Melodic.net
Venus doom
/2007/

Finnish Goth Rockers are back with their new release "Venus Doom". Produced by Tim Palmer who produced the bands last album "Dark Light", this album shows us the real clarity of his production and the drums on the album really pound to give the band a great sounding record.
My favorite album from the group is their very first "Greatest Love Song Vol. 666," and also a big fan of "Deep Shadows and Brilliant Highlights" and "Razorblade Romance. I think these guys have ultimately strayed away from their true Goth Rock sound with their recent releases "Love Metal" and "Dark Light."
With "Venus Doom" coming out on September 18, 2007, we are brought back to a more straight forward album other than that of the last complex release "Dark Light". Even though the success of Dark Light had allowed a number of HIM's previous albums (including Love Metal) to chart in the United States. In October 2006 the band's official website announced that Dark Light had been certified Gold in the U.S. by the RIAA. This made HIM the first band from Finland to sell over 500,000 records in the US.
This album is going back a little bit more to their Goth sound with heavy guitars and more keyboard. This album is a little bit darker compared to "Dark Light." It is said that it will be HIM's heaviest material to date. Now after hearing the album. I'm not sure if its heavier than the first album though but it is heavier than any other ones. Their chugging guitars are more fluent in this and more old school riffs coming into play on this record.
The album only has 9 tracks like their debut. With the 1:12 acoustic track "Song or Suicide," you may only count 8 full length songs. Making up that track is the really long track "Sleep Walking Past Hope" running 10 minutes and 14 seconds. You do get a lot of variety with this album with tracks averaging about 5 minutes each.
My favorites and die hard HIM fans will love "Kiss of Dawn" with the awesome chugging guitar riff that reminds me of an old favorite "Your Sweet Six Six Six," and "Love in Cold Blood." "Sleep Walking Past Hope" offers a very long track with cool breakdowns and a very Black Sabbath style guitar riff. Some songs kind of tease me a little bit. The band will start a very cool, very fresh clean guitar riff or a cool slow piano style intro but then bust into the fast rock song. I kind of wish they would have elaborated with those cool riffs and piano and incorporated more of it into the album.
Overall I think its a great release from the band and a step up in my book from their previous "Dark Light." You get the true HIM experience and its good to see that the radio and the Bam Margera Hot Topic goers didn't ruin this group and make them come out with a radio friendly hit after hit album. Its a well crafted album with pure HIM style.

Tom Spinelli