Industrial rockers Stabbing Westward rose to prominence via a potent combination of piercing electronic textures and aggressive atmospherics. Co-founded in the mid-’80s by college students Christopher Hall and Walter Flakus, the group eventually found a home in Chicago’s fertile industrial scene. The band’s seething dynamics and Hall’s vocal urgency distinguished Stabbing Westward on its 1994 debut album, Ungod. This presaged a mainstream-rock breakthrough with 1996’s Wither Blister Burn + Peel, which featured the roiling “What Do I Have to Do?” and the ominous “Shame,” and 1998’s insistent Darkest Days standout "Save Yourself." Hall and Flakus have continued to steer Stabbing Westward into the 21st century with tracks such as “Cold,” which takes inspiration from darkwave and synth-pop.