HIM: THIS IS ONLY THE BEGINNING

SCORE: 95/100

'This Is Only the Beginning' feels more like a demo than a proper EP in a sense - but this early quality to the songs provides the band with even more grit. The songs are heavier and more intense than some of their more melodic work; with heavy guitars and dark thematic lyrics, this EP is an absolute essential for any fans of HIM. 

The overall sound of this EP is somewhat different from the bands' other material - with more of a metal sound than what would become deemed "love metal" in their later projects, the murky sound of this EP provides a listening experience with some of the bands' weaker material packaged around one of their best songs. The poor sound mixing is one of the dimming elements of the EP - but it's easy to ignore when you realize the sheer amount of heat carried by each track.

It's certainly an impressive start - and it shows that the band had their style down from the very roots of their career. It isn't quite as polished as their other works (which goes without saying), but it's a great addition to their immersive discography. If you're a fan of the band there will be something for you within this EP - and it's more than worth getting around to.

'This Is Only the Beginning' shows a developing sound in its rawest forms. This unpolished material shows the road that was paved for their debut album - and putting together projects like this before releasing a full-length album helped them out in more ways than one. This allowed for the band to market themselves before releasing an LP, and the EP helps for their sound to become established without the finishing touches being revealed to the public just yet.

The early versions of 'Sigillum Diaboli' and 'Wicked Game' are both deeply interesting to hear, and the way they were later touched up and tweaked more to fit the evolving sound of the band is truly something to marvel at.

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