Ok – this is a research request. What do you know about the Finnish "love metal" band HIM? Nothing? I thought so? But in case you do know something please send it my way – I am trying to figure these guys out. It can be so frustrating with some of these bands who try to be frustratingly vague about their own beliefs. One second they look evil, the next saintly. Never overtly anything (take Evanescense for example – they started out having met at a Christian camp and playing the Christian circuit and then when they got popular they became very vague when it came to faith).
Back to HIM – here are some questions (too bad Spaces doesn’t let you publish polls):
1. Do you like them?
2. Do you hate them?
3. Do you care?
4. They are the Devil incarnate run!!!!
Let me know your thoughts as I try to figure them out. Like Dragonforce they have relatively benign lyrics (unless you’re a butterfly). Aside from their odd logo – the heartgram (a pentagram reshaped into a heart) which is supposed to represent life (heart) and death (pentagram). From what I can tell based upon what I have read they are a talented group that has bound itself to a particular image for marketing purposes (think Spinal Tap if you’re old enough). When you are a goth metal band certain depressing and dark themes are expected of you. They actually have pushed back on this a bit by playing covers of old Back Street Boys songs to tick off the depressed fanboys in their crowds.
Harnessing Chaos 
I actually like the band\’s music. I think they are off a bit personally with their lyrics. For instance, "Baby Join Me in Death" is pretty depressing and borderline suicidal. I guess if you are a Christian, you \’could\’ read into it that they are talking about the death in Christ we live :)….but to most I\’m afriad it is a bit, like you said, vague. In the song "Gone With The Sin" I\’m perplexed with how I might interpret the line "I just love the way you\’re running out of life" :|. Then there is the song "Death Is In Love With Us" where one of the lines says "It\’s not our fault death is in love with us oh oh, It\’s not our fault if the reaper holds our hearts". Well, I know my heart is secure in Christ, not the reapers hand. In essence, too, I would agree on one hand that death is in love with us because of the curse, maybe, kinda…..but then again to say it\’s not our fault? It is our fault isn\’t it? Aren\’t we born with a sin nature? I have issues with a few other songs, but won\’t elaborate much more for now 🙂
Overall, I prefer thier Deep Shadows & Brilliant Highlights albumn over the rest. I think they are a bit too vague overall in the other albumns. Still, I have several of their songs on my playlist, I just don\’t put the ones that bother me on there :). Still great sound and love the lead singers voice.
So to answer your questions:
1. Do you like them? Yes
2. Do you hate them? No
3. Do you care? Yes 🙂
4. They are the Devil incarnate run!!!!….I don\’t think so 🙂 I do think your example of Evanescense pretty much hits it on the head, in my humble opinion 🙂
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Thanks Kathryn,
I appreciate your feedback. They seem like much in life – neither black nor white but shades between…so we always need to discern.
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