Stabbing Westward - "Ungod"

A portion of my, "not at work" time, is spent in a music community on Facebook in which we rank our favorite albums of yesteryear. Often, in doing so, I run across an album or a band that either slipped through the cracks or were wholly written off at the time. Stabbing Westward definitely fell into the latter of the two. "A shotgun wedding between Smashing Pumpkins and Nine Inch Nails" is how one of my friends categorized their emergence. I was a little more open-minded, albeit cynical after seeing the video for "Nothing" on MTV. Then, quite unexpectedly, I discovered they were on a compilation I owned from the year prior, The Cyberflesh Conspiracy, an electronic and industrial collection. Therein was the track, "Violent Mood Swings" and it suggested a band that was more Meat Beat Manifesto or Skinny Puppy. Not a dramatic departure from Nine Inch Nails - I get it, but it definitely stripped away the discourse that this band was some industrial-rock, record-exec manifestation. More importantly, it proved to me that Stabbing Westward's debut on a major label was not simply an overzealous umbrella to reign in that "alternative" sound.

In all fairness, Ungod is a departure from their material in 1992 and 1993 - if Nine Inch Nails is a $15 dessert from a fine restaurant, this album is the kind of dessert a 10 year old concocts. That's not meant to be insulting, but Ungod comes off as an album with hooks instead of chords and the kind of lyrical animosity that sends mailbombs to it's ex. It seems extreme in it's sultry, seething, concussive framework and every track is meticulously crafted to ensnare.

"What is this thing?" It's the Island Of Dr. Moreau of Albums.Tell me, how is that possible in two shorts years? Was it a team of engineers that would rival Madonna's liner notes? Nope - I've seen more production notes on a Jim Nabors record. Then the name pooped out, "John Fryer" - engineer for Depeche Mode, Cranes, Fad Gadget, Love And Rockets, a whole host of 4AD bands, and yep - Nine Inch Nails. Case dismissed? I don't think so. An engineer can turn good into great, and steer the ship - especially a veteran with a new band.

Ungod borrows, and begs and steals, and I'd be foolish to turn a blind eye to that. I'm sure there's a handful of bands who wondered what the line between theft and similarity stood. But Stabbing Westward cannot be so easily dismissed. They brought something to the table that allowed a talented engineer to take it to another level. Even at this young a stage, Stabbing Westward were already developing an uncanny knack at song craft that blended harsh industrial noise into textures that complimented not only their musical proficiency, but also built a framework that fed the angry lyrics of Christopher Hall. The songs are allowed to cascade and build, there is no rush to the reward... all the while whispered to angry vocals lead you on a journey through betrayal and hatred. Hall's vocals may be the most haunting you will find on any industrial rock album of the 90s, but they are able to reach an intensity that evokes believably. Bass lines are actually well-crafted, and compliment drummer, David Suycott's style perfectly. Reading through the liner notes, I saw that writing was shared by several of the members, which added to convictions that Ungod was anything but a corporate whore.

Yes, "Control", "Nothing", "Violent Mood Swings", "Ungod" and "Lies" are extreme versions of a Nine Inch Nails song. I won't deny that, and maybe I should say, "Fuck this album!" and walk away. However, even though the familiarity is painfully too close or unoriginal - these tracks, the albums singles, are extremely well performed and they are a diabetic coma. If somebody took all of the original Jonny Quest characters and made a new series called "Ronny Adventurer" and carried on killing Lizard Men - I'm watching it. Just sayin'.

For me however - if all that I had to sink my teeth into were the aforementioned tracks, I would probably not even write this review. But tracks like "Red On White" and "Can't Happen Here" reflect a Stabbing Westward that's not contrived or lead down the yellow brick road, but a band that paid a lot of attention to the best parts of My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult's debut, and Skinny Puppy, and Wolfsheim. There is brilliance is these lesser known tracks that exceeds expectations for a band on their debut album.

As a whole, Stabbing Westward presented an exceptional album throughout. If it's only flaw is that it's familiar, then I'm willing to forgive it's transgressions. It took something done and carried it down the road without falling - good enough for me. Did they do it alone, no... but I believe even without John Fryer, Stabbing Westward would have offered an Ungod equally captivating and solid throughout.

Nine Inch Nails - Not The Actual Events EP (Twelve Inch) - Review

NINE INCH NAILS - NOT THE ACTUAL EVENTS E.P.

Right off the bat, full disclosure, I've been a fan of Nine Inch Nails from the start. I had Pretty Hate Machine on cassette, vinyl, and compact disc within the first month of it's release, and I had to purchase that album at least a half-dozen times because friends would forget to return it. I've remained a paying customor on the Trent Reznor carnival ride since, but I'd be lying if I didn't also confess that following The Fragile, I began to develop some motion sickness.With Teeth ushered a realization that I may not enjoy every track on a Nine Inch Nails album going forward. Our love affair had run out of steam, though it very much possessed all the qualities that originally brought us into one another's lives.

