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XX: Two Decades of Love Metal
Rock · 2012

XX: Two Decades of Love Metal

HIM

A velvet-lined collision of heavy riffs and heartbroken melodies. This collection captures twenty years of midnight romance, baritone crooning, and gothic rock anthems.

October 26, 2012 · Audio Cassette Recording Studio

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This album represents the definitive sonic identity of Finnish rock, where the crushing weight of heavy metal riffs meets the delicate, swooning sensibilities of 1980s new wave and pop. It is an exercise in contrast: the guitars are thick and distorted, often nodding to the sludge of Black Sabbath or the raw energy of The Stooges, yet they serve as a backdrop for some of the most infectious and romantic melodies in the rock canon. The atmosphere is perpetually set to midnight, drenched in a velvet-textured melancholy that feels both intimate and grand enough to fill a stadium.

Moments Worth Listening For
the transition from the Stooges-inspired opening riff of Buried Alive by Love into the soaring, melodic chorus
the way Ville Valo's breathy baritone drops into a near-whisper during the bridge of The Funeral of Hearts before the guitars explode
the shimmering, gothic piano motif that anchors the melancholic atmosphere of Join Me in Death
the massive, wall-of-sound production on the Love Metal era tracks that balances raw distortion with pop-sensible vocal harmonies
Where This Album DepartsEach spoke is a trait. The orange shape shows where this album pulls away from — or holds to — the rest of the artist’s catalogue. Tap for more.

How does XX: Two Decades of Love Metal sound next to the rest of HIM's catalogue?

Layered Dense+0.7σ

The production is pushed a touch harder into layered dense than this artist usually allows.

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