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Sample it here
What’s the 4-1-1?
Debut U.S. major label release for the gothic metallers that coined
the term, and sound of “love metal”.
Genre
Goth rock / metal / hard rock / glam
The Good
An intriguing little riff dominates “Vampire Heart” while faded
chugga-chugga riffs take command of the background. Valo’s vocals are
tortured and eerie, but maintain a great degree of melody and fluctuation. A
dark, bluesy guitar lick is the main musical focal point of “Rip Out the
Wings of a Butterfly”. How they ever made a sad sediment sound so pleasing
is beyond me. Heavy muted riffs, catchy lyrical patterns, and a piercing solo
make up “Under the Rose”. “Dark Light” relies a lot
of Valo’s soothing vocal charm. Sometimes it’s hard to tell is his
balladry is sincere or vengeful.
A driving piano lick leads the charge on “Behind
the Crimson Door”. Thick guitars and thumping bass take you the rest of
the way. Once again, Valo’s untamable love affair is the main focus of
his lyrics. If her love is going to be the death of you behind the crimson door,
maybe you should try the green one. One of the darkest tracks would be “Play
Dead”. It’s a down-tempo song that Valo injects with plenty of hurt
emotions.
The Bad
The guitar tones aren’t as dark and ominous as I remember them from Razorblade
Romance. There are a lot less haunting keyboards too.
The Verdict
I’m ecstatic that H.I.M. are finally getting their shot in the U.S.
Their music is unlike anything we have over here, and has been for years.
Although, Dark Light is not as ‘dark’ as the last album I’ve
heard from the group, it’s still a great representation of these talented
(and tortured) Finnish rockers.
Did You Know?
The CDs booklet is one of the glossiest I’ve ever seen. The artwork is
set up to depict the album as a movie.
Rating:  out
of 5
--George Dionne
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H.I.M.
