Spineshank: Anger Denial Acceptance

When Spineshank split up after "Self Destructive Pattern" I was bummed. When Johnny Santos formed Silent Civilian, I was sure that meant the end of the band. Now, Silent Civilian's "Rebirth of the Temple" is, in my opinion, one of the greatest metalcore albums of all time. However, it was not Spineshank, even though their two releases would tide me over. Now, for years, rumors of the band's reunion had floated around the internet to no avail. But, when Silent Civilian seemingly went of Hiatus after their 2010 release, those rumors gained momentum. Eventually the news came out that Spineshank had indeed reformed and were planning on releasing a new album. It had been nine years since "Self Destructive Pattern" and twelve since "The Height of Callousness". To say this new album was highly anticipated among Spineshank fans is an understatement. After disbanding after arguably their most successful album, fans wondered what could have been during that span. In 2012, "Anger Denial Acceptance" was released and I like most Spinshank fans picked it up immediately.

It's funny and sad how the anticipation of waiting for something you expect to be great can be better than the actual product. Like a kid waiting all year for Christmas to arrive after dropping hint after hint of a particular toy, only to open up a hand knitted sweater. This long awaited album was my knitted sweater. Look, the music on this album isn't by any means a horrible mess that should be burnt to dust, but it's not Spineshank. After nine years of waiting, this sounds like the band got together a few months prior, jammed out in a basement and settled on a handful of tracks they could slap their name onto. This album fails to capture any of the sounds from either of their three previous releases. No anger, no ferocity, no progressiveness, no industrial overtones. It's more of an angry rock album than it is Nu-metal. I was hoping this wouldn't just be a rehash of Silent Civilian, but I would have taken a carbon copy of that over this album. Disappointing to say the least. There are a few songs however, that are catchy and exhibit a flicker of their days of old, but this is one of those albums that each new song has you wondering "how many more tracks are left?" Not in a "I don't want it to end way" mind you, but rather a "is this a new song or is it on repeat".

I'll be totally honest, this is a biased review, so I'm willing to hear another take on it, but it would take a lot for me to consider this anything resembling the Spineshank of old. I think the disappointment is worse than the actual music, so give it at least a listen if you're not familiar with the band. I don't know, you might like this. Fans of Spineshank, think of this as "Dumb and Dumber To" or "Anchorman 2": just stick with the tried and true sound.

Rating: 2