[evelyn]

Great news! Can't stop wondering about this easter egg, though.....

[Cyanea]

quick question, is it just me or the intro of the acoustic versions of Shatter me with hope and Like Saint Valentine sound almost the same??

[HIMika666]

Cyanea, on 07 March 2010 - 02:06 PM, said:

quick question, is it just me or the intro of the acoustic versions of Shatter me with hope and Like Saint Valentine sound almost the same??

well...they r different...in my ears....

[evelyn]

Cyanea, on 07 March 2010 - 02:06 PM, said:

quick question, is it just me or the intro of the acoustic versions of Shatter me with hope and Like Saint Valentine sound almost the same??

Didn't notice.... I'm glad though to have the accoustic CD as well, cause listening to it I started to like the songs into which I haven't been before - the ones being played live, so it wasn't too bad my faves weren't played at the gig yesterday. Plus it sounds so different and pure, I like that a lot. Altogether I'm quite positively surprised about Screamworks, which most likely is due to loving 80ies music and the fact I can relate to the lyrics quite much. Same theme like Muse's "undisclosed desires", just it's a whole album about it

[Cyanea]

well i noticed about shatter me and st. valentine because everytime i listen to the acoustic versions i expect the wrong lyrics to come up... because they sound so similar to me... but maybe it's just me
and i also love the acoustic CD, Ville's voice is just beautiful and the songs sound great, i just don't like Acoustic Funeral so much, i don't know why he cut out some lyrics... i dunno

[Stern]

Cyanea, on 09 March 2010 - 11:19 PM, said:

well i noticed about shatter me and st. valentine because everytime i listen to the acoustic versions i expect the wrong lyrics to come up... because they sound so similar to me... but maybe it's just me
and i also love the acoustic CD, Ville's voice is just beautiful and the songs sound great, i just don't like Acoustic Funeral so much, i don't know why he cut out some lyrics... i dunno

I don't like Acoustic Funeral neither, i guess is the only one song i don't like of the album.

[Lintti Lover]

been listening to the album all week. Am really liking it, much more than the last 2. A few catchy ones too

[evelyn]

Stern, on 10 March 2010 - 11:51 PM, said:

Cyanea, on 09 March 2010 - 11:19 PM, said:

i just don't like Acoustic Funeral so much, i don't know why he cut out some lyrics... i dunno

I don't like Acoustic Funeral neither, i guess is the only one song i don't like of the album.

Agreed.... still there are people demanding it live. I was so glad it wasn't played.

[Cyanea]

evelyn, on 11 March 2010 - 06:43 PM, said:

Stern, on 10 March 2010 - 11:51 PM, said:

Cyanea, on 09 March 2010 - 11:19 PM, said:

i just don't like Acoustic Funeral so much, i don't know why he cut out some lyrics... i dunno

I don't like Acoustic Funeral neither, i guess is the only one song i don't like of the album.

Agreed.... still there are people demanding it live. I was so glad it wasn't played.

i do like Acoustic Funeral, i just don't like the acoustic version so much... from the acoustic versions that's probably the one i like less because i don't really like what Ville did with it
but from the normal album, the songs i like less are probably Disarm me and Scared to death (sorry Paty )

[Stern]

Cyanea, on 11 March 2010 - 11:06 PM, said:

evelyn, on 11 March 2010 - 06:43 PM, said:

Stern, on 10 March 2010 - 11:51 PM, said:

Cyanea, on 09 March 2010 - 11:19 PM, said:

i just don't like Acoustic Funeral so much, i don't know why he cut out some lyrics... i dunno

I don't like Acoustic Funeral neither, i guess is the only one song i don't like of the album.

Agreed.... still there are people demanding it live. I was so glad it wasn't played.

i do like Acoustic Funeral, i just don't like the acoustic version so much... from the acoustic versions that's probably the one i like less because i don't really like what Ville did with it
but from the normal album, the songs i like less are probably Disarm me and Scared to death (sorry Paty )

hahahaha, don't worry!!!

[MadWidow]

I am finding that the more I listen to the album (dating myself again) the more I like it. Also, the more I relate it to my life. Good and bad, I suppose. Still can't wait to see them in May!

[PhiLiz]

First and quite obvious thing: the production. Many (and by this I mean MANY) details in Squire's work kill and ruin some of the best ideas in the album. The very beginning of "In Venere Veritas" is the perfect example. The radio-friendly effect is completely useless and affects the whole appreciation of one of the best tracks in 'Screamworks...'.

