So I’m sitting here watching HIM’s new video for “Heartkiller” and I’m thinking “Okay. This isn’t exactly memorable or anything, but red and blue lights, a woman posing for no real reason, the word ‘love,’ lots of close-ups of Ville Valo. I get it. It serves its purpose.”

And the fucking Bambi shows up on-screen.

And it’s not even a live deer – it looks stuffed to me, although I suppose it could just be completely fake.

AND THEN THERE’S THUMPER, TOO.

And then a bunch OTHER animals.

Seriously, what the fuck is going on in this video? What was the thought process behind this? Someone smarter than me please explain, ’cause all I can keep thinking is “HUH?”

HIM’s new album, Screamworks: Love In Theory And Practice, comes out February 9 on Sire.

-AR

I like HIM a whole lot, but I didn’t really dig their new single, “Heartkiller” – although I think Vince may have been into it.

Anyways, now Blabbermouth has posted some pretty decent quality live footage of another new song, “Love, the Hardest Way,” and really, the only thing I dig about it is Mikko Lindström’s guitar solo. Check it out:

HIM’s new album, Screamworks, comes out February 9 on Sire. Hopefully I’ll enjoy it more than I’ve enjoyed these first two songs.

-AR

Good to know that somewhere out there, someone will always find a new say to make an album cover that just screams “GOTH!”, y’know?

Screamworks: The Longest Fucking Title for Anything that’s Not a Fiona Apple Record comes out February 9.

-AR

I somehow completely missed that there’s a new HIM album coming out next year; I mean, we were due, so I’m not surprised, I just never heard about it ’til just now. It’s called Screamworks: Love In Theory and Practice, which is long and silly and spooky and “deep,” y’know, in case you didn’t know they were goth.

Of course, that does negate the fact that it may very well be good, as many HIM albums are quite good. That shit is catchy as hell, and besides, Howard Jones likes it, and Howard Jones is much, much bigger than you are.

Metal Hammer already have a track-by-track guide to the album. It sounds like it’s gonna be a HIM album – either that makes you happy or it doesn’t.

Here’s one good reason I like HIM, and I don’t even care if you make fun of me, ’cause the solo makes me air guitar every time I hear it:

And this, my friends, might be the only example of a metal cover of a pop song that I’ve ever actually liked:

Click to read more…

Looks like Ville Valo is joining Mike Patton, Dee Snider and John Bush in the “Metal Singers with Voice Careers” club. Metal Hammer reports:

“HIM frontman Ville Valo will star in the animated movie sequel Madagascar Escape 2 Africa.

“Ville will be voicing a hippo in the movie alongside Ben Stiller, Chris Rock and David Schwimmer. Whether or not the hippo will wear black eyeliner is unclear at the current point in time.”

Before any HIM fans get too excited, check out the trailer. This movie looks so bad I bet they’ll start using it torture prisoners at Guantanamo.

-AR

[Thanks to Maurizio Borghi for bringing this to our attention!]

Two years ago, when we heard that Tool, Metallica, and Axl Rose would all be headlining the annual Download Festival (aka Donnington), we bought our plane tickets and hauled ass as fast as we could. Last year, when we heard that the headliners were Iron Maiden with – ugh – Linkin Park and My Chemical Romance we decided to pass. Later, of course, we felt like schmucks; there are three or four stages at Download, all of which are staggered, so if you don’t like the headliner, there’s always someone else to watch (For example, we could have skipped Linkin Park and watched Motley Crue. Hey, it’s something.)

So hopefully the fact that The Offspring and Lostprophets – two bands we literally could not care any less about – have been announced as the first two headliners for the fest won’t deter us from going this year – after all, Judas Priest and HIM will also be there. I mean, I don’t know what kind of a world we live in where Lostprophets are headliners of a festival attended by 70,000+ people and Judas Priest aren’t – in fucking England, no less – but, hey, what can you do?

Anyway, it’s rumored that Kiss will be the third headliner. I feel no particular desire to see Kiss live ever again, but hopefully Opeth or whoever will be hitting the second stage right around the same time. And even if they aren’t, so many other awesome bands play this thing every year, taking a nap right around the time Gene Simmons kicks into “Calling Dr. Love” probably won’t be the least appealing thing in the world.

-AR

Rather than, say, simultaneously fuck over the hardcore fans and give the appearance of having no understanding of the meaning of the word “promotion” whatsoever by making H.I.M.’s new video avail only for purchase on iTunes, someone in Ville Valo’s camp has come to their senses and made the band’s latest short musical film, for the Venus Doom track “Bleed Well,” viewable for free over at Imeem – only a day after His Infernal Majesty’s fans were actually rewarded for their love (metal) and money spent with a 24 hour exclusive viewing period on the band’s fanclub wesbite, Heartgram.com.

Of course, since “Imeem” is easily the dumbest name for any website that isn’t MetalSucks, we’ve just embedded the video below so you won’t actually have to visit said site. Enjoy!

Never mind. The code for this video is completely fucked. Click the link to the ree-rees over at Imeem to see the video.

-AR

Major labels, pay attention: THIS is how you treat your fans right. Century Media announced today — almost two full weeks before the proper release of Soilwork’s new album Sworn to a Great Divide — that not only is the full album available for streaming for the next 8 days on the band’s MySpace page, but for a limited time you can purchase the CD+DVD edition of the new album together with an exclusive Soilwork t-shirt all for the amazingly low price of $16! This deal is available only through CM Distro.

How’s that for a reward for being a loyal fan? A hell of a lot better than the ass-raping Sire Records imposed on HIM fans by charging them $3 for a fucking music video (!!). Sure as fuck beats suing the piss out of your customers. Hell, it’s a way better deal than the criminally high $18.99 price tags most releases have in major retail outlets. Seriously, what are the majors thinking? Cut your goddamned payroll, fire your know-nothing, suit-wearing execs and get used to making less money already.

-VN