HIM
Venus Doom

Any fan of HIM won't believe their ears when listening to Venus Doom, the latest effort from the Scandinavian band. Let's be honest, in recent times Ville Valo and company had reached levels of "tranquility" that were truly excessive. In short, the old days of Razoblade Romance were missed. But this time, they haven't disappointed with an album much more rock than the previous one, less commercial, difficult to appreciate on the first listen, but above all more dark and personal. Ville Valo returns to fully exploit his baritone abilities and the atmosphere becomes dark, gloomy, and at times ghostly. The frontman's voice is always versatile, suffering, and communicative. But the real novelty, as we said, is the aggressiveness that characterizes many tracks; the guitars become heavy, distortions increase, and there are effective solos of great craftsmanship by Lily Lazer, who also shines as a backup vocalist accompanying Ville. The use of the keyboard by Emerson Burton is this time more precise and less intrusive than the previous work, while more space is given to the robust and powerful riffs characterizing the nine tracks of the album. Often, it transitions from faster moments, with metal solos and excellent strumming, to moments where the atmosphere becomes quieter, gliding into dark-gothic until reaching slow sounds approaching doom.

It opens with "Venus Doom", which gives the album its title. Heavy guitars, super-fast solo, and Ville's versatile voice. Beautiful "Love In Cold Blood", powerful and intense at the same time, also with a splendid solo and a hammering riff characterizing the final part of the track. "Passion's Killing Floor" is one of the best tracks on the album, where the keyboard plays a significant role; the bridge introducing a highly impactful chorus is splendid, fast and quite immediate. Dark moments are not missing in the middle of the track, ending then in a crescendo with the vocal play of Ville. "The Kiss Of Dawn" is the lead single, an immediate track with an excellent chorus, written by Ville in memory of a friend who committed suicide. A melancholic piano introduces "Sleepwalking Past Hope", a controversial piece lasting almost eleven minutes, characterized by a beautiful melody and great compositional richness and variability. When the atmosphere turns darker, a splendid change of speed arrives with a frenzied solo that breaks the piece after about seven minutes. The only flaw is its duration, for a piece that ends in a fading manner among unreal sounds and Burton's keyboard play. "Dead Lover's Lane" is another rather rough track but with a melodic chorus that explodes in the finale, amidst Ville's highs and Gas Lipstick's fast drumming. "Song Or Suicide" is a piece recorded by Ville Valo in a hotel room, lasting a minute and fifty, sung in a very low tone by Ville accompanied by an acoustic guitar; strange and unsettling noises are heard in the background, the creaking of a chair and the passing of a car at the end of the track. "Bleed Well" is perhaps the most interesting track, where Ville's highs are surprising, accompanied by a splendid riff throughout the piece and an excellent chorus worthy of the best times. The excellent "Cyanide Sun" closes it, where melody and melancholy prevail, and it is precisely in pieces like these that they give their best.     

The work is good, and HIM is one of the bands with the most admirers and detractors at the same time. The main problem of the album is that it lacks a piece that excites and captivates the audience like "Pretending" or "Join Me (In Death)," so to speak. However, the attempt by the Finnish band to change their style is appreciable, offering a heavier and more technical product, where more space is given to Lazer's performances without sacrificing melancholic and at times cathartic atmospheres. For better or worse, HIM is destined to get people talking, and it's always good not to forget a band that, for those who love gothic rock, has written high-level melodies and always deserves attention.