HIM: VENUS DOOM

SCORE: 100/100

'Venus Doom' is very clearly HIM's heaviest record from the very moment it starts, and I was honestly somewhat unsure as to how I would feel about this one - that is until it started and I was immediately completely immersed in the melodically heavy sound of this album. I was instantaneously captivated by this record - and the opening shows that you're in for a wild ride, but it's one where there's a method to the madness. 

The guitar in particular on this album sticks out by tenfold. The instrumental work on this album is unlike anything HIM has ever done before, and yet you can still sense their style throughout. Ville's vocals take on a slightly different tone than on the band's previous works, but this new tinge in his vocal performances allows for this album to REALLY feel like a fresh breath into the band's discography. It's wildly different than anything else they have put out - and this uniqueness is something that truly showcases the versatility of the band. 

There's a huge amount of experimentation and emotion that went into this project, and Ville Valo going through personal struggles was one of the major parts in this album's composition - despite the negative circumstances, it led to a gorgeous piece of art in the form of this album. HIM's music has never been shy of emotions, and this album helps to cement that point into their discography. 

It's a shorter album where the songs are longer - leading to a good runtime with 5+ minute songs (as well as HIM's longest song running at just over 10 minutes) and allowing for the songs to ride out and switch throughout. 'Venus Doom' is simply stunning, and it's almost hard to put into words just how incredible this album is. If you're a  fan of the band's heavier material, you won't be disappointed with this album.

This is an album that I couldn't put down, every time I wanted to get up, I couldn't. 'Venus Doom' completely locked me in to its embrace, and it's a fiery project that doesn't let up once it has kicked off. It's full of a level of intensity that the band has never touched on quite like this, and it's a truly immaculate display of both their melody and their harshness; done in a way that they have never established before.

A large amount of the album's heaviness is due to the personal struggles that Ville Valo was facing, from alcohol abuse to a breakup with his then-fiancé, it's clear that he was in a rough bout during the conception of this album. It led to some of their best material, but these issues also led to a lot of concerns with Valo - concerns that would lead to him being sent to a rehab facility by the band's manager. 

This album is full of twists and turns that you would never expect from the band, and it's a gorgeous showcase of their heaviest side in full force. The more melodic moments are still very much there, but they're blended in with heavier elements that sound unlike any other HIM albums. It's most similar to 'Greatest Love Songs Vol. 666' in its compositions - but even then it manages to be so different. It's an almost incomparable body of work.

The only real weak point in the album is 'Song Or Suicide', but even that feels like a nice way to break up the album in a way that the band has never done before. It's an acoustic ballad that only runs for a minute and eleven seconds, making it a somewhat jarring shift (as well as it being my least favorite HIM song), but it doesn't dampen the overall album.

'Venus Doom' is an almost butterfly inducing album, from the more tender songs with a sharp, jagged edge, to the darker, more melancholic tracks, the album has it all - and it's one of the band's most impressive feats. Although the songs are long, they're more than worthwhile. It's rare that a project completely stuns me, but this is one of the few that have managed to do just that.

I feel like I have so much to say about this album - almost too much to say, and yet it's near-impossible to find the right words for this album. It's something you have to hear to understand, and going in completely blind (had not even heard a second of the album before my full listen) was the best thing I could've ever possibly done. It's sensual in the heaviest ways imaginable, and it's an album that oozes style at every turn it takes.