To mark its 30th anniversary, industrial rock band Stabbing Westward has re-recorded its breakthrough album “Wither Blister Burn & Peel.” Titled “Wither ReWired,” the project is in the final stages of production and mastering, according to the band, with a release date to be announced.
Stabbing Westward also will embark a summer 2026 tour to celebrate the anniversary, with support from Priest and Acumen Nation. See the dates below, and get tickets here.
Released in January 1996 via Columbia Records and produced by John Fryer, “Wither Blister Burn & Peel,” was certified Gold, selling more than 500,000 copies. The band’s second album, it featured the hit singles “What Do I Have to Do?” and “Shame.”
In a statement, the band said the new version is not a “nostalgia lap” and described it as a “ground-up reinterpretation.”
“The original will always exist, untouched and essential,” the band said. “But this version reflects who the band is now.
“Revisiting a record this iconic is a high-risk move. It demands more than technical precision—it requires emotional honesty and a willingness to challenge your own legacy. Christopher Hall and Walter Flakus have done exactly that, reshaping these songs with the weight of 30 years behind them.”
“The idea of reimagining ‘Wither’ triggered equal amounts of excitement and trepidation for me,” Hall said. “I know the powerful effect music has on young people. The music we hear in our youth imprints on our brain and our souls, forever merged with the memories that accompanied it. When you hear a song, it takes you back to that party or that lonely time spent in your headphones where the music was your only friend. The crazy makeout session to your best mix tape and the other mix tape for the inevitable heartbreak that followed. How could we ever hope to improve upon those memories? Well, we can’t. And we didn’t try. We chose to create new ones. I hope everyone makes some new memories to these new songs.”
“It’s amazing how powerful these songs still stand up 30 years later,” Flakus said. “I had a very tearful evening while working on ‘Sleep’ and the gravity of the song. These songs feel aligned with where we’re at as a band today while embracing our original industrial foundation. Some of these songs never hit the way they were intended. They do now!”
Stabbing Westward followed “Wither Blister Burn & Peel” with the Gold-selling “Darkest Days” in 1998 and a self-titled album in 2001 before a lengthy hiatus. The band reunited in 2015 and released its fifth album, “Chasing Ghosts,” in 2022.
Tour dates:
07/09 — Flint, MI @ Machine Shop
07/10 — Grand Rapids, MI @ Pyramid Scheme
07/11 — Indianapolis, IN @ HI-FI Annex
07/12 — Columbus, OH @ The King of Clubs
07/13 — Lakewood, OH @ The Roxy
07/15 — Boston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall
07/16 — New York, NY @ Gramercy Theater
07/17 — Baltimore, MD @ Baltimore Soundstage
07/18 — Philadelphia, PA @ Underground Arts
07/19 — Amityville, NY @ AMH
07/21 — Millersville, PA @ Phantom Power
07/22 — New Kensington, PA @ Preserving Underground
07/23 — Asheville, NC @ Eulogy
07/24 — Nashville, TN @ Exit/In
07/25 — Atlanta, GA @ The Loft
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