After almost two decades, industrial rock veterans Stabbing Westward returned to the fray with a most welcome comeback EP, 2020's Dead and Gone. Breaking up shortly after the release of their course-shifting fourth effort, 2001's Stabbing Westward, the group splintered off into various directions. Frontman Christopher Hall remained on the scene with his new band, the Dreaming, which included members Walter Flakus (Stabbing Westward's keyboardist and programmer) and Carlton Bost (ex-Orgy bassist). In the late 2010s, as anniversary shows and fan demand brought Stabbing Westward out of retirement, Hall, Flakus, and Bost were joined by the latter's Orgy colleague, drummer Bobby Amaro. The revitalized quartet not only deliver an impressive, nostalgia-packed comeback, but they do it as if 19 years never passed. The short set doesn't miss a beat, featuring all the hallmarks that made them underrated favorites in their brief late-'90s run. Pulsing dance beats herald buzzing synths on EP-opening "Dead and Gone," which stands alongside "Shame" and "Save Yourself" as one of the group's strongest singles. Next, "Cold" blares to life with Wild West gusto before descending into a "Head Like a Hole"-meets-Orgy's "Blue Monday" grind. Originally an acoustic track by the Dreaming, the midtempo "Crawl" soars with Hall's inimitable vocals -- which haven't aged a day -- sounding like a Depeche Mode cover of a song off their self-titled album. While a pair of remixes are tossed in as bonus teasers to flesh out the EP, Dead and Gone does nothing if not further incite fan fever for more that the band has in store. ~ Neil Z. Yeung, Rovi

1		Dead and Gone
2		Cold
3		Crawl
4		Dead and Gone - StoneburnerRemix
5		Cold - StabWalts 12" Dance Mix