HIM release their latest single 'Killing Loneliness'
Oddly enough for a fan of music that often contains both the words 'Finnish' and 'Metal', I'd never really listened much to H.I.M. Unfortunately, with the opportunity to hear their latest single 'Killing Loneliness' I've come to realize that I really haven't missed much.
So, what of the song? Its the typical romantic goth metal that Finnish bands such as H.I.M, For My Pain and their cohort seem to enjoy peddling out constantly. If you've heard any previous H.I.M singles you know the deal; synth led keyboard and guitar intro followed by an instrumentally sparse verse immediately followed by the oh-so-heartfelt chorus full of Ville Vallo's admittedly competent crooning. You can't fault the band too much for what they do; they do so well; yet in a scene that's becoming more saturated with the same-old same-old, you'd wish the band had written a song that did something new, let alone entertained.
This single is bereft of many B-sides, infact only having a live rendition of 'Under The Rose'. It is admittedly a very good recording, live tracks often end up being a bungled affair, just tacked onto a release with little production values but it is clear through this that the band have a very good sound live.
Overall, if I had gone out to buy this from my local CD shop I would have felt a bit cheated, in an age of internet piracy and increasing competition from legitimate sources of music such as iTunes, you really have to offer more than a lacklustre song with a B-side which, live setting aside, is something we've heard before. Whilst this admittedly will sell well to the fans, this doesn't offer much to someone wishing to diversify into H.I.M's catalogue.