THE DREAMING 'Etched in Blood' (Dream Corpse Records) RATING: 7.5/10

By GREG MAKI

The Dreaming’s Etched in Blood is an album some have been awaiting for years and others don’t even know exists. For those of you in the latter category, a quick primer: Frontman Christopher Hall formed The Dreaming in 2002 following the breakup of his previous band, Stabbing Westward, which had some success in the mid- to late-‘90s and recorded one of my essential albums, Darkest Days (1998). Guitarists and bassists have come and gone since the band started, and only former Econoline Crush drummer Jonny Haro (who also spent a brief period as a touring drummer for Stabbing Westward) has gone the distance with Hall. The lineup now includes former Amen guitarist Jinxx, guitarist Carlton Bost and bassist Brent Ashley.

Etched in Blood might be their debut, but that doesn’t mean The Dreaming hasn’t been busy. The band has self-released four EPs, played a handful of Warped Tour dates and toured the country with Ill Niño and Godhead. They also had a song on the Elektra movie soundtrack in 2005.

The majority of the songs on Etched in Blood have been around in some form for at least a year or two. Taken with the EPs, it shows how much The Dreaming has evolved since forming. The band’s early recordings are marked by the keyboards and programming that were so integral to Stabbing Westward’s sound. Now, the only readily noticeable similarity between the two acts is Hall’s voice, which Stabbing Westward fans will be happy to know has lost none of its power over the years. Instead of computer blips and bleeps and angry, metal-influenced guitars, he’s now singing over up-tempo, punk-tinged hard rock. It’s simple and straightforward, yet undeniably effective, which is echoed in his lyrics. “You’re nothing/You’re no one/You’re dead to me,” he sings on the opener, “Dead to Me.” The refrain of “Bullet”: “I need you in my life again like a needle in my vein/I need you in my life again like bullet in my brain.” The band also can slow it down and settle into a groove, as they do on the album’s best songs, “Disconnected” and “Eating Me Alive.”

Hall likely will be the main attraction to most potential fans. He’s one of the best rock singers of the last 15 years, a fact I think many have overlooked due to his previous band’s industrial leanings. There’s a reason why Stabbing Westward lasted more than a decade while other bands in their genre came and went with barely anyone noticing. It’s been too long since we had a proper album from Hall (the watered-down 2001 self-titled Stabbing Westward album doesn’t count). Etched in Blood is a promising beginning for The Dreaming. Welcome back, Chris.

To get a copy of Etched in Blood, visit The Dreaming’s MySpace page. (www.myspace.com/thedreaming)