Venus Doom

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Venus Doom
Studio album by HIM
Released	September 14, 2007 (Germany, Finland, Sweden & Ireland) September 15, 2007 (Puerto Rico) September 17, 2007 (International) September 18, 2007 (United States & Canada)
Recorded	June 2006 - March 2007
Genre	Alternative rock
Length	48:12
Label	Sire Records
Producer	Tim Palmer / Hiili Hiilesmaa
Professional reviews
Allmusic link Alternative Press Blender link Kerrang! New Musical Express link Q Rocklouder link Rolling Stone link Sound of Metal link Spin Uncut Berontak Zine link
HIM chronology
Uneasy Listening Vol. 2 (2007) Venus Doom (2007) Uneasy Listening Vol. 1 & 2 (2007)
Singles from Venus Doom
"The Kiss of Dawn" Released: September 10, 2007 "Bleed Well" Released: December 5, 2007

Venus Doom is the sixth studio album by Finnish rock band HIM, released on September 14, 2007 (Germany, Finland, Sweden and Ireland), September 17, 2007 internationally and September 18, 2007 in the United States.^[1] Frontman Ville Valo calls the album the band's heaviest yet, descibing the sound as a cross between Metallica's Master of Puppets and My Bloody Valentine's Loveless.^[2]

Contents 1 Overview 2 Cover art 3 Early song previews and leaks 4 Songs 5 Track listing 6 Credits and personnel 7 Chart 8 References 9 External links

[edit] Overview

Venus Doom has both the longest and shortest running tracks to date; the longest being "Sleepwalking Past Hope" (10:01), and the shortest one, the acoustic "Song or Suicide" (1:10).^[3] The album was produced by Tim Palmer (Ozzy Osbourne, Dredg) and Hiili Hiilesmaa (The 69 Eyes, Apocalyptica).^[4] Ville Valo told Kerrang! magazine that there is a concept in a couple of the tracks written during the same period of time. Venus Doom is the first HIM studio album to feature a song featuring nothing but an acoustic guitar, aside from vocals.

The album has nine tracks to represent the nine circles of hell from Dante's The Divine Comedy. The acoustic version of Bleed Well references this. The acoustic version of Bleed Well features a verse that was dropped from the final recording, the verse contained the line 'we'll descend to the ninth and last, where we're judged' referencing the next track, the ninth track Cyanide Sun. ^[5]

On September 26th, the album debuted at #12 in the US, with 38 000 copies sold. This is a record for a Finnish act. It made #31 in the UK.^[6] In Finland Venus Doom peaked at #2, and in Germany it debuted at #3.

At the 50th annual Grammy Awards, Matt Taylor and Ville Valo, for HIM, was nominated for "Best Boxed/Special Limited Edition packaging" for Venus Doom. Venus Doom didn't win, losing out to What It Is!: Funky Soul and Rare Grooves (1967-1977) (performed by various artists and artwork by Masaki Koike).^[7]

[edit] Cover art

The cover art was painted by artist David Harouni. Ville Valo purchased one of Harouni's paintings at New Orleans' Harouni Gallery and later asked Harouni if it could be used as the cover.^[8] The band launched a contest on their Street Team site, asking fans to use the painting as the base for the Venus Doom cover. The art work by Harouni is used for the regular edition of the album.

[edit] Early song previews and leaks

The band played the track "Dead Lovers' Lane" live at the "Give it a Name Festival" in Birmingham, England, April 28, 2007 and in Glasgow, Scotland, April 29. The band also played the tracks "The Kiss of Dawn" and "Passion's Killing Floor" at the July 7, 2007 concert at Brussels, Belgium.

Many songs from the album were leaked prior to its release, such as the song "Venus Doom" and also "Passion's Killing Floor" weeks before it was released on the Transformers soundtrack.

