WITHER, BLISTER, BURN AND PEEL
With the release of their second album,
Stabbing Westward
have found a
distinctive sound: an organic machine that whistles, screeches and growls like
a black-and-white movie monster. "I Don't Believe," the album's first track, is
a self-destructive grind with a snarling melodic hook and a bridge that sounds
as if it was recorded underwater. "Shame" epitomizes
Stabbing Westward's sonic
signature: white-noisy percussion mixing freely with acoustic drums, pulsing
waves of background keyboards, and deceptively sweet vocals that explode into a
desperate rage during the chorus. "Slipping Away" builds from dirty garage rock
into industrial dance propelled by rapidly moving synths and artificial beats.
The bait-and-switch is unexpected but coherent. And when the garage band
smashes full force into the programmed plastic sounds the result is
terrifying.
-- Jonathan Follett
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