Second (also indirectly concerning the production) and we'll probably be a complaint of almost anybody who doesn't like the album: the abuse in electronic sounds and synth effects. This is mostly prejudicial when the guitars are put down comparing to the synths... Like in the past with 'Deep Shadows And Brilliant Highlights' keyboards over guitars produces... well, here it produces "Scared To Death"...

Actually, I need to say it straightforward: there's too much keyboards. Of course that being mostly filled with happy melodies and random effects that go nowhere instead of being gloom and melancholic, doesn't help at all. Everybody that follows the band remembers how memorable HIM keyboards were in the past... but it was when they sounded like a piano and not like some plastic incursions in modern Pop.
The more audible and clear synth-influences were the band's point and well, it failed... Maybe if they would listen "Too Happy To Be Alive" a few times it could actually work. And the problem isn't strictly the Pop influences. For example, "In The Arms Of Rain" is quite Alternative and the electronic effects are just too much...
This abuse not only blurs the band's identity but it becomes just a bad idea when some of the songs have its best parts underline by these annoying and random effects. A pretty decent song most of the time (with some of the best riffs in the album) is almost thrown apart by some "beatbox" moments near its end.

Furthermore, the predictability of the tracks is really frustrating. It's perhaps the band's album where the feeling of knowledge of the album is bigger... Well, this is not so good since everything is explored so fast and easy. Of course a monster like 'Venus Doom' is not HIM's standard but the deepness in the past was far bigger... and when that lacks something just overwhelms that "problem": great songs.

Which brings me to my next point: there is a huge lack of memorable moments. What "saves" (not totally, though) 'Deep Shadows And Brilliant Highlights' is the tremendous "Love You Like I Do", the catchy "Lose You Tonight" or one of the best Pop songs by HIM, "Heartache Every Moment". Here, those moments are almost absent.
Like I said, it's easy to predict what's coming (and worse: how it's coming) but also because everything is standardised (same type of riffs, vocal variations similar in each part of the songs and the keyboard effects in the beginning, chorus and then in the closing parts) there is no great break, no moment of genius.
A song which is somewhat out of this is "Acoustic Funeral (For Love In Limbo)" that being far from the great ballads of the band stands out precisely because overcomes the structure that every single songs has... and it doesn't work.
It's true that 'Venus Doom' aside, HIM was never outside the typical Rock structures (few exceptions here) but they never made an album all under 4m either. "Disarm Me (With Your Loneliness)" is the only one above it (and barely). I think this is factor to keep in mind...

I've talked about this before, but I must repeat: there's always some detail that ruins the song and doesn't allow the songs to fulfil their full potential. "Like St. Valentine" has almost everything to be one of the best songs of HIM in years and then that somewhat bogus chorus draws the music a bit down. And I mentioned this one, as I could mention several that have good ideas, great riffs, Valo's voice at its very 'Love Metal'-style best and all of a sudden is a mellow chorus, random electronic effects or a will just to oversimplify that blows the greatness of the song away...

Valo's voice has a inconstant performance. If some of the more screamed moments are a direct hint to 'Love Metal' and give the music a new perspective and a fresh sound which is very good; some of the high notes are totally inappropriate and mixed with some annoying synths... well, it just ain't pretty to listen. Also, no low vocals (the vest work by Ville is in this type of vocalizations) but the melodic warm voice still saves some songs from (and I'm very sad to say this) mediocrity.
Unfortunately even the lyrics are a bit too simplistic and even when they are not the metaphors and images used are not as great as in the recent past. It's a big drawback since this aspect of HIM's music was one of those which I never thought would get worse... There are great lines like in 'Venus Doom', but also some things that don't really go nowhere and are to common. Oversimplification once again is the keyword.

You can forget about bass and drums too... It's a shame to see a member like Mige underused this way. I remember the surprising highly versatile work in 'Venus Doom' or the simple but beautiful lines under the guitar which drove 'Razorblade Romance' to its absolute peak and then I listen to this... Maybe "Like St. Valentine" aside and some other moments (very very few) the bass never stands out and is even hard to hear outside the "wall of sound" which creates with the guitar. The drums do its part when it's requested but Gas is much more than a usual Pop/Rock drummer...
The guitar is not that neglected but some of the good riffs are ruined by the disaster options already mentioned and besides, many of the guitar work tends to repeat itself... I still think (even after three albums... or even four if you count 'Love Metal') the distortion that defined HIM's "early" sound is hugely missed, specially to make the songs a less poppy. If not that, at least the dirty and almost Stoner distortion of the last work...
Not being totally aside, Linde's work is far more modest than in the past... too much for the band's own identity.

