H.I.M.
Tears on Tape

Razor & Tie 

One thing you could never say about H.I.M. was that they were boring. Yes, their whole style of “Love Metal” could border on the redundant both musically and lyrically, but it was Ville Valo’s songwriting abilities that kept you interested and excited. As frontman and musical architect of the band, he not only a way for words but also an ear for melody. This made every album since their 1997 debut, Greatest Lovesongs Vol. 666, unique and intriguing at the very least; bombastic and embracing at their best. Unfortunately, all these attributes are shockingly absent on eighth album, Tears on Tape.

Regardless of whether an album of theirs was more influenced by Black Sabbath (Venus Doom) or U2 (Dark Light), H.I.M. brought a theatricality and style to the table. They executed their songs with a punch and immediacy that kept you hitting the repeat button. But Tears on Tape is an honest-to-God mess that will cause you to lose patience by track 6 (“Into the Night”). Apart from the ominous instrumental, “Unleash the Red,” which opens the album, Tears on Tape is loaded with disappointment on top of disappointment – and terribly banal.  

Part of the problem is Valo, who sounds like he couldn’t think of anything new to write, proven by the lack of song hooks and melody. What’s worse, most of the album sounds like Valo has resorted to ripping himself off such as on “All Lips Go Blue,” which recalls past glories like “Endless Dark” and “Please Don’t Let It Go” from the band’s prominent period in the first half of the 00s. “Love Without Tears” recalls “Razorblade Kiss” from 2000’s breakthrough album Razorblade Romance. “I Will Be the End of You” recalls the melodies prevalent on both “Dad Lover’s Lane” and “Soul on Fire.” Repetition on past glories seems to be so dominant here that the album should be called “Repeat on Tape.”

The musical interludes in the second half only add to the agonizing listening experience instead of enhancing it and creating a mood. Even when Valo strains to try a new approach like the acapella intro on “No Love,” the hooks are absent on the rocker, while the rhythm section simply plods. Only on the melodic melancholic title track does the band stand out; but even then, it’s done through a sappy power ballad, which ultimately offers nothing new.

Flat, forced and completely lacking the panache and precision of past records, Tears on Tape is a horrendous let down for H.I.M. A sign that the band has run out of ideas, and has resorted to rehashing riffs that has resulted in their worst studio album – Jeff Noller.