After the success of Wither Blister Burn + Peel, Stabbing Westward could have played it safe. They could have leaned on radio-friendly songs and taken advantage of late-90s MTV exposure. Instead, they released Darkest Days – a brooding 65-minute concept album that can best be described as an emotional roller coaster.
Part industrial rock, part alternative, and part guitar-driven metal, Darkest Days is lead by Christopher Hall's vocals that alternate from desperate self-loathing pleas to fiery screams. The album set the band apart from their peers, but did still see some commercial success.
"Save Yourself" reached #4 on the U.S. Mainstream Rock chart, while "Haunting Me" peaked at #19 (the latter also made a prominent appearance in the sci-fi teen thriller The Faculty).
Despite never reaching the commercial success of it's predecessor Wither Blister Burn + Peel, Darkest Days has grown into the definitive Stabbing Westward album – an often-overlooked masterpiece from the 90s, that still holds up beautifully two decades later.
Now available for the first time on vinyl. Remastered for vinyl at Sony’s Battery Studios. Limited to 1,000 copies worldwide, available on 180 gram 2xLP with trifold jacket sourced from Dave McKean's original art files.
Pressing Info:
• Black / Gray Splatter (300)
• Green / Black Smoke (700)
Track Listing:
1. Darkest Days
2. Everything I Touch
3. How Can I Hold On
4. Drugstore
5. You Complete Me
6. Save Yourself
7. Haunting Me
8. Torn Apart
9. Sometimes It Hurts
10. Drowning
11. Desperate Now
12. Goodbye
13. When I'm Dead
14. The Thing I Hate
15. On Your Way Down
16. Waking Up Beside You