"I got this CD about 10 months ago, on the same day as Darkest Days, though I didn't MEAN to get this (my sister found it, and bought it without me knowing; I'd been wanting to get DD for a few months). Ironically, there's no contest... THIS is easily their best CD (I had WBBP for about 5 months before these two). The riffs aren't totally mindblowing on their own, but when combined with Chris Hall's amazing, screaming vocals, they bring the songs to life, and make you want to MOVE. Hard to say what; jump around, headbang, play air guitar, scream, whatever! "Ungod" is one of the best 'epic' songs I've ever heard, and the guys' riff is used even better here than in "Hey Man Nice Shot" by Filter (after all, SW had it first). And "Lies" has the chunky Mettalica palm-mute type riff, with Chris shouting "You are haunting my reality, your LIES are the only truth that I believe! " Awesome... buy this album, trust me (sounds cliche, but true)."
Stabbing Westward's Best
jaime_mateo | Montgomery Township, J.J. | 01/20/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
""Ungod" is definitely worth adding to any rock collection; it is Stabbing Westward's best. (Don't construe this to mean that the band's other albums are bad, they are, in fact, quite good.) "Ungod" is considerably darker than the band's other albums, "Wither Blister Burn + Peel" and "Ungod." David Suycott's drumming on this album is considerably more textured than that of his successor, Andy Kubiszewski, as is evident in the introduction to the song "Can't Happen Here." Stuart Zechman's guitar playing is the best guitar work the band has featured to date, largely because it is not masked beneath layers of keyboards and samples. Keyboardist/programmer Walter Flakus has success here because he tries to complement Zechman's guitar rather than trying to compete with it. "Ungod" also has some excellent bass lines, the likes of which have never again been seen by this Chicago band. Listening to "Ungod," like any Stabbing Westward album, is an excellent means of venting anger, sorrow, and frustration, especially with the song "Violent Mood Swings." You can't go wrong with any album by Stabbing Westward if that is your purpose, but "Ungod" is the band's best work to date."
Possibly the Greatest Album Ever
zilean | Vienna, Austria | 11/18/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"My extremely biased view of Stabbing Westward already shines through in the title of this review. The music on here is just phenomenal. Though SW is just recently gaining the fame they deserve, their original album, Ungod, is still the favorite of most of their long time fans.Persons new to the group who have purchased a CD on the account of 'What do I have to do?' or 'Save Yourself' should definately give this music a try. The blaring anger of Chris Hall in 'Throw' and the passion he sings with in 'Nothing' and 'ACF' are incomparable to anything else. Also featured on the CD is the skill of Stewart Zemekis before he left to join Robert Patrick in Filter (I hope I got the names right). He adds a new dimension to some of the tracks (such as Ungod) that fans of either band will enjoy.I would go as far to say that anyone who has a soul should feel something in this music. The band's zeal seems to have slowly faded in each successive album but here in Ungod it is at its zenith. If you only buy one CD in your entire life it should be this one.-Zilean"
If this is watered down Nine Inch Nails,
Barnes and Noble Junkie | Barnes And Noble, Midlothian, Virginia | 09/02/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"then watered down NIN is great.
While probably not their most diverse album (I would give the nod to Darkest Days) this is probably right up there with Darkest Days as their best. If nothing else, it's their most depressing.
Lost, which is pretty much an intro to Control is great, and Control doesn't break the momentum. 'Nothing' would be a heck of a lot better if they rewrote the insessive, 'I don't want it, I don't need it' lyrics (I heard you the first 10 times Chris)..
Acf is a great lead up to the meat of the album, which consists of Lies, Ungod, Throw, and Violent Mood Swings. Throw is by far the best track on the CD. An angst riddled, depressing song that just never seems to let up.
Red and White and Can't Happen Here bring the tone of the album down to an even more depressing state. In fact, by the end of Can't Happen Here, you pretty much really don't want to do anything except listen to the CD again...
So do yourself a favor.. Go ahead and buy this CD. If you don't want to listen to it know, put it away until that 'special little lady' rips your heart out, throws it on the ground and stomps all over it. Then get it out and play it. Will it help? No. Will it make you feel any better? No, but it will give you a better excuse for being so d@mn depressed.
"
The beginning of something great
Shadi Mirza | Yecheon, South Korea | 01/17/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Stabbing Westward's music provides spiritual empathy for all that listen to it. At once brutal (read: Violent Mood Swings) and dark (Red on White), this is the album that brought one of my favorite bands onto the music scene.Those of you who own other SW albums, and not this one, should note that the personal is slightly different on this release. The former guitarist for Filter, and the current (?) drummer for the AZ band Machines of Loving Grace were personnel on this release, and did much of the song writing. The result is a cross between Depeche Mode and NIN, but is still astounding, nonetheless."