Spineshank

Spineshank bolted the mechanical churn of Fear Factory onto Los Angeles nu metal, then leaned further into industrial metal as they matured. The band grew out of Basic Enigma, whose members absorbed Pantera, Slayer and White Zombie before hearing Fear Factory's Demanufacture and rethinking how they wrote songs. Jonny Santos began on guitar, moved to bass, and became the singer only after a joking rendition of Slayer's 'Seasons in the Abyss' during auditions convinced his bandmates.

Fear Factory's Dino Cazares heard a demo and offered a support slot in Los Angeles, which brought Roadrunner's Kevin Estrada to the band; a seven-album deal followed once Robert Garcia joined on bass. Strictly Diesel appeared on 22 September 1998, with Burton C. Bell guesting on 'Stain'. The Height of Callousness (2000) was more industrial, produced the singles 'Synthetic' and 'New Disease', and led to Ozzfest 2001. Self-Destructive Pattern (2003) yielded 'Smothered', nominated for a Grammy for Best Metal Performance. Santos left in January 2004 and a spell with Brandon Espinoza ended in 2008, but the original line-up reunited that year, and Anger Denial Acceptance arrived in 2012.