:: HIM - Digital Versatile Doom – Live at the Orpheum Theatre XXXVII A.S (with DVD)

HIM

Following on from the success of their critically acclaimed ‘Venus Doom’ release from 2007, and the group’s continued conquering of live stages throughout the world, Finnish melodic rock/gothic act HIM are back with their first live release ‘Digital Versatile Doom – Live at the Orpheum Theatre XXXVII A.S.’. Recorded and filmed over a two night stand (November 14/15 2007) at the magnificent Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles, ‘Digital Versatile Doom’ features a stunning seventeen track performance from the five piece act, who are all clearly on fire throughout the entire performance.

Bypassing the CD component, the DVD starts out with the band making their way to the stage to the sounds of ‘Intro (Blood Theme)’, before launching into ‘Passion’s Killing Floor’. The most immediate impression you get is just how heavy the band sounds live compared to the studio recordings. But, HIM does in fact rock quite hard in the live sense and with all the finesse of a band that have spent plenty of time on the road ironing out the kinks in their performance and their overall sound. For the remainder of the show, the band rarely let up with classics such as ‘(Rip Out) The Wings Of A Butterfly’, ‘Buried Alive By Love’, the cover of Chris Issak’s ‘Wicked Game’, ‘Join Me In Death’, ‘Killing Loneliness’, ‘Poison Girl’, ‘Your Sweet Six Six Six’ and ‘The Funeral Of Hearts’ all being delivered with perfection and enthusiasm from a band clearly having a great time up on stage. Valo in particular seems to be really enjoying himself, with his dark humour evident in his addresses to the crowd. Not surprisingly, a lot of the tracks from ‘Venus Doom’ sound superior on the DVD than on their studio counterpart, but none more so than the epic ‘Sleepwalking Past Hope’, where the band seem to crank their instruments up just that little extra, and present the song in an entirely new light.

In regards to extras, there’s a revealing and insightful forty-five minute interview with Valo (where everything from religion, love, the band, music and philosophy is discussed in-depth), a twelve minute feature on ‘HIM’s Greatest Fan Contest Entry Videos’ winners, and a ‘Fan Club Photo Gallery’. Lavishly packaged, and boasting an incredible performance in a stunning venue, this CD/DVD package is by far the best representation of both HIM and their music in the live setting. As Valo says in the interview, ‘Everything has been a practice towards this moment’. And let me tell, it’s one amazing moment.