Haunting the alternative metal scene in the 1990s with the dark rock jam "What Do I Have to Do," Chicago industrial band Stabbing Westward made their music loud and purpose known in the band's short 10 years of metal bliss. Earning nationwide acclaim with hit songs on the mainstream and modern rock charts in the ‘90s and early ‘00s, Stabbing Westward earned a spot amongst the best of the ‘90s industrial bands in the country.

The makings of Stabbing Westward date back to 1985, when vocalist Christopher Hall and keyboardist Walter Flakus met and discussed the formation of an industrial rock band in Chicago. By 1991, Stabbing Westward had hatched out of the duo's plans, and the group released an EP in 1990 while recruiting guitarist Stuart Zechman, bassist Jim Sellers and drummer David Suycott. Inking a deal with Columbia Records, Stabbing Westward debuted their major-label release Ungod in 1993. The album ended up being a dud, but the band's promotional efforts and media coverage set them up for success on their next release, 1996's Wither Blister Burn & Peel. Stabbing Westward's previous media base set the scene for the 1996 album, and suddenly the group was skyrocketed into instant metal band heaven, earning their first number one on the Heatseekers chart with Wither Blister Burn & Peel. The hit single "What Do I Have to Do" emerged in this whirlwind, striking gold with the MTV crowd while propelling the album to gold status. Stabbing Westward earned a slot as an opener for the Sex Pistols that summer before going back to the drawing boards for their next album release.

1997's Darkest Days was only an average hit on the charts, a mild disappointment from the wild success of Stabbing Westward's 1996 release. Columbia eventually dropped the band from its label, but before Stabbing Westward broke up in 2002 they released their eponymous album to end their collective career gracefully.