09-02-2010, 23:53
released Feb 9th, 2010
![[Image: n35198cbkjm.jpg]](http://image.allmusic.com/00/amg/cov200/drn300/n351/n35198cbkjm.jpg)
from the album - In Venere Veritas
YouTube - HIM - 01 - In Venere Veritas
from all music
After forming in Finland in 1995, H.I.M. (or His Infernal Majesty) set out on the path of goth forebears like Sisters of Mercy and the Mission UK. Vocalist and songwriter Ville Hermanni Valo was the band's founding member, alongside bassist Migé Amour, guitarist Lily Lazer, drummer Mikka Karppinen (aka Gas Lipstick), and keyboardist Zoltan Pluto. The 1996 EP 666 Ways to Love was the group's first recording, and it did quite well in Scandinavia. One year later, Greatest Love Songs, Vol. 666 solidified their cult status throughout the region; it featured a cover of Chris Isaak's "Wicked Game." Razorblade Romance was released in 2000, and H.I.M. supported it with an extensive European tour. Pluto departed after Romance and was replaced by Emerson Burton. Deep Shadows and Brilliant Highlights, the band's third album, arrived in 2002, followed by the Europe-only Love Metal in 2003. A series of compilations followed, including various versions of And Love Said No: Greatest Hits 1997-2004 and two discs of rarities titled Uneasy Listening, Vol. 1 and Uneasy Listening, Vol. 2. In 2005, H.I.M.'s early albums were reissued in America through Universal; they also released Dark Light, their official domestic debut. After achieving statewide success, the band began work on Venus Doom, which was released in mid-September 2007. In 2010 they released their seventh studio album, Screamworks: Love in Theory and Practice, on Sire.
album review nikinphaser
With their seventh album, HIM are continuing their zig-zag journey through the sonic worlds of love and doom, this time hitting more on the first side (itâs catchy and singalong as the beginning of a new fling). It was expected since their previous album, Venus Doom, was as dark and heavy as could be (maybe except Bleed Well, which would have suited their new album better). To declare yourself totally disappointed with their latest offering would mean that you are a half-fan, since there has always been a pop/metal bilocation in their music. There are some changes in their sound, which bring HIM closer to an American brand of their love metal. Considering that they hired Matt Squire to produce, this new dimension is by no means an accident, but itâs still unclear if Screamworks is the price they had to pay for Venus Doom, or if it is the other way around.
But, then again, this is all context and thatâs not what you hear when youâre listening to an album. Maybe the most obvious change you detect in Screamworks is that Villeâs vocals are not as âby-numbersâ as before. Thereâs really an impression that he improvized a lot while recording his parts. It does get a bit overcrowded at times, like with Heartkiller or Ode to Solitude. On the other hand, this new method of more complex choruses hits home, Dying Song being the first to come to mind. And while we are on the subject of vocals, itâs hard not to notice this new energy that fills the album, which is probably the one with the most vocals (and no, Iâm not counting screams).
This energy goes along with the music, the upbeat, fast tones making Screamworks perfect material for live shows. Hopefully, theyâll open their future gigs with In Venere Veritas, because this is one perfect opener. Like St. Valentine and Shatter Me with Hope could also join that group. Add Love, the Hardest Way and youâll have the HIM-est songs on the record. And then, there are the gems: In the Arms of Rain combines a lot of elements and influences, being the very definition of upbeat melancholy. Plus, its ending, with all the synth strings and âItâs the end of the roadâ line, is by far the best moment on Screamworks. The last track, The Foreboding Sense of Impending Happiness, the strangest HIM track to date, might or might not be the promise of radical changes in the future, but it is one wonderful experiment and an inspired way to end a record so that youâll need to listen again right away. And itâs quite a surprise to have a HIM song reminding me of Vangelis. Katherine Weel is the catchiest tune and it would be a pity not to be released as a single, though references to a gun felatio might get the boys in trouble with some parents.
Speaking of lyrics, Screamworks might just be Ville Valoâs best work yet. Each song contains haunting imagery and fresh takes on his favourite subjects of love and death. And life, this time. Acoustic Funeralâs âWeâre dancing with tags on our toesâ is just a brilliant way to claim oneâs mortality, while still celebrating life. The metaphors used in Katherine Wheel offer yet another way to stress the bittersweet of lâamour, just like In Venere Veritas (extra kudos for having a chorus in Latin, not many go there). Still, I think Scared to Death remains the ultimate highlight of the record, maybe musically too, not just lyrically. âIâll kiss that smile off your faceâ is just one those lines, that would have made movie history⦠if they were in a movie. It reminds us of 80âs hair metal, not as an emulation, but more as a tribute to a time when rock bands were âallowedâ to sing about love. âIâm not afraid to say âI Love Youââ might as well be HIMâs ars poetica, since they had the guts to play romantic metal in a time when nobody else did it, influencing more bands than rock critics want to attribute to an act thatâs still alive and going strong.
