HIM Album: “Venus Doom [Special Edition]”

Ok, so let me get this straight(after reading reviews on this and previous HIM CDs): This band has 'sold out' because:

(A)they are signed to an American label after 8 years as a band(with the 2005 'Dark Light' album) and you no longer have to pay 4x the price for one of their CDs as an import.

(B)they are getting played on American radio.

(C)they are the first band from Finland to go Gold in America

or

(D)all of the above?

I honestly don't understand the sell out remarks. All I know is that this band makes good interesting emotional music. So what's the problem? None, in my opinion. Well, just one: their CD booklets aren't that interesting. ha

I think the new CD is great. The biggest difference that I noticed compared to thier previous 'sell out'(yes, sarcasm) Dark Light is that there are less keyboards on this new CD and -brace yourself- guitar solos! The riffs are memorable and Ville Valo sings in all the styles you would expect him to. None of the songs remind you of anything off of Dark Light. There's no real toe tappers on here like 'Rip Out The Wings of a Butterfly" and you really need to listen more intently with the new CD. I only wish there were more than 9 songs on it. Oddly, the 10-minute "Sleepwalking Past Hope" is the least interesting song on the CD to me.

I think anyone reviewing this CD needs to listen to it at least half a dozen times before any attempt at a review is made. Each HIM CD I buy I usually have to listen to over and over to really get into because this band sounds like no other band that I listen to and that makes for a truly unique band. You know instantly who it is even if you've never heard the song before. I like bands like that. If you like their other stuff, then this one will be no different in my opinion. If you like the single 'Kiss of Dawn' then that's all you really need to know in deciding to buy this CD. I was hoping for more keyboards after listening to it, because they have a really weird keyboard sound on all of thier CDs, but it's still great. They toned down the haunted house/phantom of the opera type keyboards(as I call it) this time around. Maybe that's why everyone is saying 'sell out' cos they sound closer to a more traditional rock band. Nevertheless... great CD.

This latest entry by one of the last real guitar bands proves that "rock is better off dead"! Just kidding, of course. Some of these lyrics makes one wonder how much longer this gothic theme will endure. Apparently Mr. Valo has no problem with pulling it off. "My heart's a graveyard" and "dead lovers lane" brings to mind the lurid horror films of the 1960's. Yet, to those who have ever experienced a broken heart, can relate to these strange and somewhat humorous lyrics.

Musically this is the heaviest offering the Finnish lads have offered. Love Metal has a heaviness to it, yet this tops that effort. Tim Palmer's production leads this album to the glory that H.I.M. deserves! "Sleepwalking Past Hope" crowns the bands career with a glorious stadium rock anthem that gives this band its due.

As the music industry seems to be dying, this band and its "already undead" approach give great reason to buy this record. I am thankful that this theme works. I cannot wait to see them on tour again!

At this point in their career (at least for over here in the U.S. anyway),this is a pretty brave album for them to have made. Here's what I mean:

I've been listening to these guys for several years now, ever since I heard "Join Me in Death" something like seven years ago. I've been a fan of their music ever since. Not a diehard-obsessive who hangs on every word out of Ville's mouth, but a fan nonetheless and a new release from them is something I alway look forward too. After "Dark Light" I was really amazed at the progression from "Love Metal". Yeah, it had a much slicker appeal to it and it was definitely more commercial. Normally when a band does this, it cheapens the overall effect for me. Not because I think of it in terms of "selling out", but it really bothers me to know that a band I really like is about to get a lot bigger. Call me a jerk but I get a little annoyed when I see something I love turned into a fashion statement because you know that the jackasses you see claiming to like their music will just be spitting it right back out in six months, moving on to whatever else is "in". "Dark Light" didn't really have this effect on me. I knew that it would make them even bigger, but I was still able to embrace the album for what it was and I still listen to it occasionally. I may not love it as much as "Razorblade Romance" or "Greatest Love Songs Vol.666" but I think it ranks pretty close.

After all the exposure they've gotten through Bam, as well as on their own merit over the years, H.I.M. is now bigger than ever. I've even seen 5th graders running around in heartagram t-shirts. So why was I so suprised with "Venus Doom"? Well, the first thing I thought of was WOW! Is this IT?? Did I put in the right cd? It's definitely heavier and it's kind of a backstep from the direction they were heading in with "Dark Light". Some have said it's just as commercial sounding but I just don't see that. The songs aren't quite as instantly infectious. They require more than a couple listens to fully digest and in my opinion, that makes for a better song. Aside from being heavier, there is of course, much less emphasis on the keyboards. Initially, I wasn't too crazy about that last bit, but the more I came back to the album, I saw that the material just didn't call for it near as much. It's still there, and very effective where it's used. Just check out "Dead Lover's Lane".

At just nine songs, I felt myself wanting more when the album ended. I wasn't quite satisfied. A little unfulfilled. Then I listened to it again. And Again. So on and so forth. Now that I've had time to let it sink in a little, I believe that it's up there with some of their best material. They've greatly matured as a band and just as with many of my favorite albums, you won't even start to hear the best stuff until at least a half-dozen listens. This is also, in my mind, what makes it one of their strongest efforts. The good stuff is in there but you will be required to pay attention.

This is one of the best HIM cd's so far. It is harder and way darker than the past albums.

HIM is almost a household name here in Finland. Everybody knows them and that they have sold almost 5 million records worldwide. Ville Valo is voted as being the sexiest man alive etc. I really don't care about that at all. All I care is the music. And "Venus Doom" sure delivers.

Out of all HIM releases my two favorites are their debut album "Greatest Love Songs Vol. 666" and their smash hit (in Europe that is) "Razorblade Romance". Lovesongs is a very heavy album and to my delight so is their latest, Venus Doom. This album maybe isn't as cathcy as "Dark Light" but after listening to it a couple times you realise it is a lot better.

HIM has always admitted that Black Sabbath and Ozzy have influenced them a lot and that is showcased by the track "Sleepwalking Past Hope" being over 10 minutes long! Over all Ville Valo sings very well, better than in years. Lyrics are very moody and "HIM-like" as they should be (in my oppinion).

But the most likeable thing about this album for me is the heaviness. This is no doubt their heaviest album since "Greatest Love Songs Vol. 666" and many old HIM fans will love this fact.