Metal Hammer Download 2013 Review:HIM It’s been a rocky year so far for melancholic Finnish metallers HIM – after the release of their excellent new album Tears On Tape, the band were forced to cancel their spring US tour after frontman Ville Valo unexpectedly got sick with severe asthma and pneumonia. Thankfully, as their performance today on the Pepsi Max stage proves, he appears to have made a full recovery. The band’s signature lovelorn doom fits perfectly into the dark, intimate setting of the tent, which is packed with HIM fans eager to scream out their favourite lyrics and catch a glimpse of the waifish singer. Opening with live favourite Buried Alive By Love, the band appear to have had a breath of life as they are more energetic than ever. As always, guitarist Linde Lindstrom makes his future daddy-in-law Mr Iommi proud with those stonking great riffs, while Gas Lipstick’s drumming lends a huge, anthemic feel to the new album’s title track. Of course, it helps that Ville’s unique voice doesn’t appear to have suffered at all despite his illness; in fact, it sounds better than ever as he plunges the depths of the baritone register in The Kiss of Dawn, croons his way seductively through Chris Isaak’s Wicked Game and hits some impressively high-pitched screams, often improvising at the end of each song to show off his vocal acrobatics. Not only is his voice sounding better than ever, but he’s also relaxed, grinning like the Joker and shaking his skinny hips, making it hard to look away from him. The band are unmistakably a tight-knit family, and today it shows more than ever. Catherine Morris
Posted on: Sat, 15 Jun 2013 05:56:36 +0000
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