ALBUM REVIEW: The Dreaming – Puppet
Published on November 30, 2011 by Dave Sutton · No Comments
The Dreaming were formed in 2002 by former Stabbing Westward frontman Christopher Hall and drummer Johnny Haro (who had also briefly played drums for Stabbing Westward). In 2007 they released their debut album, Etched in Blood, which contained eleven songs of hard-hitting rock that powered furiously from beginning to end, full of hooks and great lines to drag you along for the ride. Now it’s time to see whether they managed to capitalise on that impressive start with their sophomore effort, Puppet.
If Etched in Blood had any fault it was maybe that it felt a little one-dimensional, the formula staying much the same for each song. Also, some fans of Hall’s previous band seemed to be disappointed by the lack of electronic and industrial elements. Both those issues have been addressed here, to some degree at least.
Compared to Etched in Blood, electronic elements do play a stronger roll here although the guitars, drums and bass are still on cue to serve up those powerful blasts of energy throughout the majority of the album. The band do find time for some slightly softer passages such as on Hole and End in Tears but as with their first album the main idea here is to keep things fast and heavy – there isn’t a track on here that isn’t almost instantly catchy.
It’s hard not to draw comparisons with Christopher Hall’s previous band, Stabbing Westward, as his vocals are so prominent here and as strong and passionate as they ever were. It’s nice to say that Hall’s voice has lost nothing and, if anything, his delivery is even more convincing now than it ever was.
Although lyrically The Dreaming delve into the dark and the bleak, the music is generally more upbeat than Stabbing Westward are best remembered for – so far they haven’t found room for softer moments such as the Stabbing Westward tracks Drowning and Wasted. In a way, that could be a good thing – you can put this album on when you just want a 40 minute surge of high-powered alternative rock. On the other hand, if there is a complaint about Puppet or The Dreaming‘s two albums in general, it’s got to be the lack of variety. Although that is less of an issue here than it was on Etched in Blood, it would be nice to see them try for a more varied album with bigger scope next time.
As with Etched in Blood, Puppet delivers a dose of extremely catchy but hard-hitting rock and it’s hard not to enjoy it. A couple of longer, more complex songs might have been nice and a longer album overall would definitely be appreciated, but ultimately this is a very strong collection and shows that The Dreaming can hit just as hard and just as strong as Stabbing Westward ever did. Etched in Blood was an excellent debut and they’ve definitely bettered it second time around… hopefully this is a sign of things to come for The Dreaming.
For more information on The Dreaming:
- Official Site
- Facebook
|
||||||||
