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HIM
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HIM are a band that many people have not heard of, yet their music is amazing. HIM is one of my favourite bands and when I got their latest greatest hits CD ‘and love said no’ for Christmas I thought it was about time I did a review on them.

HIM describe their music as ‘love metal’ and that truly is the best description it could be given.
HIM consists of five members (all from Finland); Ville Valo writes most of the songs and does the vocals, Gas plays the drums, Burton plays the keyboards, Midge plays guitar and Linde is on guitar. The name ‘HIM’ stands for ‘His Infernal Majesty’ HIM released their first album back in 1997 and are still going strong.

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THE FRONT COVER
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The cover of the CD is simple but attractive. It consists of a picture with half of Ville Valos face (yum!) and then to the left is the bands name and the heartagram logo aswell as the title of the album. Other than Valos face, the main colours on the cover are black and a pale bluey grey colour.
The back cover has another picture of Ville Valo and a list of the tracks all done in the same colour scheme.

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THE LYRICS BOOKLET
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Inside the front cover is a booklet with all of the lyrics in. My only criticism is that the font size is so small that it is near impossible to read the lyrics! The centre of the booklet shows a picture of the whole band

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THE TRACKS
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So now onto the important bit! The tracks!…

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Track 1: And Love Said No
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Seeing as this is title of the CD it makes sense that it is the first track. The track is quite long at 4 minutes 10 seconds. Unfortunately this is not one of their best tracks (in my mind) and could be a bit off putting for a first time listener! However the combination of the deep heartfelt lyrics and the music do stir up the emotion, which will stay present through the rest of the CD.

The chorus;
‘Kill me, I begged and love said no
leave me for dead and let me go
kill me, I cried and love said no’

as you can imagine it is not the most cheerful of songs but the deep emotional lyrics and music will really stir something inside of you.

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Track 2: Join Me In Death
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This track begins with a soft piano solo, the lyrics then gently fade in and then the other instruments join in. This song is truly beautiful in terms of the lyrics and music combination. It is very thought provoking and emotional. The soft but emotional vocals make the song very powerful and will touch something deep inside you that sends a shiver down your spine. The track ends as beautifully as it begun with the piano playing the last notes of the track.

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Track 3: Buried Alive By Love
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This is quite a popular track. The music consists mainly of hard guitar and drum music which is quite intense but really suits the vocals. The song is quite fast and energetic. The lyrics are again very thought provoking. One of the last verses is my favourite:
‘Oh, it seems to cry is to know that you're alive
And my river of tears has run dry
I never wanted to fool you, no
But a cold heart is a dead heart
A deserted soul is gone
A cold heart is a dead heart
And it feels like I've been buried alive by love’

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Track 4: Heartache every moment
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I love this song, again it is quite a sad song but it is done so well and is really deep. The drums and guitar are less prominent and a bit softer than some of the other tracks and the vocals really stand out so you can hear the lyrics, this track really shows the strength and depth of Valos voice. The tune and lyric combination is very catchy and the verses are broken up by some brilliant guitar playing. The lyrics sound so poetic when sung in Valos incredibly powerful, emotional voice.

The opening verse contains some brilliant lyrics:

‘From lashes to ashes from Lust to Dust
In your sweetest torment I'm lost
And no heaven can help us
Ready, willing and able
To lose it all
For a kiss so fatal and so worn’

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Track 5: Solitary Man
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This is the first HIM song I heard and it was so unique and catchy that it made me want to listen to more of their stuff. The song is actually a cover of the Neil Diamond version but having heard the original I do feel that the HIM version really does it justice. This is lighter than a lot of their other songs and it quite energetic with good vocals and music. In my opinion the lyrics are not as meaningful and as deep as a lot of their others but it is still a great song to listen to. The combination of soft and strong vocals is so catchy and enjoyable.

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Track 6: Right Here In My Arms
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This is an interesting song as the beginning is a really interesting combination of rock, metal and love ballad, which blend so well. The Vocals ar quite deep and are not so much of the main focus as they are in previous songs. The track contains a real combination of music styles and is a song which would probably satisfy many peoples tastes in music.

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Track 7: Funeral Of Hearts
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I absolutely love this song. The lyrics are again very poetic and the music is quite soft in places and it makes the song truly beautiful. Valos powerful voice delivers the magnificent lyrics in such a brilliant way that you just have to listen to this song till the end.

