After launching their career with a debut album inspired largely by
Fear Factory's patented brand
electro-
death metal, and then transitioning towards the era's prevalent
nu-metal trends with their second, Los Angeles'
Spineshank succumbed even further to commercial pressures with their third opus, 2003's
Self-Destructive Pattern. Essentially a
hard rock album accentuated with sporadic metallic attitude, spiked with pseudo-
techno inflections, and sprinkled with
rap-
metal distractions,
Self-Destructive Pattern didn't do much justice to the band's aggro roots, but it did contain a handful of singles boasting serious crossover potential, in an
Alien Ant Farm or
Papa Roach kind of way.
"Violent Mood Swings," "Smothered," "Tear Me Down." and the almost
Linkin Park-esque
"Forgotten," in particular, seemed ideally suited for both
rock radio airplay, and allowing them to barely squeak onto
Ozzfest's second stage, if they were so inclined. But despite showcasing a budding versatility from vocalist
Johnny Santos, neither these nor cosmetically correct (if terribly derivative)
nu-metal candidates like
"Slavery," the title track, and
"Stillborn" (containing a final few nods to
Fear Factory) seemed likely to distinguish
Spineshank from the growing mass of self-parodying (yet, for the most part, less conflicted) bands of their ilk. And a verdict would never be reached, in any case, since the internal strife that had contributed to
Self-Destructive Pattern's convoluted creation wound up culminating in
Santos' departure mere months after its release -- thus somewhat fulfilling the prophecy of its title, if nothing else. ~ Eduardo Rivadavia
![The The Downward Spiral [Definitive Edition]](http://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/0602557142785_p0_v2_s90x140.jpg "The The Downward Spiral [Definitive Edition]")
![Papercuts [Milky Clear Vinyl] [Barnes & Noble Exclusive]](http://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/0093624845058_p0_v2_s90x140.jpg "Papercuts [Milky Clear Vinyl] [Barnes & Noble Exclusive]")
![All the Right Reasons [LP]](http://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/0081227935092_p0_v2_s90x140.jpg "All the Right Reasons [LP]")
![Deftones [Sky Blue Vinyl] [Barnes & Noble Exclusive]](http://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/0093624854241_p0_v1_s90x140.jpg "Deftones [Sky Blue Vinyl] [Barnes & Noble Exclusive]")