Venus Doom: Special Edition - HIM

Just a note, this review is on the standard edition of the album, as the special edition is the only one listed on here. This song is a fairly far cry from the band's previous album, 'Dark Light'. While 'Dark Light' is distinctly melodic and enchanting, this album shows H.I.M.'s (His Infernal Majesty) heavier, darker side. The first track is the title song, and immediately goes into heavy drums and guitars, which I would say does a good job of setting the scene for the rest of the album. This song shows off the band's talented drum and guitar skills. However, Ville Valo doesn't show off his usually great vocals, although he goes to a very deep tone ...  Read the complete review

Following on so briskly from the excellent and enchanting Dark Light, I was always a little suspicious about Venus Doom and my first listen has done little to ease my fears. After the first spin one can quickly ascertain that HIM have chosen a much heavier direction which I don't think suits them particularly well, and save for a few nice touches the album is distinctly lacking in both variation and ideas too. The title track is rather uninspired but the ten minute Sleepwalking Past Home is a fairly enjoyable experiment, while Song Or Suicide is highly impressive - having said that it only lasts for one minute ten... Overall the ...  Read the complete review