CD Review: HIM - And Love Said No: The Greatest Hits 1997-2004

HIM is an intriguing band, they have this gorgeously melodic sound unlike most anything that I have come into contact in recent years. The best I can think of to describe it is gothic love metal, which I believe to be pretty close to what their fans call it. I am a relatively recent discoverer of their music, so while this is a greatest hits collection, it is my first exposure to any of them. This is a strong collection of songs that can only be called metal by the loosest of definitions, but it seems to fit the melodic nature of the band moreso than the rock moniker. Whatever you call it, you cannot help but get caught up in the haunting music.

My very first exposure to HIM came from the MTV metal collection Headbanger's Ball: The Revenge. That set contained the song "Vampire Heart" from their latest studio album Darklight. It stood out from the surrounding songs by Avenged Sevenfold and Trivium, in a good way. It had an edge to it, finely polished and tinged in a deep red blood. It was not long before a copy of Darklight found its way into my collection, and gets regular play. That album is simply beautiful. Now, I have been able to expand my HIM horizons, and the future looks good.

The album was recently released by Universal Republic Records, although I am sure it was out last year on RCA. The re-release must have something to do with the record label shakeups that have gone on of late. Whatever the case, the album is in my hands and getting plenty of play. It contains 16 tracks, 2 previously unreleased, spanning their first seven years of releases, covering the four albums leading up to the release of Darklight.

One of the unreleased tracks, "And Love Said No," opens the album as a treat to longtime fans and a perfect introduction for newcomers looking to investigate the world of gothic love and death. The other unreleased track is "Solitary Man," a Neil Diamond cover, and a song that takes on a rather dark aura in this iteration. There is one other cover song that takes on a distinctly different feel is Cris Isaak's "Wicked Game," which seems perfectly suited to the gothic tinged Ville Valo's voice.

Of the originals, it is hard to narrow down the standouts, which also points to what could be considered a weakness of the band. While each song is haunting, there is a slight lack of variety. Again, this is a strange feeling of conflict as I listen, because I really like it, they make this bit of sameness work for them, but it also causes none of the songs to really jump out from each other. Still, a few that my ears seemed to perk up to included "Right Here in My Arms," "Your Sweet Six-Six-Six," and "The Sacrament."

The music is highly polished and finely produced to a smooth melodic veneer, so much so that I wonder what they are like live. I can only imagine the smooth melodies played out in a darkly grandiose and melodramatic fashion, only with a roughness around the edges. These studio recordings are a testament to the visions of love and death as directed by Ville Valo, whose voice is captivating. The rest of the band is solid, if unspectacular, none of them would be considered virtuosos on the basis of what is offered here, but HIM is more about the sum of its parts, rather than the individual accomplishments (aside from Valo).

Bottomline. May not be a must have for fans who most likely have all of the songs already, but for those newcomers, like myself, this serves as the perfect primer to the world of HIM's love metal. The album may have an sense of sameness, but it is a haunting sameness that pulls everything together behind the enigmatic, charismatic Valo, who really seems to like himself on the cover.

Recommended.