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H.I.M. – unfortunately still not a band – has announced a new comprehensive anthology called When Love and Death Embrace – The Best of HIM 1997-2003 due out October 25. The collection brings together the most beloved tracks from the band’s first four studio albums, and is perfect for the fall weather.
The anthology will be available in three formats: a standard CD album featuring a wallet with spot gloss and embossing, a limited edition 2LP set pressed on 140g white vinyl with a spot gloss jacket and embossing, and digital. Pre-orders are available here.
When Love and Death Embrace – The Best of HIM 1997-2003 runs as follows:
- Right Here In My Arms
- The Funeral Of Hearts
- Your Sweet Six Six Six
- Heartache Every Moment
- Buried Alive By Love
- Wicked Game
- Join Me In Death
- In Joy And Sorrow
- Soul On Fire
- Pretending
- Gone With The Sin
- (Don’t Fear) The Reaper
- Poison Girl
- Close To The Flame
- The Sacrament
- When Love And Death Embrace
On a potential reunion, H.I.M. frontman Ville Valo said to Loaded Radio in 2023 that it’s always a possibility.
“It’d be lovely to play with some of the lads, especially Migé, the bass player,” Valo said. “He’s one of the guys who also was here at my home studio, when Neon Noir was born, every couple of months he came over to listen to where I was at with the album. He was my Rick Rubin — this guru who didn’t say much but whose opinions anyway matter the most. He’s a lovely chap and a really, really good friend.
“I never say never — definitely. If there’s good reason and if there’s good timing, it’d be great. They’re great musicians and they’re great guys — we shared a lot of good things, both on a personal level and a musical level — but at this moment in time, none whatsoever. I’m not interested at all. ‘Cause it doesn’t make any sense.”
He continued: “It’s only been a few years since we disbanded. It’s getting close to six years now. So it hasn’t been long. And I think there’s also the danger of rehashing something and messing it up royally. We ended on a high note, so that’s quite nice. At the end of the day, we did end the band for a good reason.
“It was quite painful being with the band that you love to death and at the same time realize that things are not working out, and no matter what you do, the love is not there anymore. So I’d be very wary of trying to reanimate that because it might end up being that sort of Frankenstein monster that nobody wants to really meet.”
