VOX: How did Spineshank get started?

Soren "Mike" Sarkisyan: Well…we kinda knew each other for a while, me Johnny and Tom, playing in…in different things that ended up defunct. We started in '96, in LA, so we've been playing together for years. We just started jamming together, Tommy, the drummer, joined and it's gone on from there. The Spineshank name started out meaning backstabbing, but it took on a life of it's own. The kids understand it - they get it. It's more of a feeling now…it's become an emotion.

VOX: Where do you see rock music heading?

Mike: In lots of directions. There are so many sides to it, lots of bands that push the envelope…(hed) p.e., Slipknot…lots of bands into extreme rock, but more melodic than before.

VOX: What, to you, was the most critical element to completing the album? What were you after?

Mike: Really, one single thing, we made an album that we wanted to make - no compromise. That was our single objective, and we're proud of not compromising - we don't give a fuck. There aren't any hidden tracks or ambient noise going on, here's 37 minutes of Spineshank. One song ends, another starts, right away.

VOX: "Synthetic" is a great song. What's the story behind it?

Mike: That's a song that got written really fast and outta nowhere. It's about something we all don't like - becoming something you never wanted to be. You never want to be like your dad, but you are, so you spend your whole life erasing that, and you end up as something else that isn't really you. It's about the negative feelings that surround that.

VOX: "Transparent" is another powerful song - tell me about it.

Mike: That one's Johnny's little thing - he wrote the lyrics from beginning to end - the whole thing. It's not really a story, but anger, depression, transferring the fear. Some of it is obvious from the title.

VOX: Are you all into the Internet - do you see it as an important medium for the band?

Mike: Totally. It's a whole new world come together. We read e-mail and read messages on the message boards, and pay attention to our fans. We really want to stay connected to them, and it's a way to keep in touch without going out there.

VOX: How do you get from Souren to Mike?

Mike: It was a high school incident. It was easier to use when I was bullshitting girls. [Laughing] I'm over it. That's from way back in the 80's, man.

VOX: What can we expect from a Spineshank live show?