 The Downward Spiral opened a new facet into what is the totality of a Nine Inch Nails release; those lucky enough to find the promotional vinyl were rewarded with stunning and painstakingly beautiful art and packaging. The presentation of releases, "Perfect Drug" aside, has developed with each consecutive release, and the art is as integral as the music it encompasses. Though I may be rebuffed for claiming it, for me personally, I believe the packaging and it's careful representation is as much collectible for fans as the often limited nature in which it's offered. Unfortunately, Year Zero, suffered from it... fans were so rabid to piece together a puzzle that was scattered throughout the world in forms of flash drives, hidden messages, secret images - that the presentation eclipsed the product. An otherwise solid album suffered from it's own clever design. And because I wasn't in on the game, I felt a little disconnected from my friend of so many years.

I've said all of this to preface a review of Nine Inch Nails' first E.P. (of three planned for release this year), because, yes, I am probably a little biased, but also, that I am capable of being disappointed. The E.P. was released digitally at the end of 2016, and the physical releases (in the form of a 12-Inch) are just now shipping. A lot has happened musically for Trent Reznor between 2013's Hesitation Marks and this E.P. Collaborations with Atticus Ross have scored some of the largest film releases in the past decade; Trent has become involved with Apple, and let's just ignore the fact that he is also a real person with a family and responsibilities the rest of us have, As quiet as Trent may be - he's never far from surfacing in the ocean of life's minutia. Whether it's receiving critical praise for the tours that followed Hesitation Marks in it's creativity and unique adaptation of light and structure; or it's a film score that writhes like a serpent through your subconscious, or it's a blistering performance on Twin Peaks (The Return) - the man simply isn't forgettable or yesterday's big event, he's more like a tsunami that stops for coffee. 

All that said, Not The Actual Events is as strong a Nine Inch Nails release as anything else in their catalog. "The Idea Of You", incorporates piano in a cinematic fashion that transcends everything that has come before it. The track is easily as aggressive as "Burn", but Trent's vocals are muted and beg the listener to spin that volume knob just enough before the assault happens. "Branches/Bones" is a slow burn that is beautifully crafted with exceptional guitar work and layered vocals that soar and collapse you into "Dear World". Lyrically: cynicism, apathy, and self-deprecating introspection... the kind of dim horizon that only Trent Reznor can illustrate with such clarity. The synth-pop, drum-driven track compliments such dark musings perfectly, and it's the sort of fare a DJ craves to manipulate. 'She's Gone Away" and "Burning Bright (Field On Fire)" offer something new to fans. There's a raw studio element to these tracks that almost seems to emanate from a 1950's radio that's still stored away in the attic at this very moment, and the ghosts have the controls. "She's Gone Away", though unique,  offers a flavor very familiar to fans, an undulating journey a la "Reptile" that creeps in an out of all your naughty thoughts. In other words, it's the perfect fit for anything and everything David Lynch. The closest relatives to "Burning Bright (Field On Fire)" emanated from The Fragile... but this family member has been disowned and spent some time stalking Dirty Beaches and Ariel Pink. There is some (intentionally) buried guitar work on the sub-surface that is so striking that I started manipulating my EQ to get a better listen, and just as your are fully in and submerged - it drops you suddenly but gingerly back into reality.

As I said, this E.P. is incredibly crafted and well worth adding to your collection. It will, along with it's two counterparts to follow, likely find a home in your Top Ten this year, and be a record you'll pull out in the years to come. It's not forgettable, or "fleeting" as Trent has suggested, it's as well done and well-crafted as anything he has done and deserves the praise.

But I'm not done! Right? We didn't touch on the packaging after so much time was spent writing about packaging! Trent Reznor has a theme running throughout this year's releases "existing in the real world" and many really didn't know what that meant. Turning quickly to Year Zero-ocd- paranoia; fans began dissecting the imagery and subtext. Whether or not there's something there to find, I don't know. I'm staying on the train but I'm not studying what's passing by the windows. This particular twelve-inch and the book that preceded it offer the same evocative imagery that delves into Nine Inch Nails as a physical art form, and presents each owner with a unique reward to make your physical component truly your own, one-of-a-kind item.

This much-anticipated, immersive experience I set myself up for was somewhat unraveled by a distribution company that didn't carry the mantle of devotion, care, and creativity that brought all of this together. They instead threw my 12-inch into a mailer without any cardboard support and what I received as a result, is one jacked-up bent-to-hell record. I've been exchanging emails with Sandbag, Ltd, but so far, I'm stuck with what I have and I'm pretty disappointed. I'm confident this is not what Trent Reznor had in mind when he decided to put out the twelve-inch for fans and take the time to make it unique. He didn't intend for my experience to incorporate a postal-worker's bad day at the office. So, Sandbag - not happy. My advice - if you can find another way to obtain your Not The Actual Events EP - then do so. At least save your email with your order number... because Paypal transaction IDs and proof of payment will get you nowhere.