Rating:  -
I've always been a big Stabbing Westward fan. Ungod is an amazing industrial/rock dark album. Wither, Blister.. has it's moments. Darkest Days is excellent. My favorites sometimes switch between Ungod and DD. This self titled piece of crap is a sorry attempt at selling out and not making it. Filled with mostly soft acoustic tracks that lack any lyrical depth leave the earlier SW fans confused. I might have listened to this album once.. And to be fair I had high hopes, but I really can't imagine anyone who likes the other SW albums to get into this.
Rating:  -
This was the band's final "stab" at mainstream success, and while it does not live up to the quality of their previous works, it is still a solid release. Anyone expecting another Darkest Days or Wither, Blister, Burn + Peel will be sorely disappointed here, but for anyone who can listen to this as a stand alone CD and not compare it to a previous, vastly superior work, can still find some enjoyment here. There are a couple of stand-out tracks that really showcase the band's talent, but many of the tracks are just watered down and do not live up to their potential. Still an enjoyable CD, but I was hoping for more from their final release.
Rating:  -
I first came across Stabbing Westward when I heard "Save yourself" off Darkness Days. I instantly became a fan, and after picking up Darkest Days, I grabbed Wither, Blister, Burn & Peel and Ungod. I enjoy both of these albums, as at the time I was in a dark place in my life. These simply helped me where was. Stabbing Westward disappeared after Darkest Days, and we didn't hear from them for awhile.
I heard the song "So Far Away" on the radio, and decided to give the CD a try. It was a lot different then the previous three, but it still had its moments. In some way, the desperate nature mixed with washed away anger, and the singer seemed almost happy at times. The CD starts off very melancholy, but seems to brighten as the playlist goes on. Course then you have television in there, that seems to throw ya off a bit at the end.
I won't say its a bad CD, it just seems a bit more mainstream, and less doom and gloom then the previous three. Maybe the lead singer finally beat his depression, or maybe he just wasn't so angry at the world. I'd suggest it just so you can get a different feel of what this band can do. After three LP's of doing about the same thing, they did something different. You can't blame them for that.
Rating:  -
I am not one of those people who feel a band should never experiment with their sound or evolve into something greater. Many bands and great musicians from the Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Metallica, Guns N Roses, Eric Clapton, Ozzy, The Stones to Aerosmith have all tinkered with their sound and winning formulas. By doing so they were able to broaden their fanbase and prove their depth as artists. Having your sound evolve does not mean you "sold out" as so many purists love to claim. Frankly, I prefer a band to try and grow because eventually their sound will become repetitive and irrelevant. However, not every band or musician has great success when they try to branch out. Neil Young and Garth Brooks are the most obvious; great at what they know (Rock and Country respectively) but awful at something else (New Wave and New Age).
Stabbing Westward is Industrial Rock. Hard, Heavy, Dark and Brooding. This is what they know and what they are best at. They don't always need to be angry to make a good song (Shame) but they are masters at dealing out that industrial edge (Save Yourself). To me they were always a Trent Reznor but with better vocals. What set these guys apart from other Idustrial Rock bands was that their guy could actually sing as well as belt out the angst which combined for a powerful visceral effect on the listener.
This new self titled album is something completely different. Now I have no problem with the band going in a new direction, "Darkest Days" was certainly their Zenith and would be hard to eclipse, but this CD is like when Neil Young tried to do New Wave...it just doesn't work. Not as a Stabbing Westward CD and not even as a stand alone CD. The songs sound very similar, the industrial edge is gone and at times they sound like a poor mans Days of the New (great acoustic band) or a wannabe Blink 182 (crappy pop-rock). The only track I like is "So Far Away", which sounds like a softer version of their older stuff. Other than that one song, every single other track is so far off from what the band used to be, or is seemingly trying to be with this release, a somewhat pop friendly rock band with an edge.
Neil Young tried something different and failed, so he went back to what he knew, Rock. Garth Brooks tried something different and failed, so he went back to Country. Both men are very talented and kudos to them for trying something different as musicians, but Stabbing Westward seemed like they were trying too hard to capture a pop audience with this one and fell flat on their face. They are very talented and should return to Industrial Rock and work with what they know. It has been almost a decade since Darkest Days, technology has changed and life experience has accumulated, the time seems right.
I do not recommend this album, certainly not to someone looking for that Stabbing Westward experience. This is not a bad album, just entirely mediocre.
Rating:  -
Ok, I agree that this CD is very unlike what we've all come to expect Stabbing Westward to produce. It's nothing at all like discs such as Ungod and Darkened Days. In that sense it falls short. But it you listen to it as just a CD and not as a specific band then it leaves little to be desired. This is hard for some because some people throw themselves into one category of rock. I like everything from Jack Johnson to Slipknot, so I have a fairly broad spectrum and I love this disc. Beautiful melodys, wonderful acoustic guitars, and solid lyrics fill the album. It shows them abandoning the typical indrustrial style lyrics and cliches and adopting something a little different. I'll always love SW classics like "What Do I Have to Do?," "Save Yourself," and "You Complete Me," but this CD has it's high points too such as "So Far Away," "Wasted," "Angel," and "Television." I couldn't give this CD less than five stars, even if it's not the typical SW style. A great CD for them to go out on in my opinion.
|
