XX: Two Decades of Love Metal

by H.I.M.

Overview

For certain, there is no shortage of options for someone looking to get acquainted with H.I.M. Those new to the work of the Finnish goth-metal group could get their feet wet with 2004's exceptional And Love Said No: The Greatest Hits '97-'04; wade into the pool of B-sides on Uneasy Listening, Vols. 1 & 2; or go completely overboard with The Singles Collection, an expansive ten-disc sampler for the hardest of hardcore fans. The 20-song disc XX: Two Decades of Love Metal does a reasonable job of expanding on what was their most likely starting point, And Love Said No. However, choosing between the two is a matter of taste. With this one, a Neil Diamond cover is replaced with a previously unreleased cover of "Strange World" by Kevin Grivois (aka Ke). In return for losing "Close to the Flame," "And Love Said No," and "It's All Tears (Drown in This Love)," we gain two songs apiece from Dark Light, Venus Doom, and Screamworks: Love in Theory and Practice. These later-era songs are up to snuff with the earlier material, so it really comes down to whether you can live with the fact that eight of these songs are radio edits. If so, this is an excellent way to start experiencing the fuzzed-out gloom and doom. Then the next logical step is to go back to square one and check out Greatest Lovesongs, Vol. 666 (which isn't a compilation, despite the misleading name). ~ Jason Lymangrover

Product Details

Release Date:	11/13/2012
Label:	Music On Vinyl
UPC:	8718469531905
Rank:	27033

Album Credits

Performance Credits

H.I.M.   Primary Artist
Valo   Primary Artist
L'Inde   Primary Artist
Emerson Burton   Primary Artist
Gas   Primary Artist
Mige   Primary Artist

Technical Credits

T.T. Oksala   Producer
Stephen Marcussen   Mastering
Ted Jensen   Mastering
Travis Huff   Engineer
Larry Goetz   Synthesizer Programming
Ville Valo   Composer,Lyricist
John Fryer   Mixing,Producer
Jamie Seyberth   Mixing Engineer
Mark O'Donoughue   Recording
Brian Gardner   Mastering
Randy Staub   Mixing
Matt Squire   Producer
Paetkae   Group Member
H.I.M.   Producer
Kevin Shirley   Producer,Additional Production
Chris Isaak   Arranger,Composer,Lyricist
Chris Lord-Alge   Mixing
Valo   Composer,Lyricist
Mikko "Mige" Paananen   Composer,Lyricist
Neal Avron   Mixing
Tim Palmer   Mixing,Producer,Recording
Dave Colvin   Assistant Engineer
Hiili Hiilesmaa   Mixing,Engineer,Producer,Recording
Nicolas Fournier   Mixing Engineer
Olli Halonen   A&R
Seppo Vesterinen   Management
Michael Pendergast   Composer
Seymour Stein   Musician
Mikko "Linde" Lindstroem   Composer,Lyricist
Arto Tuunela   Assistant Engineer
Brie Greenberg   Musician
Craig Winkler   Musician
Taina Franzen   Musician,Assistant
Dave Starr   Assistant Engineer
Steef Van De Gevel   Mixing Engineer
Rami Mursula   Assistant
Steve Tippeconnic   Assistant Engineer
Tate Hall   Assistant Engineer
Juhana Tuomas Rantala   Lyricist
Eugene Riecansky   Cover Art
Antto Melasniemi   Composer,Lyricist,Group Member
Juska Salminen   Group Member
Stefan Lindfors   Sculpture
Joonas Brandt   Photography
Kevin Grivois   Composer
Jesse Oliver Valo   Assistant
Sebastian Bisso   Assistant
Juippi   Group Member
Michael Prendergast   Composer
Oki   Group Member