[edit] Songs

HIM filmed the music video for the first single off the album, "The Kiss of Dawn" starting June 21 in the Los Angeles area.^[9] Meiert Avis, who directed HIM's previous video "Wings of a Butterfly", was the director. The production team put out a casting call for a "beautiful girl (model type) to perform in the lead role of the video". Auditions were held on June 19.^[10] Ville Valo has stated that the song "The Kiss of Dawn" was for a "close friend who committed suicide soon after the band wrapped the recording sessions for Dark Light".^[4]

The song "Passion's Killing Floor" is on the Transformers soundtrack, which was released on July 3, 2007.^[11]

The second single is "Bleed Well," which was released on December 5, 2007.

[edit] Track listing

1. "Venus Doom" - 5:08
2. "Love in Cold Blood" - 5:54
3. "Passion's Killing Floor" - 5:10
4. "The Kiss of Dawn" - 5:54
5. "Sleepwalking Past Hope" - 10:02
6. "Dead Lovers' Lane" - 4:28
7. "Song or Suicide" - 1:10
8. "Bleed Well" - 4:24
9. "Cyanide Sun" - 5:54
10. "Love in Cold Blood (Special K Remix)^[12]" - 4:25 */**
11. "Dead Lovers' Lane (Special C616 Remix)^[13]" - 4:29 */**
12. "Bleed Well" (Acoustic)" - 3:53 **
13. "Killing Loneliness" (Live) - 4:21***
14. "Wings of a Butterfly" (Live) - 3:19***

• * - track only available on the special edition of Venus Doom
• ** - track only available on the limited edition of Venus Doom
• *** - track only available on the iTunes edition of Venus Doom

[edit] Credits and personnel

Producers: Hiili Hiilesmaa, Tim Palmer Engineers: Hiili Hiilesmaa, Tim Palmer Mixing: Tim Palmer Mixing Assistant: Jamie Seyberth Mastering: Ted Jensen A&R: Michael Goldstone

Art direction: Matt Taylor, Ville Valo Design: Matt Taylor Photography: Ville Valo, Tim Palmer, Matt Taylor, Ville Juurikkala Cover Painting: David Harouni

[edit] Chart

Chart Peak position Billboard 200 12[14] Finland 2[15] Greece 2[16] Germany 3[17] Sweden 12[18] Norway 22[19] Netherlands 36[20] Switzerland 5[21] Austria 9[22]

Chart Peak position Spain 22 Italy 20 Poland 48 Irish Albums Chart 36[23] UK Top 40 31[24] Australia 32[25] New Zealand 38[26] Canada 32 Japan 80[27]

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Heartagram.com - HIM Official Website
  • Venus Doom - audio

v • d • e HIM Ville Valo · Mikko Lindström · Mikko Paananen · Janne Puurtinen · Mika Karppinen · Juippi · Tarvonen · Oki · Antto Melasniemi · Sergei Ovalov · Juhana "Pätkä" Rantala · Jussi-Mikko "Juska" Salminen Discography Studio albums Greatest Love Songs Vol. 666 · Razorblade Romance · Deep Shadows and Brilliant Highlights · Love Metal · Dark Light · Venus Doom EPs and demos Witches and Other Night Fears · This Is Only the Beginning · 666 Ways to Love: Prologue Compilation albums and box sets The Single Collection · And Love Said No: The Greatest Hits 1997-2004 · Greatest Love Songs Vol. 666/Razorblade Romance/Deep Shadows and Brilliant Highlights · Uneasy Listening Vol. 1 · Uneasy Listening Vol. 2 · Uneasy Listening Vol. 1 & 2 DVD's The Video Collection: 1997-2003 · And Love Said No: The Greatest Hits 1997-2004 · Love Metal Archives Vol. I · Digital Versatile Doom Singles "Your Sweet Six Six Six" · "Wicked Game" · "When Love and Death Embrace" · "It's All Tears (Drown in This Love)" · "Join Me in Death" · "Right Here in My Arms" · "Poison Girl" · "Gone With the Sin" · "Wicked Game" (2000) · "Your Sweet 666" (2000) · "Pretending" · "In Joy and Sorrow" · "Heartache Every Moment"/"Close to the Flame" · "The Funeral of Hearts" · "Buried Alive By Love" · "The Sacrament" · "Solitary Man" · "And Love Said No" · "Wings of a Butterfly" · "Vampire Heart" · "Killing Loneliness" · "The Kiss of Dawn" · "Bleed Well"