HIM - And Love Said No: The Greatest Hits 1997-2004 download free

HIM is the artist metal heads (amongst others) love to hate. And this release, which I purchased on the cheap in the hope that I'd somehow learn to appreciate what all the fuss is about, confirmed my prejudices. I see so very many HIM beanies and shirts when I'm out and after listening to this "best of..." I just don't get it. Let's start with his vocals which are - to say the least - incredibly annoying. If you happen to be astonishingly talented then you're in a position to get away with mindblowing low-high-low sweeping changes in vocal pitch. Unfortunataly, Ville Valo is anything but incredibly talented and as such his crooning attempts at hitting both ends of the romantic voice spectrum have as much appeal as wiping your bottom with stainless steel wool. Next on the list is song structure. While the production is very decent and the musicianship leaves nothing to be desired, the songs are so minimalistic that they remind me of the electronics on a Brit Speares album. There is absolutely nothing exciting about them and they are simply there to add colour to this one man circus show. Something that also made me very cross was the packaging. There was no lyric sheet and almost non existent liner notes - but I did get an A4 sized somewhat erotically suggestive Valo poster which - if I'm anything other than a squealing 14 year old - is not very useful to me. Listening to this is very much comparable to watching a soap opera. You're opposed to it in every shape and form and a mere few minutes of exposure will remind you why you disliked it so intently. And yet, give it a few minutes more and its insidious tendrils will have you half paying attention. Just a few more minutes after that will mean that half an hour from your life will have disappeared without trace. Which is exactly what this release is like.