How does it compare to the artist's other releases
Outstanding
Value for Money
Excellent
Advantages:
totally rocks !
Disadvantages:
not to everyone's taste
Recommend to potential buyers:
yes
Full review
HIM are a band with a cult following and have been gaining in popularity over the last couple of years. While Razorblade Romance is not their best-selling album (at least in the UK), it is probably their best.
The first track "Your Sweet 666" (a different version to the one on their debut album Greatest Lovesongs Volume 666 - this one is a bit more "keyboardy" and has been produced very differently) is a great hard rock track - you'll soon find yourself making "the horns" with your hands, playing air guitar and singing along to it! There is a great riff, catchy tune and Ville Valo's sexy, husky, often breathless-sounding vocals. It sounds like a caffeine-fuelled combination of Muse (it may sound strange but "Bliss", "Stockholm Syndrome", "Plug In Baby" and Matt Belemy's voice on "Time Is Running Out" come to mind when I listen to this song) with pop-metal rock bands like The Darkness and Bon Jovi (on their more uptempo songs like "It's My Life" rather than on their substandard radio fodder like "Thank You For Loving Me"), with a satanic/gothic Ozzy/Black Sabbath-like twist.
Second track "Poison Girl" also rocks but does not grab you so much as "...666" - instead of running around headbanging like the previous track, it gently chugs along at its own pace with its doom-laden, bass-heavy riff and Valo sounding slightly less urgent. It's a bit more of a grower rather than a track that gets you hooked from the first listen, but it sounds great.
"Join Me (In Death)" is a keyboard-filled, death-filled-yet-romantic ballad, telling an escapist Romeo & Juliet-style story. It manages to get the balance just right - many love ballads by many bands can sound cliched, overblown or bloated - but despite being an epic, "Join Me" manages to escape that trap. Even as Ville asks "Would you die tonight for love? Baby, join me in death..." it still feels like he is handling the subject matter delicately and sensitively and avoiding becoming mawkish or oversentimental, rather like The Smiths' classic "There Is A Light That Never Goes Out".
"Right Here In My Arms" is another energetic pop-metal track like "Your Sweet 666" - again, great to sing and dance to - it can make goths dance! You may find yourself bouncing on the bed or headbanging to this one, even though its lyrics (like all of HIM's lyrics) are really dark.
"Bury Me Deep Inside Your Heart" is a heavy-sounding ballad - again, HIM have managed to do a power ballad that does not suck (Westlife/McFly/Bryan Adams etc. take note - power ballads don't have to suck!!). Apparently an American journalist got married to this song. Anyway, it starts off quietly, then has a few spooky-sounding lone keyboard notes, before the heavy rock ride starts...
"Wicked Game" is a hard-rocking cover of Chris Isaak's hit single, given a typical HIM twist and a favourite at their live shows. Growling guitars and gothic vocals all mix together here in a winning formula, even if you didn't like Isaak's original!
"I Love You (Prelude To Tragedy)" is typical Razorblade-era HIM - although it doesn't stand out as much as the previous 6 songs, it's definiately not a filler song either - it's still adrenalized, although Valo doesn't sound quite as desperate as on, for example, "Right Here In My Arms".
"Gone With The Sin" is a ballad that sounds quieter and simpler than much of the rest of the album, subtly snaking its way around your brain. At first you don't notice the song that much, but as it progresses you are sucked into it more and more. By the guitar solo, you'll be hooked. Although the title may sound like it's going to be a joke song or have clumsy lyrics, it is actually a very dignified-sounding song, staying sensible but not pretentious, and you could imagine a great-sounding acoustic or orchestral version of it too.
"Razorblade Kiss" is a chugging rocker of a song with a great atmosphere, almost oozing sex appeal and boasting a hummable, buzzing riff (accompanied by "ooh-ooh"s - you'll know what I mean if you've heard it), swinging to a guitar solo, then to almost-silence, then crescendoing back up again.
"Resurrection" is a beautiful, "Join Me"-esque song, with great contrasts - between loud and soft, or between heavy riffs and barely-there backing music. The vocal arrangements (both lead and backing vocals) are perfect and strangely rousing - at one point you may find it hard to decide which part you're going to sing along to. The build-up is excellent and the song bleeds well into the next track "Death Is In Love With Us", another uptempo song that zips by in less than 3 minutes.
After "Death Is In Love With Us", closing track "Heaven Tonight" seems like an anticlimax. It's a slow song and nowhere near as catchy, but listen to it carefully and you'll notice how good Valo's voice is on it. Not the perfect ending, but still good.
Overall this album is definiately worth getting - there are no bad songs at all. Although the songs aren't as distinct from each other (or as famous) as those from 4th album Love Metal, they are far more consistent - Love Metal starts off with 6 fantastic tracks, then tails off for 4 songs and only redeems itself again with the excellent "Love's Requiem", whereas Razorblade maintains interest all the way through.
HIM are very different to much of the mainstream and their lyrical combinations of love and death make a refreshing change to the cliched love songs of many other rock bands that sound cynically designed to attract adoring female fanbases. The dark romance of HIM's unconventional love songs has attracted male and female fans without turning to too many of the cliched, radio-friendly "I love you, I fancy you, it's very nice etc" lyrics beloved of stadium rock bands. In a way HIM have almost created their own "love is death" cliche, but it does not ever wear thin. I would definiately recommend this album to people, especially those who like music that is a little bit "different". It's not to everyone's taste but if you like traditional metal bands like Black Sabbath and Judas Priest, "retro rock" like The Darkness, goth bands like The Sisters Of Mercy, skaterock bands, or the anti-cliche love songs of Morrissey and The Smiths, then this may have something for you.