The lyrics of this song are so amazing that I just have to type the lot because a snippet would not give the full effect:

Love's the funeral of hearts
And an ode for cruelty
When angels cry blood
On flowers of evil in bloom

The funeral of hearts
And a plea for mercy
When love is a gun
Separating me from you

She was the sun
Shining upon
The tomb of your hopes and dreams so frail
He was the moon
Painting you
With it's glow so vulnerable and pale

Love's the funeral of hearts
And an ode for cruelty
When angels cry blood
On flowers of evil in bloom

The funeral of hearts
And a plea for mercy
When love is a gun
Separating me from you

She was the wind, carrying in
All the troubles and fears you've for years tried to forget
He was the fire, restless and wild
And you were like a moth to that flame

The heretic seal beyond divine
A prayer to a god who's deaf and blind
The last rites for souls on fire
Three little words and a question why

Love's the funeral of hearts
And an ode for cruelty
When angels cry blood
On flowers of evil in bloom

The funeral of hearts
And a plea for mercy
When love is a gun
Separating me from you

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Track 8: In Joy and in Sorrow
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This track I hadn’t really paid much attention to but it is actually a really amazing song. The lyrics in this song aren’t as fantastic as those in many of their other songs but the vocals in this song are so gentle yet deep that they make it really easy to listen too.

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Track 9: Your Sweet 666
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This track is enjoyable to listen too but not one I would rave about. The tune and the vocals are quite strong but it is not anywhere near as intense or as deep as the other tracks. The lyrics are quite basic and could possibly seem a little repetitive. It isn’t a bad song but not one of their greatest.

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Track 10: Gone with the Sin
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This song starts with soft, slow vocals and gradually the guitar and drums fade in. This song is quite a relaxing, gentle song and not too deep. The vocals are soft yet deep and the lyrics are a bit strange but it is still a nice easy song to listen to.

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Track 11: Wicked Game
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This is a cover of the song by Chris Isaac. Unfortunately I have not heard the original so I cannot comment on where or not it does it justice. However the vocals are very powerful and it is a pretty good song. Not one of my favourites however.

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Track 12: Sacrament
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This was the second ‘HIM’ song I heard and I was very impressed. The vocals are quite gentle and the tune is catchy with some good base guitar in it. The lyrics are interesting and contain a fair few religious references. The song as a whole is enjoyable and catchy although it doesn’t really show the extent of the talent of Valo and the rest of the band which is a bit of a shame.

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Track 13: Close to the Flame
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This track is quite slow, soft and romantic. The vocals are very gentle and memorising. The lyrics are not as poetic as in many of the other tracks but the simplicity makes it a nice track.

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Track 14: Its All Tears
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I like this track, its quite energetic and the drums and guitar are really prominent. The vocals are slightly odd in some places but all in all it is a really good heavy track. The lyrics of the chorus are quite repetitive:
‘I'm waiting for you to drown in my love
So open your arms
I'm waiting for you to open your arms
And drown in this love
I'm waiting for you to drown in my love
So open your arms
I'm waiting for you to open your arms
And drown in this love’

But it is the music that really makes this song so fantastic.

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Track 15: Poison Girl
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Soft vocals and guitar start this track and then the drums kick in. The vocals are slightly muffled in places so you cannot hear the lyrics so well which is a bit of a shame as they are full of raw emotion. In my mind this isn’t one of the greatest tracks on this CD but its not bad.

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Track 16: Pretending (Album Version)
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This is one of my favourite tracks. The vocals are clear and the music is amazing. The chorus is really catchy and makes you want to sing along.

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Track 17: When Love and Death Embrace
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The first time I heard this track I was not so keen on it as it is quite slow and there doesn’t seem to be much depth to it, however, the lyrics are very thought provoking, strong and brimming with emotion despite being relatively simple. This is a really good track to finish of the CD.

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BONUS MATERIAL - DVD
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In the back of the CD case is a DVD which contains live footage of 6 tracks. This is a great added bonus and is well filmed although I must admit I have only looked at the DVD once as live recordings are obviously not as good as the recorded tracks on the CD!

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OVERALL
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Well seeing as HIM are one of my favourite bands it is hard for me to find fault with this album!! There are a few other tracks, which I would have liked to have seen on there such as ‘beautiful’ and ‘salt in our wounds’ but almost all of the tracks on here are fantastic. Many of their lyrics are incredibly poetic and they will either take your breath away or send shivers down your spine. I like the style of ‘love metal’ and I think that even if you don’t think its your kind of thing you should perhaps just listen to a few tracks.

You can listen to some of their tracks at www.heatagram.com to see if you like them.

Thanks for reading folks.
This is my first review on a CD so please forgive me if it is atrocious!!

Take care
Em xx