H.I.M. -> T.H.E.M.

This week we have H.I.M. as a Finnish band to know about. The name stands for His Infernal Majesty. The band was formed in 1991 in Helsinki by a couple of childhood friends and soon enough they broke up. The reunion happened in 1995 and the band became successful worldwide. I don’t know why to be honest. 

I was driving my car this morning and turned on Spotify selection of H.I.M. to get to know them a bit. I heard about them before, especially over my school years. They use a gothic visual style, songs about love and pain, the cruelty of life, and all such things. I truly tried to find something good about it for the whole hour, skipping song by song. 

Yes, it’s kinda metal. They even have an album called Love Metal. But it’s almost zero energy of a normal metal sound. Yes, they sing about love and loneliness and related pain. But it’s getting boring too fast! Really, sorry guys. I don’t have anything personal against THEM (sorry, HIM). But with every song I waited for something to finally happen… and it didn’t.

Which reminded me who and when listened to that. And probably 36 year old guy with a beard, driving a car to get good French wine is not a target audience for this band. But who is? Eventually, I got my answer to this when I turned on Spotify H.I.M. Radio. It’s Spotify feature which groups songs alike for you.

And one of the first songs there was… Lonely Day from System of a Down. And here I got what I was waiting for - melody, energy, overall feeling that band members actually know each other and play the same song! Intro, you hear the melody, some riffs. With the verse melody keeps going, but gives more space and air to the singer. But the melody is there, I hear the guitar, I hear some changes in sound, fingers touch strings, and I feel a connection to musicians. With the chorus overall emotional tension grows higher, and musicians increase volume and passion to reach the pike of a song. 

Which is not like that with HIM. When I listen to Wings of a Butterfly, Join Me in death or that song with 666 in name, I feel that music is very discrete. The intro with some riffs, but no energy, everything is soapy and softened in a way. Like sounds through a pillow. Then with the verse, the singer jumps in, and guitars get out. Totally! The only things that stay - the baseline and some drums. With the chorus they are getting back, forming some kind of musical porridge. Metal? Not really. Love songs? No touching melody. What is that?

If you wanna be lonely - turn on System of a Down.

If you want loneliness at a high intellectual level - there is Taria with I walk alone song of opera quality. 

If you want to listen to sound with tracks that are really separated, detached from each other - Joy Division, pioneers of progressive rock. 

If you want some snotty gothic - Rasmus for God’s sake.

Finally, after 20-30 songs, some old and dark snotty memory rises up in my brain. When I was in my first year in university, I had some friends in the music field, band members. One of them - Max with a big tattoo on his left arm - was the leader of a school band called … Angel’s Hearts. I heard him singing once in a university concert. That was exactly the same thing as HIM! Similar theme of love and misery, simple chords, getting silent during a verse… All 14-15 year old girls loved that.

Thank you, HIM for being great at musical targeting!