Track Listing
1."In Venere Veritas" - 3:35
2."Scared to Death" - 3:40
3."Heartkiller" - 3:29
4."Dying Song" - 3:32
5."Disarm Me (With Your Loneliness)" - 4:01
6."Love, the Hardest Way" - 3:19
7."Katherine Wheel" - 3:26
8."In the Arms of Rain" - 3:46
9."Ode to Solitude" - 3:58
10."Shatter Me With Hope" - 3:51
11."Acoustic Funeral (For Love In Limbo)" - 3:57
12."Like St. Valentine" - 3:14
13."The Foreboding Sense of Impending Happiness" - 3:13
from the album - In Venere Veritas
YouTube - HIM - 01 - In Venere Veritas
from all music
After forming in Finland in 1995, H.I.M. (or His Infernal Majesty) set out on the path of goth forebears like Sisters of Mercy and the Mission UK. Vocalist and songwriter Ville Hermanni Valo was the band's founding member, alongside bassist Migé Amour, guitarist Lily Lazer, drummer Mikka Karppinen (aka Gas Lipstick), and keyboardist Zoltan Pluto. The 1996 EP 666 Ways to Love was the group's first recording, and it did quite well in Scandinavia. One year later, Greatest Love Songs, Vol. 666 solidified their cult status throughout the region; it featured a cover of Chris Isaak's "Wicked Game." Razorblade Romance was released in 2000, and H.I.M. supported it with an extensive European tour. Pluto departed after Romance and was replaced by Emerson Burton. Deep Shadows and Brilliant Highlights, the band's third album, arrived in 2002, followed by the Europe-only Love Metal in 2003. A series of compilations followed, including various versions of And Love Said No: Greatest Hits 1997-2004 and two discs of rarities titled Uneasy Listening, Vol. 1 and Uneasy Listening, Vol. 2. In 2005, H.I.M.'s early albums were reissued in America through Universal; they also released Dark Light, their official domestic debut. After achieving statewide success, the band began work on Venus Doom, which was released in mid-September 2007. In 2010 they released their seventh studio album, Screamworks: Love in Theory and Practice, on Sire.
album review nikinphaser
With their seventh album, HIM are continuing their zig-zag journey through the sonic worlds of love and doom, this time hitting more on the first side (itâs catchy and singalong as the beginning of a new fling). It was expected since their previous album, Venus Doom, was as dark and heavy as could be (maybe except Bleed Well, which would have suited their new album better). To declare yourself totally disappointed with their latest offering would mean that you are a half-fan, since there has always been a pop/metal bilocation in their music. There are some changes in their sound, which bring HIM closer to an American brand of their love metal. Considering that they hired Matt Squire to produce, this new dimension is by no means an accident, but itâs still unclear if Screamworks is the price they had to pay for Venus Doom, or if it is the other way around.
But, then again, this is all context and thatâs not what you hear when youâre listening to an album. Maybe the most obvious change you detect in Screamworks is that Villeâs vocals are not as âby-numbersâ as before. Thereâs really an impression that he improvized a lot while recording his parts. It does get a bit overcrowded at times, like with Heartkiller or Ode to Solitude. On the other hand, this new method of more complex choruses hits home, Dying Song being the first to come to mind. And while we are on the subject of vocals, itâs hard not to notice this new energy that fills the album, which is probably the one with the most vocals (and no, Iâm not counting screams).
This energy goes along with the music, the upbeat, fast tones making Screamworks perfect material for live shows. Hopefully, theyâll open their future gigs with In Venere Veritas, because this is one perfect opener. Like St. Valentine and Shatter Me with Hope could also join that group. Add Love, the Hardest Way and youâll have the HIM-est songs on the record. And then, there are the gems: In the Arms of Rain combines a lot of elements and influences, being the very definition of upbeat melancholy. Plus, its ending, with all the synth strings and âItâs the end of the roadâ line, is by far the best moment on Screamworks. The last track, The Foreboding Sense of Impending Happiness, the strangest HIM track to date, might or might not be the promise of radical changes in the future, but it is one wonderful experiment and an inspired way to end a record so that youâll need to listen again right away. And itâs quite a surprise to have a HIM song reminding me of Vangelis. Katherine Weel is the catchiest tune and it would be a pity not to be released as a single, though references to a gun felatio might get the boys in trouble with some parents.
Speaking of lyrics, Screamworks might just be Ville Valoâs best work yet. Each song contains haunting imagery and fresh takes on his favourite subjects of love and death. And life, this time. Acoustic Funeralâs âWeâre dancing with tags on our toesâ is just a brilliant way to claim oneâs mortality, while still celebrating life. The metaphors used in Katherine Wheel offer yet another way to stress the bittersweet of lâamour, just like In Venere Veritas (extra kudos for having a chorus in Latin, not many go there). Still, I think Scared to Death remains the ultimate highlight of the record, maybe musically too, not just lyrically. âIâll kiss that smile off your faceâ is just one those lines, that would have made movie history⦠if they were in a movie. It reminds us of 80âs hair metal, not as an emulation, but more as a tribute to a time when rock bands were âallowedâ to sing about love. âIâm not afraid to say âI Love Youââ might as well be HIMâs ars poetica, since they had the guts to play romantic metal in a time when nobody else did it, influencing more bands than rock critics want to attribute to an act thatâs still alive and going strong.
Track Listing
1."In Venere Veritas" - 3:35
2."Scared to Death" - 3:40
3."Heartkiller" - 3:29
4."Dying Song" - 3:32
5."Disarm Me (With Your Loneliness)" - 4:01
6."Love, the Hardest Way" - 3:19
7."Katherine Wheel" - 3:26
8."In the Arms of Rain" - 3:46
9."Ode to Solitude" - 3:58
10."Shatter Me With Hope" - 3:51
11."Acoustic Funeral (For Love In Limbo)" - 3:57
12."Like St. Valentine" - 3:14
13."The Foreboding Sense of Impending Happiness" - 3:13