That’s right, even the horrors of the real world can’t impact the day when the candy flows, the pumpkins light up, and all manner of costumes are on display! As I always say, October definitely brings out the best when it comes to music that fits the season, and today’s album I’m reviewing is no exception. However, what makes it stand out from so many other releases of it’s kind is just how in the shadows it is. Unless you had someone tell you about it, you will most likely never hear about it outside of discovering it COMPLETELY by accident. However, I’m one of those people that loves discovering music by mistake, as almost always I immediately fall in love with it. So, turn the lights down to low, grab some of your favorite candy, and take a look at my review of The Dreaming from All Hallows Eve. Let’s begin!
Background
For starters, I discovered this album, ironically enough.....towards the end of 2020 if you can believe it (Think it was around September if I remember right). It was through some random discovery on Youtube, as I randomly clicked on a link in my suggestions page, and it just so happened to be for one of the best songs on the album. I don’t know what it was that got it’s hooks in me so fast: maybe it was the nostalgic vibes, maybe it tugged at my taste for Gothic stuff, I don’t know. The point was that I was an immediate fan, and sure enough there were actually a few copies on Amazon, but what I didn’t know until a few years after was that they had a Bandcamp page, and on there it stated that this was released on April the 25 in 2014, which makes it over a decade old now.
As for the band itself, there’s practically next to nothing about them, save for the records description on their previously mentioned bandcamp page:
“After the release of the digital single “All Hallows Eve” in spring 2013, the same-named project around composer / producer Tom O’Connell (Traumtaenzer, House Of Usher, Dracul, ex-Garden of Delight), bassist / guitarist Lars Kappeler and drummer Mike Shaw is going to release its first album entitled “The Dreaming” in spring 2014.
For the recording of the album’s eleven songs there was an endless coming and going of numerous great names of the gothic and dark wave scene like Myk Jung (The Fair Sex), Marion Küchenmeister (Invisible Limits), Ashley Dayour (Whispers In The Shadow) to name a few influencing the sound of the album especially by their vocal contribution, sometimes as a duo (title song “The Dreaming”). And yet, “The Dreaming” does not present any dark clichéd pap and keeps gratefully away from constructed scene hit producers. In fact, the album’s music clearly courses through classic gothic rock and wave rock which is especially owed to Tom O’Connell’s guitar play and precise songwriting. Throughout the album, the relationship with bands like This Mortal Coil (e. g. “Fade In Silence”) or The Eden House is obvious.
Among others, Mike York (KALT, ex-Garden of Delight), Tim Chandler (Pretentious Moi?), Jörg Kleudgen (House Of Usher), Rachel Speight (Die Laughing), Ala Sharon Fries (Boudoir), Bianca Stücker (Violet) as well as Rob Leydon (The Eden House / Red Sun Revival) are responsible for the variety of music.
All in all, “The Dreaming” features an impressive diversity of music from rocking, gloomy-dark to melancholy and dreamy sounds. All participants fitted in seamlessly with the master plan and created an almost epic opus wonderfully entertaining the listener for more than one hour.”
Basic Description
80s Gothic goodness in the 2010s.
If anyone was around in the 80s Goth scene, or is at least familiar with that time from a historical perspective, then you’ll immediately get that vibe & feeling when you first to this album. If you’ve listened to groups like Sisters Of Mercy, Bauhaus, and Joy Division, then you’ll put this record among the greats of the previously mentioned bands. It was really surprising to hear this kind of music when I did, as it really felt like it was an obscure art outside of some respective circles. All of the beats, rhythms, and vibes all seemingly come from the 1980s Gothic scene. Everybody that’s in the band just lay the Gothic paint on thick, then put on a show after painting the house. Not only that, but they even put up some metal/rock decorations around the house, and brings in fans from those genres.....like me!
Best Track
Like I said earlier, it was the title track of the album that pulled me in. From the keyboard, to the drumming, to the guitar & bass, along with the vocals, and just the overall Halloween-like atmosphere & vibes, All Hallows Eve just grabbed me from out of nowhere, and hasn’t let go in the slightly over 6 years since I first discovered it. The 80s vibes are pretty apparent here, as the songs sounds like something you’d hear in a Goth club from that decade. Though I would have liked for it to be close to the beginning of the album, it is most certainly a spooky treat for the ears.
All Hallows Eve
My 2nd favorite track, oddly enough, is the one that closes out the record. A slow-paced & incredibly atmospheric song, there’s a shroud of melancholy that permeates every single aspect of this song. From the instrumentation, to the vocal work, and to the atmosphere, there’s this feeling of melancholy that goes into bittersweet tragedy in many spots, and the ending rightfully fades out as it should. I couldn’t think of anything more appropriate to end The Dreaming than Fade Away.
Fade Away
Worst Track
Really this album’s only fault lies in it’s incredibly obscure nature. If you didn’t see this review, then chances are you will most likely never find it unless you found out about it completely by accident. Whether through a Youtube suggestion, or clicking a random Bandcamp link, you will never find out about this record at all!
Other
If you’re curious about listening to this album, click on the link below:
The Dreaming
If you’re also curious about the band’s Bandcamp page, click on the link below for that:
All Hallows Eve (Bandcamp)
Overall Impression & Rating
The Dreaming is the living embodiment of flying under the radar. Unless you had a link to one of the songs show up in your Youtube suggestions, or you stumbled upon the Bandcamp by accident, you will never find out about this album. However, if you click that Youtube suggestion, or you visit their Bandcamp, then you’ll discover one of the best collections of Gothic music that’s ever been released. Harkening back to what you would hear in the 1980s, All Hallows Eve really cranked out a good one.....it’s just a shame that not many people know about it.
The Dreaming gets a 9 out of 10.
And that was my review for The Dreaming. A wonderful slice of Gothic cake, it’s a delight that entices anyone who listens to it if they can find it. Even if you don’t discover it right away, it’ll be hiding in the shadows biding it’s time. So with that, the month of spooks is over. See you all tomorrow for an honorable mention from 2025.....and it’ll be the bloodiest thing I’ve ever looked at. Until then, may your candy be sweet, and your spooks be chilling.
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