Him was formed in 1991 and it has literally taken
them two decades to hit their stride. Their 8th album, Tears on Tape, continues the excellent
vein they tapped into with their last album, Screamworks. The album was recorded by long-time producer Hiili Hiilesmaa (Apocalyptica, The 69 Eyes)
and mixed by Tim Palmer (U2, Ozzy Osbourne, Pearl Jam, Robert Plant).
Tears on Tape picks up
the pace a little bit from Screamworks
by adding in more tunes that feature the big, heavy guitar work that makes them
“love metal.” “All Lips Go Blue” and “Love Without Tears” kick off the album
with the band’s signature melancholic rock. Both songs sink deep into your
psyche, covering a range of emotions while keeping the music rolling in a
direction that keeps your attention throughout. “No Love” comes later in the
album, but the band gets down and dirty on it, reminding me a lot of their
early albums with just enough spitshine to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt
that HIM are one of the tightest bands in modern rock and roll.
The midtempo tunes rule here though. “Drawn & Quartered” and
“I Will Be the End of You” feature the biggest hooks of the bands career while
keeping the myriad of emotions flowing in a pretty dynamic way. Same goes for the title track and the
fuzzy-toned march of “Hearts at War.”
The band experiments a bit at the end of the album with
noisiness of “Lucifer’s Chorale,” the stoner rock heaviness of “W.L.S.T.D.” and
the atmospheric rawness of “Kiss the Void.” While I enjoy them, I find myself
wondering if the band simply needed more songs so they laid some tunes to tape
that weren’t quite finished. After such a strong string of tunes, it’s an odd
way to end the album.
The Deluxe Edition of the album features a series of live
videos from the recording sessions for Tears
on Tape. “Heartkiller,” “Wings of a Butterfly,” Join Me (In Death),” The
Kiss of Dawn,” and “The Funeral of Hearts” are all represented here. The songs
sound great, causing me to imagine that HIM is a damn good live band.
Unfortunately, everything is pretty straightforward here. No interviews,
official music videos, tour footage, or anything like that, just the studio
performances.
Overall, Tears on Tape
is the sound of a band on top of their game. I really didn’t think they could
top Screamworks but this one might
surpass it over time. Right now, it certainly runs neck and neck with it. The
Deluxe Edition isn’t all I had hoped for but if you have an affinity for live
videos, it’s a fun romp.
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