Stabbing Westward
Wither Blister Burn + Peel

THE REVIEW

The four albums released to date under the name Stabbing Westward undoubtedly deserve a listen.

The band was born from the meeting of the gothic boy into post-punk, Christopher Hall, with the keyboardist Walter Flakus. The two created the moniker as a kind of recurring insult towards their Western Illinois University and the backward town of Macomb.

They had the fortune/misfortune of being continually compared to Nine Inch Nails during their career, not only because of their style but also due to some intersections between the two projects.

Their debut Ungod from 1994 and this second album from 1996 were both produced by the famous John Fryer (This Mortal Coil, Cocteau Twins, early Depeche Mode, early NIN, and many, many others). Among their various drummers were Chris Vrenna - for a short period - and Andy Kubiszewski (who appears in The Downward Spiral by Trent in the track of the same name).

One of the reasons I consider this album their best is especially the successful lineup that came together.

In tracks like Shame, the drumming of the already mentioned Kubiszewski stands out. The single was accompanied by a half-thriller music video that also received decent airplay on MTV at the time.

The guitars are entrusted to Mark Eliopulos and the bass to Jim Sellers. Flakus provides the cunning base, and Christopher Hall? A remarkable vocal range and an anger suited to the type of lyrics. A potential disciple of Ozzy Osbourne even in appearance, if not a missed heir.

What Do I Have To Do, is the most famous single by Stabbing Westward; less heavy but more powerful than the others, perhaps more centered on the concept of a ballad, but filled with the spleen that the tracks of Wither Blister Burn + Peel emanate.

The episodes on the album Why and Inside You are influenced - in my opinion, positively - by the passion for Depeche Mode (the Stabbing opened several dates of their Exotic Tour in support of Songs Of Faith And Devotion).

As mentioned earlier, it is an album born from the nineties, a concentrate of fears and relationships that go adrift. An obsession carefully transported to hell on the ferry of Industrial not too Industrial (at times new wave). But a band that is not a poor copy of anyone.