It's disappointing, I must say. The second album from the band where the first reaction is not that good after 'DS&BH'. This time I think it's worse since there are no memorable moments. In an appreciation more detached from what the band has done, it's just a decent album... If I get completely out of the bands universe it's a bit better but this doesn't matter since it's an impossible abstraction. HIM's greatness suffered a downgrade for the reasons mentioned and the irritating moments hurt 'Screamworks...' even more.

Just to give this initial appreciation a final and perhaps different tone I want to talk about "The Foreboding Sense Of Impending Happiness". Obviously I don't want this kind of sound for HIM... but it's a really surprising track! It's a difference, a ray of "light". Never thought HIM would do a track like this and although it's not what I except from the band (I would be hugely disappointed If they went this path exclusively) it's a nice experimental moment. Here, the electronic experimentation is direct and works... mainly because it's nor ruining what HIM traditionally does very well.
Maybe few people will understand and like this last track but in my opinion they achieve more with this track than with electronic stuff all over the place and that hurts the final product of lot of songs. The problem is not the change but what this change represented when was mixed with what HIM's all about.

[evelyn]

I like how you quite detailed share your oppinion with us. Kinda imagined you do reviews like that more often, and looking at your website this seems to be true. Is it just kinda a hobby or do you do it for a living? If not you should try. By that I don't say I agree with your oppinion, but you seemed quite objective and critical and paid attention to a lot of details concerning the music - on contrary to other negative reviews who are actually only a lame excuse for plain bashing.

Probably liking music or a certain style always depends on your own background, so it doesn't surprise me you're turned off by all the keyboards and the poppy vibe (I don't know the bands on your website apart from Type'0Negative, and also if you shouldn't judge a book by it's cover, they look like quite the opposite of what I just said).

To me the keyboards are perfectly fine. In one of the songs it reminds me of a keyboard part in a Depeche Mode song, I just can't figure out which song it is. I like the 80ies sound of this album, and 80ies kinda music in general (Julian Casablancas "11th dimension" is so catchy), so I really can't complain.

Also I cant compare to the last album cause I really wasn't into it and didn't listen a lot to it, so I'm curious what you exactly mean by saying "Of course a monster like 'Venus Doom' is not HIM's standard but the deepness in the past was far bigger... and when that lacks something just overwhelms that "problem": great songs." Where do you relate deepness to? Music or lyrics wise? The albums are totally different mood wise, but what makes one deeper than the other? I don't equal a poppy sound with shallowness, if it's that what you mean.

[PhiLiz]

Thank you for your words. Answering to your question: I don't do reviews for a living (even partially). They're not fit for magazines or the platforms that usually pay reviewers and since I couldn't write them any other way...
I've made review for all HIM's albums (although only the one I did for 'Venus Doom' is satisfactory nowadays) but I'll not do the same for this one. Usually my reviews are a bit different and more detailed than the text I wrote about my impressions on 'Screamworks...'. That was kind of spontaneous exposition of some thoughts I have about the album it grew a bit long.

It's true that I'm keen of music that's quite distant from HIM. Usually more heavier (for example, my primary form of art is Black Metal) but it's also true I never seek HIM to be a very heavy band. I tend to like their heavier works but because they can mix that with other influences that make the band's sound unique. I wouldn't like HIM to be a standard Gothic Metal band just for "heaviness" sake. This to say that I'm not biased through the heavy use of keyboards or the pop sound of the band. 'Razorblade Romance' is quite poppy, accessible and features an extensive keyboard work and I don't have a single complain about it. Just to clear this point.

As far as my sentence goes I have to first and foremost clarify some of my thoughts on 'Venus Doom'. That album is atypical in HIM. They never had that kind of dynamics in the composition of an album. The album it's intentionally far from the traditional structures and pushes may boundaries, musically speaking. The composition is far more diverse and so is the technical work by the members of the band. It's a "monster" in the sense that is far more hard to absorb that the other albums since it's a bit far from the Pop/Rock structures that are more common in the band. This goes both instrumentally and lyrically (although this last aspect was already quite complex in some moments of 'Dark Light' and even 'Love Metal').

