The Smashing Pumpkins is an American alternative rock band from Chicago. Formed in 1988 by frontman and guitarist Billy Corgan, guitarist James Iha, bassist D'arcy Wretzky and drummer Jimmy Chamberlin, the band has undergone several line-up changes since their reunion in 2006, with Corgan being the primary songwriter and sole constant member since its inception. The current lineup consists of Corgan, Chamberlin, and Iha. The band has a diverse, densely layered sound, which evolved throughout their career and has contained elements of gothic rock, heavy metal, grunge, psychedelic rock, progressive rock, shoegaze, dream pop, and electronica.
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen is an American rock singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Nicknamed "the Boss", he has released 21 studio albums during a career spanning six decades, most of which feature his backing band, the E Street Band. Springsteen is a pioneer of heartland rock, combining a commercially successful rock sound with poetic and socially conscious lyrics reflecting the issues of working class American life. He is known for his descriptive lyrics and energetic concerts, which sometimes last over four hours.
Stabbing Westward is an American industrial rock/alternative rock band. Christopher Hall and Walter Flakus formed the band in 1985 in Macomb, Illinois. The band released an extended play in 1992, followed by four studio albums: Ungod (1994), Wither Blister Burn & Peel (1996), Darkest Days (1998), and Stabbing Westward (2001). The band announced a dissolution in February 2002. Two compilation albums were later released in 2003. Stabbing Westward reunited in 2016 to celebrate the 30th anniversary of its formation and continued to perform live shows. The band's first new album in 21 years, Chasing Ghosts, was released in 2022.
Wither Blister Burn + Peel is the second album by the American industrial rock band Stabbing Westward, released on Columbia Records. The album was recorded in New York in May 1995, and released in New York City and Los Angeles on January 4, 1996. The album was released throughout the rest of the United States on January 23, 1996. It includes the singles "What Do I Have To Do?" and "Shame". Wither Blister Burn & Peel was certified gold on September 27, 1996.
Darkest Days is the third album released by industrial rock band Stabbing Westward on Columbia Records. The album was recorded in L.A. in 1997 and released on April 7, 1998. Although the album didn't achieve the same level of success as Wither Blister Burn & Peel, it received positive reviews and is often considered the band's best album. The band was dropped from Columbia Records in 2000 following this release. The track "Save Yourself" reached number 4 on the U.S. Mainstream Rock chart and number 20 on the U.S. Modern Rock chart and remains a staple of alternative music. Darkest Days was certified gold on March 1, 2000.
Stabbing Westward is the fourth studio album by the American industrial rock band Stabbing Westward. It is their first album to be produced by Ed Buller and released on Koch Records. The album was released on May 22, 2001. The album shows a change in direction for the band. The album's songs are much less heavy and aggressive, while the industrial focus has given way to a more melodic sound. Before the album was released, lead singer Christopher Hall said in an interview that Stabbing Westward wrote great pop-rock songs, but the band had always ended up making them ugly by adding effects and screaming, etc. On this album, he claimed, they decided to write what they wanted, regardless of fan expectation. "The Only Thing" is a love song for Christopher Hall's wife.
James Joseph Woolley was an American keyboard and synthesizer player, best known for performing with industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails from 1991 to 1994, participating in the Pretty Hate Machine Tour Series and the Self Destruct Tour. Woolley appeared in the band's music videos for "Wish" and "March of the Pigs", and the video album Closure. Together with Nine Inch Nails, Woolley won a Grammy Award in 1996 for "Best Metal Performance" for their Woodstock '94 performance of "Happiness in Slavery".
The Dreaming was an American rock band founded in the Hollywood area by Christopher Hall, the lead singer of the band Stabbing Westward, and Johnny Haro in 2001.
Ungod is the debut album by American industrial rock band Stabbing Westward. The album was recorded in six weeks in Chiswick, England in 1993, and released by Columbia Records on February 15, 1994. With adequate album sales and touring with the likes of Depeche Mode, a second album, Wither Blister Burn & Peel, was released in 1996. The guitar line in the chorus of the song "Ungod" was later used in Filter's song "Hey Man Nice Shot" in 1995. Stuart Zechman, who was also playing guitar for Filter at the time, took the riff and showed it to Stabbing Westward who ended up using it as well.
Chokt is an American industrial rock band featuring Pete Murray of Lo-Pro and Ultraspank, Walter Flakus of Stabbing Westward, and John Stevens of Ghost Machine and The Clay People. The trio recorded an album's worth of material together, releasing songs one by one over the course of 2006 to 2009. It served as an outlet for Murray for songs that didn't quite fit the hard rock sound of Lo-Pro, during the six year gap in between Lo-Pro releases.
Peter Francis Murray is an American musician and singer-songwriter. Starting his music career in the mid-1990s, he has been the lead vocalist for a number of bands, including nu metal band Ultraspank, hard rock band Lo-Pro, acoustic/electronic rock band Life On Planet 9, industrial rock band Chokt, and most recently, rock band White Noise Owl.
"Save Yourself" is a song by American industrial rock band Stabbing Westward. The song was released as the second single from the band's 1998 album Darkest Days. The track is one of the band's most known songs.
"What Do I Have to Do?" is a song by American industrial rock band Stabbing Westward. The song was released as the first single from the band's 1996 album Wither Blister Burn & Peel. The song is considered the group's breakout single, with its music video entering rotation on MTV.
"Shame" is a song by American industrial rock band Stabbing Westward. The song was released as the second and final single from the band's 1996 album Wither Blister Burn & Peel.
"Haunting Me" is a song by American industrial rock band Stabbing Westward. The song was released as the third and final single from the 1998 album Darkest Days. The song was featured in the 1998 film The Faculty.
"So Far Away" is a song by American band Stabbing Westward. The song was released as the only single from the band's 2001 eponymous album.
Carlton James Bost, also known by the stage name Carlton Megalodon, is an American musician. He is the guitar player for the industrial rock band Orgy, for the rock band Deadsy, the industrial rock/hard rock band The Dreaming, and the new wave band Berlin, as well as the bass player for Stabbing Westward. Previously, he was the guitar player for the industrial rock band Lunarclick. He has his own solo project, Shades of Scar, under which name he released The Hollow Season in 2010.
Dead and Gone is an EP by American industrial rock band Stabbing Westward, released on January 3, 2020 through Drugstore Records. It is the band's first release since 2001's Stabbing Westward.
Ania Tarnowska, known professionally as I Ya Toyah, is a Chicago, USA musician, singer, composer, producer, performer, and the founder/CEO of Femme Fatale Records label. Her genre-bending music incorporates elements of multiple genres including industrial, electro-industrial, goth electro, punk electro, electronic rock, metal, and synthwave. It best fits in the alternative music category.
