I must admit to being on an industrial metal bender as of late. Thirty years ago, the music of Nine Inch Nails, Skinny Puppy, and Stabbing Westward blanketed the college airwaves, but there’s been something calling me back and, thankfully, so have these artists.
Stabbing Westward recently announced a brand-new reinvention of their hit record, Wither Blister Burn & Peel called Withered and ReWired. Don’t call it a re-issue, though. This is a totally re-recorded album. As singer, Christopher Hall told the packed crowd at Nevermore Hall in Baltimore this weekend, “Last year Walter (Flakus, keyboards/guitar) and I were discussing the 30th anniversary of Wither Blister Burn & Peel and I said maybe we should have coffee and high-five or something, and he goes ‘No, no, I’m thinking of something much bigger than that… So, we decided to re-record the album and make it the way we, as producers now, would make it if we were producers years ago.” The plan was to have the record out and to tour on it, but it will be released in September. But I think this works out as a positive as the performance I witnessed in Charm City made me want to find the album, but more of that in a moment.
At Nevermore Hall things got started with fellow Chicagoans Acumen Nation. I hadn’t heard the three-piece before, but they set the stage (no pun intended) for an outstanding show. It was heavy and dark, but if that wasn’t dark enough for you their set was followed by Priest, the Swedish band whose pedigree includes metal band Ghost, brought a theatrically industrial set as the masked trio thoroughly impressed. Dressed all in black – two wearing plague style masks while the vocalist wore an imposing mask featuring a glowing red eye – the band danced about and even went into the crowd.
As Stabbing Westward took the stage the energy was palpable right from the start and Hall’s voice was just as strong as ever. When he shouts, “I don’t believe, I don’t believe That I could be so stupid and so naive I don’t believe, I don’t believe That there is nothing, nothing left for me” the power of his voice cut through the heavy riffs by Flakus and guitarist Cyamak Ashtiani.
The band proceeded to blast through that re-worked album, and, I have to say, it sounded incredible. Maybe it was hearing those songs live. Maybe it was a bit of nostalgia. Maybe I’m just overthinking it, but I don’t remember those songs grabbing me like they did Friday night amidst a sea of fans.
Of course, the biggest reaction from the crowd was for the hit single, “What Do I Have to Do?” and “Shame,” but this was clearly a crowd that had been waiting for this reunion for, well, decades and that enthusiasm showed as fans sang along at a volume that nearly matched the force on-stage.
Check out the video for “What Do I Have to Do?” by Stabbing Westward below:
After that blistering first set, where Stabbing Westward performed the entire Wither ReWired, the band performed a few other tracks, including a fantastic cover of The Cure’s “Burn,” a song originally on The Crow soundtrack. But they left one of the best for last with the ever popular “Save Yourself” from Darkest Days.
The setlist included:
Wither ReWired Set 1
I Don’t Believe
What Do I Have to Do?
Falls Apart
Crushing Me
Why
Slipping Away
Shame
Inside You
So Wrong
Sleep
Set 2
The Thing I Hate
Burn (The Cure cover)
So Far Away
Violent Mood Swings
Encore:
Dawn
Save Yourself
See more photos of Stabbing Westward rocking the Nevermore Hall on Friday, July 17th, 2026. All photos are copyright David LaMason:
Here are photos of Priest opening at Nevermore Hall:
And check out photos of Acumen Nation kicking things off at Nevermore Hall:
Nice work. Stage lighting is difficult to deal with and these are really nice and sharp.