by antiGUY
The New Album
Stabbing
Westward – Stabbing Westward
Label: Koch
Records
Rating: 
Tracks:
So Far Away
Perfect
I Remember
Wasted
Happy
The Only Thing
Angel
Breathe You In
High
Television
Hard rockin’ Goth’s Stabbing Westward return
with their self-titled album on Koch Records. All we have come to know
and love about this group is here. They provide enough power to get their
point across without diluting the overall melody, it’s a perfect balancing
act between the two. In fact, the move to Koch seems to be just what the
doctor ordered.
On this CD they have really honed their
writing skills, providing 10 unique songs that can stand on their own.
The songs differ enough from each other without sounding redundant, but
still manage to keep that classic Stabbing Westward feel. If you
liked their previous work, this one is a bit different but still right
up there with the best of them! If you are a fan of alt-rock with a heavy
Goth/Industrial edge this album will provide a great introduction to Stabbing
Westward.
Caught in the Act
Excerpt from Live! Review
of the Beyond Good and Evil Tour with The Cult
By the time Bird3 left the stage it was
approaching dusk, the California sky had turned an array of pinks and oranges
providing a perfect backdrop to an outdoor concert. Stabbing Westward took
the stage with an electrifying rendition of “Save Yourself”. Having
never seen this band live before I didn’t know what to expect; they easy
proved to be masters of the stage. Lead vocalist Christopher Hall seemed
like a reincarnation of Jim Morrison as he pranced about the stage, encouraging
the crowd to revel in the music. Derrek Hawkins provided the six-string
magic to the songs while bassist Jim Sellers joined with drummer Andrew
Kubiszewski in crafting the moving rhythms Stabbing Westward is known for.
When playing live Stabbing Westward go far beyond simply delivering the
studio tracks, the songs are played with a much deeper intensity and harder
rock edge than we have come to expect from their CD’s. A perfect example
is keyboardist/guitarist Walter Flakus who provides much of the underpinning
to the band's studio sound with his programming and keyboards. I was surprised
to see Walter spend most of the show wailing at a guitar and entirely ignoring
the keyboards. During the songs when we would normally expect Walter’s
keyboards or sampling we were treated to some intense guitar playing. Where
you might think that this would take away from the songs, it actually took
them to a whole new level and that is exactly the reason people shell out
their hard earned dollars to see a band play live, otherwise they would
be no better off then simply sitting at home and listening to the CD’s.
After treating the crowd to “Save Yourself”
from their 1998 release “Darkest Days”, the band launched into “High”;
the first song of the night from their new self-titled CD. The new CD not
only solidifies Stabbing Westward’s rock n roll credentials, it also proved
the idiots (a.k.a. rock critics) wrong in the notion of writing these guys
off as a Nine Inch Nails knock off. While there are some similarities to
the NIN sound, overall Stabbing Westward’s songs go way beyond the styling
of Trent Reznor. You just have to take the time give them an honest listen.
There was no mistaking who was ruling the
stage that night as Christopher Hall led his music brigade through a few
more new tracks like “The Only Thing” and “Happy”. Christopher showed us
his humorous side by strapping on an acoustic guitar and breaking into
a few bars of John Denver’s “Country Roads”. He also took time to joke
with a concert goer who kept yelling, while holding up a t-shirt with a
pot leaf on it; “Smoke it if you got it.” Christopher joked, “Get high
now, go get some pizza and be back in time for the Cult”. It wasn’t all
fun and games, Stabbing Westward was there to rock and they proved that
by captivating the crowd with their new single “So Far Away”.
Old time fans got a special treat as the
band closed their set with an ultra heavy rendition of “Shame” from their
1996 album, “Wither Blister Burn & Peel”. By the time they left the
stage the sun had fully set and they had set the stage for an intense night
of music. My only complaint, the set was too short, I know I wouldn’t have
been heart broken if Stabbing Westward swapped spots with Monster Magnet
in order to play more songs
antiGUY is the editor in
doubt of antiMUSIC.
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