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| Venus Doom | 
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| Artist: H.i.m.
Label: Sire / London/Rhino
Category: Music
List Price: $18.98
Buy Used: $0.78
You Save: $18.20 (96%)
New (68) Used (41) Collectible (1) from $0.78
Avg. Customer Rating:  32 reviews
Sales Rank: 14110
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 5.6 x 5 x 0.5
MPN: 105980
UPC: 093624998907
EAN: 0093624998907
ASIN: B000TUXL16
Release Date: September 18, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: Used - Very Good; Gently played CD. Will be shipped promptly!
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| Customer Reviews:
 I'm still in love... October 3, 2007
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
It seems that a band can't ever do anything new without being labeled a sell-out. And those spouting such epithets are often those who have no experience whatsoever in playing or writing music.
I've noticed that after many years of working in retail establishments that sell CDs, a lot of people are like sheep. They find one band they like, cling to it, and then search out other bands that sound just like it. I have never understood this. I don't want all of my music to sound alike; what would be the fun in that? Honestly, I can't think of a particular band that really reminds me of HIM. They are, in my opinion, an entity unto themselves. I love the variety of HIM's music over the course of their career, and COMMERCIAL SUCCESS DOES NOT MAKE YOU A SELL-OUT. It makes you a hard worker. Sheesh. And honestly, do you people think that Ville Valo would ever conform to what a record label wanted just for the sake of selling albums? Come on! That guy has never conformed a day in his life, and he isn't about to start now.
I loved this album. I've loved all of HIM's albums since I discovered them a mere two years ago - I'm surprised I didn't know of them sooner, as my husband is half Finnish. Anyway, the album is very guitar heavy, owing to the fact that when they started to record the album, Burton (keyboards) was home with a new baby. And you know what? The heavy guitar works. The riffs are great - Linde (lead guitar) really gets to show off on this album. Ville's vocals are brilliant - really, when are they not? - and the overall sound is tight and speaks to the band's many years together.
This album is dark and a bit gritty (in a good way), and different from what I expected. There are no tender love songs here, no sweet words, mostly just desolation, grief, and anger. Mmmm. My inner goth girl loves it. I enjoy the more sophisticated structure of the songs, especially changing time signatures in the course of a single song (example: "Bleed Well"). And having a song completely in 3/4 time ("Cyanide Sun") is daring - I've been told by people in the music industry that you can't have a hit in 3/4 time. Riiiight.
Writing songs is hard. Making a living in music is harder. (I know both of these things from personal experience.) I respect anyone who can do it, and HIM does it well. People can cry "sell-out" all they want - it's a free country - but my opinion is that the band is excellent at what they do, and the rest of the world is finally starting to notice.
End of story.
Suprised and kind of amazed September 28, 2007
5 out of 6 found this review helpful
At this point in their career (at least for over here in the U.S. anyway),this is a pretty brave album for them to have made. Here's what I mean:
I've been listening to these guys for several years now, ever since I heard "Join Me in Death" something like seven years ago. I've been a fan of their music ever since. Not a diehard-obsessive who hangs on every word out of Ville's mouth, but a fan nonetheless and a new release from them is something I alway look forward too. After "Dark Light" I was really amazed at the progression from "Love Metal". Yeah, it had a much slicker appeal to it and it was definitely more commercial. Normally when a band does this, it cheapens the overall effect for me. Not because I think of it in terms of "selling out", but it really bothers me to know that a band I really like is about to get a lot bigger. Call me a jerk but I get a little annoyed when I see something I love turned into a fashion statement because you know that the jackasses you see claiming to like their music will just be spitting it right back out in six months, moving on to whatever else is "in". "Dark Light" didn't really have this effect on me. I knew that it would make them even bigger, but I was still able to embrace the album for what it was and I still listen to it occasionally. I may not love it as much as "Razorblade Romance" or "Greatest Love Songs Vol.666" but I think it ranks pretty close.
After all the exposure they've gotten through Bam, as well as on their own merit over the years, H.I.M. is now bigger than ever. I've even seen 5th graders running around in heartagram t-shirts. So why was I so suprised with "Venus Doom"? Well, the first thing I thought of was WOW! Is this IT?? Did I put in the right cd? It's definitely heavier and it's kind of a backstep from the direction they were heading in with "Dark Light". Some have said it's just as commercial sounding but I just don't see that. The songs aren't quite as instantly infectious. They require more than a couple listens to fully digest and in my opinion, that makes for a better song. Aside from being heavier, there is of course, much less emphasis on the keyboards. Initially, I wasn't too crazy about that last bit, but the more I came back to the album, I saw that the material just didn't call for it near as much. It's still there, and very effective where it's used. Just check out "Dead Lover's Lane".
At just nine songs, I felt myself wanting more when the album ended. I wasn't quite satisfied. A little unfulfilled. Then I listened to it again. And Again. So on and so forth. Now that I've had time to let it sink in a little, I believe that it's up there with some of their best material. They've greatly matured as a band and just as with many of my favorite albums, you won't even start to hear the best stuff until at least a half-dozen listens. This is also, in my mind, what makes it one of their strongest efforts. The good stuff is in there but you will be required to pay attention.
 Horrible October 14, 2007
4 out of 6 found this review helpful
I was so excited when I saw the new H.I.M Cd, but upon listening to it i was very disenchated by this Cd, none of the tracks even hold a candle to their previous work, most of the songs are pretty similar and do nothing for me personally, nothing on the album can even come close to 'vampire heart", "heartache every moment", or "close to the flame", very dissapointing.
There Best Cd Yet! September 18, 2007
3 out of 8 found this review helpful
This cd its fantastic there best cd in my opinion its only nine songs but each song is almost 6 minutes long and the best song is Sleepwalking past hope its 10 minutes ands like 6 seconds long its very instrumental and there heaviest cd i recommend it i own the limited edition so yeah pick it up its gonna rock ur sucks off.
Dissapoiting September 30, 2007
3 out of 12 found this review helpful
First track is awesome but the album holds nothing special. I found it very dull.
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