Current lineup:Mikko "Migé" Paananen - Bass
Janne "Burton" Puurtinen - Keyboards
Ville Valo - Vocals
Mikko "Linde" Lindström - Guitars
Mika "Gas Lipstick" Karppinen - Drums
Probably the most definitive aspect of Finnish HIM's music is the vocal output of Ville Valo - his vocals that range from deep baritones to angel-like falsettos, punctuated by dramatic, asthmatic gasps in-between the words, are a characteristic without which the band wouldn't work.
Originally the band found me via radio - when Razorblade Romance was released, no-one could hide from their swarm of hit singles. Quickly my sister fell to the victim of music industry, and bought her copy of the album. Now, with no place to hide, I just had to listen to the album, over and over again... and I realized that it wasn't so bad after all. The band had an image that appealed to teen goths, but the music they wrote was actually quite clever. It was too pop to be metal, but too metal to be pop, and usually bands like these fail in both aspects, but HIM really made it work easily.
Musically the band has proven that almost anything works. Originally they played a brand of gothic metal that was both poppy and heavy, aptly titled as "love metal", with lyrics that were - and still are - romantic, overtly dramatic and, at times, cheesy as hell. However, they manage to make the lyrics work with their music. Sure, if you look or listen closely to the lyrics, you realize how silly they are, but their music matches greatly with the lyrics. They don't try to create something new, but instead try to write music that just works like a charm. And somehow I feel they are really good at it.
Originally they played metal that was rather heavy, both in sense of general "metal heaviness" and sound-wise - the band has some roots in doom metal music, which explains why some of their early works were played with slow tempos and downtuned instruments, creating an atmosphere really thick and intense that went really well with their gothic / romantic lyrics in general.
Then, album after album, their sound became lighter as they downplayed their metal roots, shifting first to hard rock and then, to regular goth pop-rock - and over their slow change, my interest in the band waned. For a long time I thought that their first two albums would remain their only works that I really could enjoy (well, I admit that Razorblade Romance is also poppy as hell, but it still retains its metal edge), until the band released Venus Doom, probably their heaviest album to date. Though it is poppy, just like the rest of their stuff, it also takes a deep nod to the direction of doom metal - once again the instruments are downtuned and played with tons of distortion and some of the songs really trudge on slowly with slow tempos. In retrospect, they might have downplayed their pop side even a bit too much in this album, with really non-radio-friendly songs and keyboards almost nonexistent. After all, keyboards play a relatively large role in their music in general.
All in all, HIM is generally a teenage girl's favorite band, but that doesn't mean that the band should be overlooked. Probably for those that hunt for "true" metal bands that are as heavy as possible, HIM doesn't offer that much, but if bands like Depeche Mode (dark and romantic lyrics with catchy pop hooks, anyone?) hit the spot, HIM might do the trick - after all, many times I find myself thinking that HIM sounds really more like Depeche Mode playing with heavy metal instrumentation than a metal band. Though for me, their more-pop-less-metal-stuff really doesn't work, because there are too many good pop rock bands and too little good pop metal bands. The band has its musical niche, and it is not in the pop rock region (though the Billboard charts might tell you different).
Originally the band found me via radio - when Razorblade Romance was released, no-one could hide from their swarm of hit singles. Quickly my sister fell to the victim of music industry, and bought her copy of the album. Now, with no place to hide, I just had to listen to the album, over and over again... and I realized that it wasn't so bad after all. The band had an image that appealed to teen goths, but the music they wrote was actually quite clever. It was too pop to be metal, but too metal to be pop, and usually bands like these fail in both aspects, but HIM really made it work easily.
Musically the band has proven that almost anything works. Originally they played a brand of gothic metal that was both poppy and heavy, aptly titled as "love metal", with lyrics that were - and still are - romantic, overtly dramatic and, at times, cheesy as hell. However, they manage to make the lyrics work with their music. Sure, if you look or listen closely to the lyrics, you realize how silly they are, but their music matches greatly with the lyrics. They don't try to create something new, but instead try to write music that just works like a charm. And somehow I feel they are really good at it.
Originally they played metal that was rather heavy, both in sense of general "metal heaviness" and sound-wise - the band has some roots in doom metal music, which explains why some of their early works were played with slow tempos and downtuned instruments, creating an atmosphere really thick and intense that went really well with their gothic / romantic lyrics in general.
Then, album after album, their sound became lighter as they downplayed their metal roots, shifting first to hard rock and then, to regular goth pop-rock - and over their slow change, my interest in the band waned. For a long time I thought that their first two albums would remain their only works that I really could enjoy (well, I admit that Razorblade Romance is also poppy as hell, but it still retains its metal edge), until the band released Venus Doom, probably their heaviest album to date. Though it is poppy, just like the rest of their stuff, it also takes a deep nod to the direction of doom metal - once again the instruments are downtuned and played with tons of distortion and some of the songs really trudge on slowly with slow tempos. In retrospect, they might have downplayed their pop side even a bit too much in this album, with really non-radio-friendly songs and keyboards almost nonexistent. After all, keyboards play a relatively large role in their music in general.
All in all, HIM is generally a teenage girl's favorite band, but that doesn't mean that the band should be overlooked. Probably for those that hunt for "true" metal bands that are as heavy as possible, HIM doesn't offer that much, but if bands like Depeche Mode (dark and romantic lyrics with catchy pop hooks, anyone?) hit the spot, HIM might do the trick - after all, many times I find myself thinking that HIM sounds really more like Depeche Mode playing with heavy metal instrumentation than a metal band. Though for me, their more-pop-less-metal-stuff really doesn't work, because there are too many good pop rock bands and too little good pop metal bands. The band has its musical niche, and it is not in the pop rock region (though the Billboard charts might tell you different).
***
My top-10 list of songs that are worth checking out:
(Don't Fear) The Reaper
Cyanide Sun
Gone with the Sin
Join Me in Death
Our Diabolikal Rapture
Poison Girl
Right Here in My Arms
Venus Doom
When Love and Death Embrace
Your Sweet Six Six Six
***
Reviewed albums:
Razorblade Romance (1999) - 82/100
No comments:
Post a Comment