage blueprint
We were a broken pair from the very beginning
Who put the pain aside
We ignored the pain in our relationship
It never felt this way
We never felt this much pain before
Till we began to die
Until our relationship started falling apart
You have a gunshot mindframe
You are fixated on self destruction
With a victim style
You play the victim in this relationship
I've never seen false hope
I have never seen hope that was never to be
Decorated with a prettier smile
Covered up by a smile that makes it seem better than it actually is
We divide
Our relationship is splitting apart
It's like you're bleeding out my eyes
It hurts me to see how dysfunctional our relationship is
We both die
We both suffer as our relationship ends
Just like a murder-suicide
It's like we are both responsible for destroying our relationship
It took the second coming
It took a second attempt for us to realize how bad things had gotten
Of the second fail
Of the second failed attempt at our relationship
To make it look so easy
To make it seem like ending it was the simplest choice
To bury in shallow ground
To end our relationship without properly addressing the underlying issues
There's something beautiful
There's something tragically satisfying
About your suffering
About seeing you suffer from our failed relationship
It's a welcome sight
It feels like comeuppance for the pain you've caused me
When we're seeing God through bloodshot eyes
When our perspective is distorted through the pain we feel
Just a little fracture
The issues that caused our relationship to break apart seem so small
Or a clean break?
Or maybe it's better that we just end things altogether?
It seems you want to heal all your own
It seems like you don't want my help fixing our relationship
You never reject the demons all alone
You don't want to face your problems alone
It looks like we have found a way to die... but alone
It looks like we've decided to suffer through our broken relationship separately
Hoping for a savior
Hoping for a solution that will save us
But we're beyond God
But our relationship problems are beyond divine intervention
Leave me where I fall
Leave me to deal with our ruined relationship alone
You decided, done
You've decided our relationship is over
Needed an escape route
We needed a way out of our dysfunctional relationship
From which we flee
A way to move on from our shared pain
Punishment upon us
We're punishing ourselves for letting our relationship fall apart
We will die alone
We'll suffer the consequences of our actions separately
Murder-suicide
Our relationship ending feels like both of us played a part in destroying it.
Contributed by Micah M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Ryan
Love it guys, keep up the good work. I hope you get signed soon.
John C
Great to have you back! Can't wait to hear more.
Katie Kangas
I've always liked this band ...Silent Civilian is fuckin awesome didn't know Johnny was a 6 stringer until I watched a few videos ;)))
steven wilczak
Pre-ordered the album. This song is good, but who knows if I'll like the rest of the album. I just thought it's worth the risk and they deserve to sell a lot of albums
thedazedbandman
just pre-ordered the new album this song it on!! you can even get it with a t-shirt for a damn good price!!!
Ryan
@Vayde1 I'm not sure what people are complaining about. This isn't that much different than the heavier songs on Self-Destructive Pattern, and it's all amazing. I saw them live last year and they put on a great show.
Blackcrow521
:DDDDDDDDDDDDD sooooo happy to get new Spineshank material!
Henrikswanstrom
@fanatical256 I like the change. Personally I also believe THe Height was their best sound but the guitars and vocals here are more interesting. Most other songs were just powerchords throughout the whole song, this is different with some actual shredding.
Vee
Check out the full album preview, there's a bunch of electronics on some of the other songs
Julas93
fuck yea i waited sooo long!!