Stabbing Westward unexpectedly rode to alternative semi-stardom in 1996 when their second album, Wither Blister Burn & Peel, became a hit, largely because there was no new NIN album around at the time. That meant they were one of the few industrial metal groups to actually have a hit, and that’s because “What Do I Have to Do” had enough hooks to be an MTV Buzz Clip. There’s nothing quite as memorable as that song on the follow-up effort, Darkest Days, but the album finds the group taking more risks than before. Instead of playing it safe and emphasizing their metal links, the group try to bolster their electronic influences. Ultimately, they’re better at heavy than electronica, but their attempts at techno-metal-industrial fusion are often intriguing and result in some of their best work to date. – Stephen Thomas Erlewine