Doug Van Pelt

My own private HIM CD/DVD Review (don't read this if you're not me)

HIM
Digital Versatile Doom CD/DVD
This Finnish gothic doom melodic metal (whatever you wanna call it) band has taken away the mystique. Each of their previous studio albums are recorded with equal parts rock attitude and studio sheen. The album covers have all utilized dark color themes – like black or midnight blue or the occasional stark red and pink (like the classic Razorblade Romance, which remains their best introduction-to-the-band purchase). While staying consistent with the gothic vibe in its packaging (a “digipack” with black background and gold framing and a beautiful illustration of a raven perched atop a microphone and stand), once you pop the CD or (especially) the DVD in, the mystique is shattered. It is then that you realize that this is a band of five humans. Not vampires clad in black capes and guitars stuck on like a Velcro or feltboard character from Vacation Bible School, but a group of five non-descript (save for the iconic, pale frontman) musicians doing their job. The chugging bass lines and all-over guitars meld in loud and boisterously with the keyboards. This was filmed and recorded in a Los Angeles theatre called The Orpheum, which may or may not have provided its own unique audio challenges. The drummer is actually perched behind one of those plexi-glass walls, like you see rock worship bands use on sanctuary stages all the time. This is a quick way to isolate the low-end sounds that a powerful drummer -- like this guy, Gas Lipstick – emits from his pounding. The guitarist, Linde Lindstrom, actually makes all his skillful playing look difficult, with a concentrated face and often grimacing during tight notes played in quick succession. Watching him made me appreciate anew the talent and skill that it takes to hold down such an important, foundational and sometimes isolated role as guitarist (especially when there's only one in the band). The singer makes it seem like a routine he’s been through before, but he’s having fun with it – almost like he doesn’t take it seriously. Again, another crack in the mystique. He could’ve sported a scowl the entire time and furthered his “dark” image, but instead he sports a grin and is often making playful faces to his bandmates and others off camera. Yes, this band is putting out. They’re sweating. Even though it is a nice and current fashion statement, it’s almost impressive that bassist (Mige, aka Mikko Heinrik Julius Paananen) keeps his stocking cap on during the entire show. And while we’re documenting trivial matters, the drummer was able to toss some of his sticks all the way up into the balcony, which looks impressive from the stage camera. And most observers will notice that vocalist Ville Valo keeps a cigarette lit in his hands for most of the show’s duration. They play material from their vast catalog, including several numbers from their heaviest and most recent, Venus Doom. It's cool to see them tap into the cascading riffs of its title track as their finale moment, putting a heavy accent on the evening.

The first time I saw HIM, a friend had seen them play on the second or third leg of the Dark Light tour and soured my expectations by telling me that Valo had smoked during the entire show in Atlanta and that his voice sounded the worse for it. I saw them at an outdoor venue in San Antonio and, even though they sounded breathtaking during the piano-driven ballad “Join Me In Death,” most of their show was one big muddy mix of hellish frequencies and faint similarities to so many songs that I love. Whenever they played one of their quieter, more dynamic and piano/keyboard driven ballads, like “Killing Lonelness,” for example, they sounded great. During any of the rockers (90% of the show), they sounded almost awful. I was reminded of the drug-touring years of Aerosmith in the late Seventies. Although I never have seen that band live, all the reports I’ve heard and television appearances, videos and even live albums (remember Live Bootleg anyone?) made their classic studio albums seem like unobtainable heights to these sluggish and drug-induced musicians from Boston. While I was able to hear many songs I liked from HIM that night, I still came away disappointed. Besides shattering the shadowy mystique of being Finland’s most gothic melodic metal import with this visual document, HIM also successfully proves that they really don’t suck in the live performance department. My friend and I must’ve seen them on bad nights, because the mix and the performance are both hot on this DVD. Thank goodness. I was fearing the worst when I unwrapped this one. Speaking of, this was an unexpected freebie from a publicist that I opened in yesterday’s mail. Maybe now I’ll be able to interview Valo (finally).

One slight distraction or blemish on this double disc release is the “Parental Advisory” emblem on the front. Because this was a fine digipack, it gets kind of ruined by this black & white announcement. Why they couldn’t have stickered the shrinkwrap instead of printing the thing on the cover, I don’t know. And why it has this warning is beyond me. As far as I can tell after one listen all the way through, there is no between-song banter laced with profanity. Perhaps it’s because of lyrics like: “My hearts a graveyard, baby / and to evil we make love.” Or, more likely, it’s the slight profanity in the interview with Valo in the bonus material, or perhaps his philosophical tidbits about love: “…it should be total submission to your passion, to your senses and to your heart…” I dunno. There’s also some video entries that “HIM’s biggest fans” submitted into a contest the band held. While not as amazing as Muse’s recent live CD/DVD package, Haarp, this is quite a wonderful audio/video treat. [Sire] Doug Van Pelt