About Stabbing Westward
Stabbing Westward is an American industrial rock/alternative rock band. Christopher Hall and Walter Flakus formed the band in 1985 in Macomb, Illinois. The band released an extended play in 1992, followed by four studio albums: Ungod , Wither Blister Burn & Peel , Darkest Days , and Stabbing Westward . The band announced a dissolution in February 2002. Two compilation albums were later released in 2003. Stabbing Westward reunited in 2016 to celebrate the 30th anniversary of its formation and continued to perform live shows. The band's first new album in 21 years, Chasing Ghosts, was released in 2022.
Christopher Hall and Walter Flakus formed the band Stabbing Westward when they were in college. They came up with the name while working at the college radio station WIUS-FM. It was allegedly from a 1950s speech regarding political fears of Communism "stabbing westward". During an interview in 1996, Hall stated, "Since we went to Western Illinois University, Stabbing Westward had a certain 'kill everybody in the school' vibe to it! The school's way out in farm country and the country is really close minded. I was walking around like Robert Smith with real big hair, big baggy black clothes, black fingernail polish and eye makeup. They just didn't get it. We hated the town."
Moving to Chicago, Illinois in 1985, the original lineup for Stabbing Westward consisted of Hall on bass and lead vocals, Flakus on keyboards, and Jim Clanin on guitars. Clanin would briefly be replaced on guitars by Andrew Hunter, and bassist Jim Sellers was added on as well. Angelo Negrette was also added as a live drummer. This lineup of the band recorded the 1991 extended play tape Iwo Jesus, and featured four songs: an early version of "Violent Mood Swings" , "P.O.M.F." , an early version of "Shame", and "Plastic Jesus". "Violent Mood Swing" was also included on the 1992 compilation CD The Cyberflesh Conspiracy.
The band's official website stated that "the original EP was recorded on an eight-track tape machine synched to an Emax II Sampler and an EMU SP1200 sampling drum machine. 100 copies were originally printed and sold both at local shows and in the legendary Wax Trax Record store in Chicago."
Hall took a brief break to tour with the band Die Warzau as that group's percussionist before continuing to work on Stabbing Westward. Hall, Flakus, and Sellers later recruited Chris Vrenna on drums to replace Negrette, as Hall had met Vrenna when playing in Die Warzau. Vrenna played drums on all of the demo recordings that ultimately landed Stabbing Westward their record deal with Columbia Records. The demo recordings included "Violent Mood Swings", "Lies", and "Nothing". They were recorded at a studio in Evanston, Illinois. At the insistence of the band's record label, Stuart Zechman was brought in on guitar, as previous guitarist Hunter was no longer in the band. After Vrenna returned to Nine Inch Nails, the band hired David Suycott, who was a high school friend of Flakus.
With a solidified lineup including Zechman on guitar and Suycott on drums, the band in 1993 recorded at Eden Studios in London with producer John Fryer. This resulted in their major label debut album, Ungod, which was released on February 15, 1994. The band landed an opening slot on Depeche Mode's Exotic Tour in summer 1994, and opened North American tour dates in fall 1994 for Killing Joke, but Stabbing Westward's album sales still didn't increase.
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