What I said was that I wasn't "looking for" the kind of deepness of 'Venus Doom' but I didn't want something more superficial than what they've done before. I understand 'VD' is unique in this field but for me 'Screamworks...' fails to match the complexity of the other albums and just sounds to light for its own good. I've the same critic concerning 'Deep Shadows And Brilliant Highlights' with a difference: that album has far more better songs than this one... There are some truly dispensable moments but also great tracks like the ones I mentioned.

The lack of deepness I talked about goes both musically and lyrically. The songs follow the same pattern and become predictable very soon. There are only a few twists along the way (I mentioned some of them) and even if I "forget" for a moment about the awful production choices that were made for the songs (that ruin most of the album) there are few surprises apart from the usual Pop/Rock pattern where the band's melancholic touch (that could give that pattern the push it needed to make memorable songs) is often absent. Lyrically I think there was also a step back. The lyrics have many hidden meanings and there are plenty of metaphors that enrich the album but they often lack an emotional link and therefore they became a bit empty. They are well written but don't link to anything other than the literally expression itself. Plus, aside from the more poetic lyrics the other ones (specially the choruses) tend to be quite simplistic... Simplistic opposed to direct. HIM's early lyrics were direct but were emotionally charged and here I don't see that raw emotion at all.

In HIM's music the Pop sound is usually equivalent to a more direct sound. But I agree with you: doesn't mean they're shallow just because they're Pop. However, when the band's traditional elements are replaced by Pop traces we have a problem. And this problem is closely linked to the production which has two negative influences: first, it keeps the band's traditional elements to a minimum and second, replaces them with some electronic work that goes nowhere and most of the times it's even detrimental of some decent moments.

This post has been edited by PhiLiz: 16 March 2010 - 02:49 AM

[evelyn]

PhiLiz, on 16 March 2010 - 02:49 AM, said:

Lyrically I think there was also a step back. The lyrics have many hidden meanings and there are plenty of metaphors that enrich the album but they often lack an emotional link and therefore they became a bit empty. They are well written but don't link to anything other than the literally expression itself. Plus, aside from the more poetic lyrics the other ones (specially the choruses) tend to be quite simplistic... Simplistic opposed to direct. HIM's early lyrics were direct but were emotionally charged and here I don't see that raw emotion at all.

I probably out myself as a miserable HIM fan, but before I do you injustice, I admit that I didn't pay a lot of attention to the last and the second last albums lyric wise, and right now I can't recall from the album before, apart from the songs I like, of course. That's maybe a matter of approach, to me the vibe of a song is really important, the lyrcis are not always the more important thing to me. E.g. Mobys "my weakness" has lyrics so simple and hard to understand you need to google them, and still it's an overwhelming song. I think I've made a slight comparission between this one and "the foreboding sense of impending happiness" earlier in this thread, btw.

I've also mentioned that I relate a lot to the lyrics in this album, and since I can do that in front of my own background, I can't really claim they do lack emotion. Maybe that's the tricky part about them, all the hidden meanings kinda hide emotion to others? For a moment I thought about getting into detail why this album maybe not sound so emotional, but jumping on conclusions is kinda lame, plus I don't see it like that, so I skip that part. If you find out somewhere though, which book Ville is singing about in "shatter me with hope", please let me know

As for the review part: true, it's maybe too honest, and that's probably not always wanted. Which is a pity since I often think the authors of a review most of the time like to hear (or like to read) themselves talking. Often I skip half of an article for the useless blah blah.

This post has been edited by evelyn: 16 March 2010 - 08:36 PM

[Jools]

Received my special edition today!I'm so happy)))By the way,there's no print with it (I wonder why )
But anyway,that's great!I also got a Heartkiller single with it

[I love you.]

I really want the album! Maybe I should buy it this week or the next?
Can some of you write down which songs are the best on the album, please? (:

[Nixxie]

I really wasn't a big fan of this album in the beginning, I felt it was rather commercial. However, I felt that I had to give it a few more listens.

I LOVE Heartkiller and Scared to Death but that's all, i miss the old HIM stuff [Greatest Love Songs - Love Metal era]

[HIM girl]

Nixxie, on 27 October 2010 - 04:09 PM, said:

I really wasn't a big fan of this album in the beginning, I felt it was rather commercial. However, I felt that I had to give it a few more listens.

I LOVE Heartkiller and Scared to Death but that's all, i miss the old HIM stuff [Greatest Love Songs - Love Metal era]

I agree.