Customer Reviews

Etched in Blood

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The Dreaming is, hands-down, my favorite band of all time. And let me say that I'm a huge music fan who listens to a LOT of bands in many different styles.

I loved Christopher Hall's old band, Stabbing Westward, since the early 90s, and at the time I wouldn't have thought any band could top them. The Dreaming somehow does, though--every song on this album (as well as other songs they've released, which are available through their myspace page) is just ridiculously good--melodic, powerful, scathing, beautiful, expertly crafted, and tightly performed. The musicians work together tremendously well, and avoid both the nu metal trap of too-simple riffs and the shred metal trap of runaway egos. There are terrific guitar solos and other sophisticated musicians' flourishes throughout the album, but they blend so well with the energy and drive of the songs that one doesn't even notice them as distinct from the songs themselves. More satisfying and aurally pleasing than any punk album I've heard, more powerful and driving than any goth album I've heard, and more melodic and genuinely passionate than any metal album I've heard--this hand has NAILED the combination of styles like no one else. And Chris remains one of the absolute finest voices in rock, and his soaring choruses get me every time.

The album is even more remarkable when one considers how DIY this band is. The quality of mixing and mastering here is on par with the most expensively-produced albums I've heard, despite these guys doing this basically on their own.

Also, if you get a chance to see The Dreaming live, I have to say, DO. I saw these guys for my bachelor party recently, and I have to say, it was the coolest time I think I could have possibly had. The musicians themselves are incredibly friendly and down-to-earth, and spent time hanging out with us fans before and after the show. Chris even hauled me on stage at one point during the performance because I was wearing an old Stabbing Westward shirt.

Anyway: as Jon Stewart says, if you're a fan of joy, invest in this album. Absolutely the best release of the year.

The album is great, but I expected two other things given the song list on the band's web site: 1) the cover for the song "Send me an Angel"--people have mentioned this as a "hidden track" on the CD but I've played the CD several times and have never heard it, and 2) the acoustic version of the song "Crawl." I know this was not listed in the tracks but I was really hoping it was going to be included.

While not as good as UnGod or the magnificent Darkest Days, it is on par with WBB&P and far superior to their medicore self-titled final release.

And I pretty much agree with M. Champlin's review so don't have anything else to add concerning the individual tracks.

If you liked ANY of the Stabbing Westward CDs, give this a try, I doubt you'll be disappointed!

I started following this band after the tragic break up of Stabbing Westward, mostly because Chris Hall was the main reason i loved SW. Now that this album is FINALLY released(over a year or so after it was supposed to be)I can finally say the wait was 100% worth it. Every song on the album is single worthy.Also check out their EPS from their Myspace (if you can find them there is 4 of them)

1. Dead To Me-A Possible single starts the album off right(5.0)
2. Bullet- Same as above, high energy, with Chris' awesome vocals (5.0)
3. Ugly- alternative version appeared on Elektra soundtrack (5.0)
4. Let It Burn- reworked song from an EP, good but i still like the original better.(4.8)
5. Sticks & Stones-first official single(5.0)
6. Bleed- same as 'Let it burn' (4.8)
7. Become Like You- Second favorite off the album,should be a single (5++++)
8. Disconnected- Great song, check out the acoustic ver. on their EP (5.0)
9. Eating Me Alive- good song, not the best on the album but still nice (4.9)
10. What Do You Want-Classic SW feel to this Amazing (5++)
11. Make It Go Away - My favorite of the album, great way to "end" the album (or is it the end?)(5++++)

Overall a must have for anyone that is a fan of SW, darw wave punk, or just insanely catchy music.

This record picks up where "Darkest Days" left off, though the tracks are not quite as diverse. It is good to see the darkness, angst and attitude brought back after so much of it was lost in SW's last release. I would have liked to have heard a little more of the electronics incorporated and more ups and downs in the vocals as was done on "Darkest Days", but all in all, a good record from beginning to end. My only knock on the record would be that it sounds a little over produced and guitar work could be better. Good job guys!

Let's be straight up about this: The Dreaming is emo. They dress emo. They cut their hair emo. They even called their acoustic EP "Dreamo".

But this is NOT normal emo. This is not some recently heartbroken 19 year old in his bedroom writing unrequited love songs on a tear-stained acoustic guitar. There are no violins tugging at heart-strings.

