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Stabbing Westward remains a favorite band of mine, as their run of albums throughout the 90s represents a perfect fusion of the rawness and darker backbone of industrial with the soaring choruses and catchiness of alternative rock. I’m even a fan of their 2001 self-titled, though the group has gone on record multiple times about how the commercialization forced by management and their label as well as other forces outside their control make it an album they don’t look back at favorably. They would end up imploding around that time, with lead singer Christopher Hall forming The Dreaming in 2002 and other members going on to music and non-music related endeavors. The Dreaming remained a group I was peripherally aware of for years but never fully dove into, with their first few albums taking on more of a pure alternative rock sound. In 2015 Walter Flakus rejoined Hall for the first time in over a decade, making the appropriately titled Rise Again have more of an industrial edge as if to be a middle ground between classic Stabbing Westward and The Dreaming. A lot has happened in the years since, as Stabbing Westward initially did some reunion shows and after some additional lineup changes has returned permanently. New music has trickled out slowly, with 2020 bringing two EP’s and 2022 marking the release of the band’s fifth full-length Chasing Ghosts. Time will tell just where it falls within their overall discography, but for now long-time fans who have followed Hall across multiple bands and newcomers alike should find plenty to enjoy here.
It can be difficult for established bands to return after such a long time away and capture that same energy, but only a few songs into Chasing Ghosts it becomes clear that there’s a similar fire behind these songs. There’s an even split between darker, edgier sounding material and softer moments that have a slightly brighter sheen, with the synths creating a somber yet hopeful tone. Throughout the ten-track run it often feels like Stabbing Westward has pulled from all the elements that made their first three albums stand out but wrapping them in a bigger and bolder sound. Hall has always made it known that Depeche Mode has played a significant influence on the band, and you can hear a bit more synth pop this time around with songs like “Control Z” letting the synths drive things forward and create haunting and catchy soundscapes that explode with bursts of guitar during the choruses. Stabbing Westward has always been at their best when finding that perfect balance between the pure industrial and electronic elements and the guitar driven side of their sound, and songs like “Wasteland” and “Ghost” would fit in well with any of their 90s discography. All three tracks from 2020’s Dead and Gone EP have been tweaked a bit and added in here, and while fans that have been following the reunion closely may have been hoping for more new material on Chasing Ghosts they do flow well with the rest of the tracks and don’t feel out of place. It’s remarkable how consistent the material is, as the booming hooks and moments of restraint that let the electronics expand outwards continue the band’s formula yet still sound fresh. The only flaw is the two longer tracks seem to stretch out just a bit too much, as “Push” and “The End” explore slower and softer textures that go for a bit more of a cinematic sound but drag by the end. I do like this approach, as it allows for some mellower and shimmering atmospherics but on the group’s own terms rather than the way it was forced upon them for the self-titled, but there remains room for it to be refined further.
One thing that’s remained consistent over the decades is Christopher Hall’s voice, as he has one of those pitches that is instantly recognizable. Its somber and pained yet melodic qualities are what drew me to Stabbing Westward all those years ago, and his singing has only gotten stronger in the time that he spent with The Dreaming. Where moments on Darkest Days came through like Hall was pushing his vocal register beyond its limits (which also makes sense given the subject matter), on Chasing Ghosts he comes through as comfortable with exactly how high he can soar and when he needs to reign it in. This results in some strong, memorable choruses and more subdued moments that still find a way to get stuck in your head, and while not every track sticks out the same way I found that “Ghost”, “Wasteland”, and “Control Z” were the ones I returned to the most. It’s interesting to hear Hall channeling some of the same subject matter on this album as based on recent interviews it sounds like he’s in a pretty decent place these days, but there’s no denying that this is what he does best.
Reunion albums can be very hit or miss, and sometimes feel like they don’t fit in with a band’s established discography. Yet that’s not the case with Stabbing Westward, as they’ve delivered material that could fit anywhere within the span of their first three records while still bringing some new elements and production updates with it. They’ve always occupied this middle ground between industrial and alternative/hard rock that set them apart, and Chasing Ghosts continues to blur those lines while giving plenty of memorable songs to return to. I do think they’re hinting at more exploration to come as this lineup continues onwards, and while the long moments drag a bit this is still an album I’ll return to regularly and more than I could’ve hoped for from a fifth Stabbing Westward full length. Chasing Ghosts is available from COP International.
-Review by Chris Dahlberg
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