This music has balls. You can rock out to this, mosh to this, sing along to it at the top of your lungs. Yes, the lyrics are about heartbreak and betrayal, Chris Hall's voice is full of angst and passion, the chords are all minor, and this is not a happy album by any stretch of the imagination. But it comes at you with such force and such power, expressed with in-your-face guitars and overall excellent songwriting that you can't help but let it under your skin. Every single song on this album is a rocking-out winner.

If you liked Stabbing Westward, you will like The Dreaming. They do not have the sampling / programming / electronics that made up so much of the atmosphere within the SW albums, but you do not miss it. The skillful guitar work and effective rhythm section give The Dreaming a sound all their own. The musicianship supersedes even Nine Inch Nail's latest effort, "The Slip". There are many layers to each of their songs. Chris Hall's voice is in top form, from his memorable whispers to his earsplitting screams. He continues to be one of the most talented and underrated singers in modern rock.

Highlights here include "Become Like You", "Ugly" (formerly called "Beautiful" on their old EP), and "Dead to Me". The only misstep is the new version of "Let it Burn". The version on here is much lighter and more acoustic than the much heavier version on the original Dreaming EP. While it gains layers of sounds, it has lost the bite of the original version. Nonetheless, it's still a good song.

If you like hard, emotion-filled rock music, this album's for you.

Chris, your vocals never cease to amaze me.
Alright people. You're obviously here because you're either:
A fan of Stabbing Westward,
A fan of The Dreaming,
or you're here because you dig the album cover.
No matter why you're here, I'm going to tell you what I think of this album. But first, a little background:
My opinion is a little biased. Like many of you, I fell in love with Stabbing Westward. The fantastic thing about Stabbing Westward is the albums they sold were constantly evolving. Unafraid of throwing true poetry into their lyrics and with a man whose voice was like an agonized angel, Stabbing Westward appealed to those of us who enjoyed the rough and tumble of the genre and they certainly offered flavors one couldn't find in other bands at the time. Personally, it wasn't Stabbing Westward I loved; rather, it was the way Chris Hall could take lyrics that spun tales of damaged souls and wrecked hearts and make them shine. So, when I heard that Chris Hall was in another band, I was reduced to a puddle of fangirl mess, naturally.
Many old fans latched on to The Dreaming in hopes that they would be the new Stabbing Westward, and I won't lie--I would LOVE more SW style songs in my life. And at first, many of the songs released via EP and such had that oh-so-similar poetic sorrow. The disappointment many fans feel now (and such is not reflected in the Amazon reviews, but in other places I have seen rage fans) is due to the fact that this album had a 'simplified' feel to it. I won't deny it: I was a little thrown off at first. But when you think about it, it was really to the benefit of live fans. I mean, it's much easier to chant, "YOU'RE NOTHING, YOU'RE NO ONE" than "YOU ARE DEAD TO ME, I CAN FINALLY SEE." Right?
The changes were good changes, and while they aren't as complex as the unfinished tracks, they still carry the feeling, the intensity, and the poetry.
Now, if you haven't heard the EPs, then they obviously won't get in the way of how you enjoy this album. These tracks are excellent, filled with power and emotion.
Personally, I enjoyed this album from the moment I received it, but I think there is so much more to come. This album is great and if my theory is correct, their next highly anticipated album will be even better.

great album but the ep's they made were unbeliveable. if you can somehow get there eps, its worth the money. one of the best fingering picking-acoustic songs ever written, Fly Away, was for some reason left off the album. its like what the one review said below, the dreaming should've stuck with the same producer as the ep. i was told the former members are what made the ep and ones they left and were replace, the sound changed. hopefully there follow up album will be what etched in blood wasnt, and that was there ep sound.

Wow, is about the first word that comes to mind when you hear this album for the first time. Until recently I wasn't aware Christopher Hall was in another band. I've been a huge fan of Stabbing Westward ever since their first CD came out. I also liked there last album, which wasn't their strongest, but was still great music.

It seems like lately a lot of old bands are reuniting or forming with their old names, no matter how long they have been broken up. With that in mind I did a search on Stabbing Westward and The Dreaming is what came up. I listened to a couple of samples on Amazon and right away I thought to myself this is great, I have gotta get this CD.

Overall "Etched In Blood" is an excellent album. If you liked Stabbing Westward I would buy this CD. Christopher Hall is just one of those frontmen that has an emotional voice that stands out on every album he does, no matter if he is in Stabbing Westward or The Dreaming.

If you liked Stabbing Westward, you should love this album! Start to finish, so many great tracks. Incredible that this was put out without a label.