{{Redirect|Dying Song|the song by Slipknot|The Dying Song (Time to Sing)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=May 2022}} {{good article}} {{Infobox album | name = Screamworks: Love in Theory and Practice, Chapters 1–13 | type = studio | artist = HIM | cover = screamworks.jpg | alt = | released = {{Start date|df=y|2010|2|8}} | recorded = 2009 | venue = | studio = The Lair Studio in Los Angeles, California<br />NRG Studios in North Hollywood, California | genre = *Alternative rock<ref name="Allmusic" /> *hard rock | length = 46:55 | label = {{flatlist| *Sire }} | producer = Matt Squire | prev_title = Digital Versatile Doom | prev_year = 2008 | next_title = SWRMXS | next_year = 2010 | misc = {{Singles | name = Screamworks: Love in Theory and Practice, Chapters 1–13 | type = studio | single1 = Heartkiller | single1date = 8 December 2009 | single2 = Scared to Death | single2date = 29 March 2010 }} }}
'''''Screamworks: Love in Theory and Practice, Chapters 1–13''''' is the seventh studio album by Finnish rock band HIM. Released on 8 February 2010, the album was recorded at The Lair Studios and NRG Studios in Los Angeles with producer Matt Squire. Following his time in rehab, ''Screamworks'' was the first HIM album vocalist Ville Valo worked on completely sober. This resulted in the band rehearsing the material more than ever before, as Valo had set out to prove himself and the band following his new-found sobriety. Musically ''Screamworks'' featured a more accessible and straightforward sound than many of its predecessor, reminiscent of the music of the 1980s. Much of the album's material was inspired by Valo's relationship with an undisclosed partner, whom he referred to as his muse for the record.
''Screamworks'' received generally positive reviews from critics. Valo's vocals and songwriting received praise, although the "lighter" tone of the album received mixed opinions. ''Screamworks'' charted in eleven countries, including the top ten in Finland, Germany, Austria and Switzerland, eventually being certified gold in the band's home country. Two singles were also released, with "Heartkiller" peaking at number five in Finland. The release of ''Screamworks'' was followed by a world tour, starting with several European dates and a tour of Australia as a part of the Soundwave Festival. This was then followed-up by several dates throughout the UK and the US in 2010. In December 2010, HIM released a companion album to ''Screamworks'', titled ''SWRMXS'', featuring remixes done by various different artists, such as Tiësto and Morgan Page.
== Composition == HIM began rehearsing material for a new album in February 2009.<ref name="Himanen">{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6q9syXGbsFw&t=516s |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/6q9syXGbsFw |archive-date=21 December 2021 |url-status=live|title =Ville Valo & Pekka Himanen EXTENDED VERSION |date=21 October 2009 |publisher=YouTube |access-date=17 July 2017}}{{cbignore}}</ref> The band soon teamed up with producer Matt Squire, who had previously worked with The Used, Taking Back Sunday and Panic! at the Disco among others.<ref name="Squire3">{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvEdYZ2Z7SM |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/bvEdYZ2Z7SM |archive-date=21 December 2021 |url-status=live|title =Matt Squire Interview Part 3 |date=3 February 2010 |publisher=YouTube |access-date=17 July 2017}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Over the course of three months, Squire and the band rearranged much of the material and rehearsed more, before entering The Lair Studio in Los Angeles in August 2009.<ref name="Squire3" /><ref name="August">{{cite web|url=http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/him-to-enter-studio-in-august-new-album-title-announced/ |title= HIM To Enter Studio In August; New Album Title Announced |publisher=Blabbermouth.net |date=10 June 2009 |access-date=17 July 2017}}</ref> ''Screamworks'' was also the band's first album that vocalist Ville Valo worked on completely sober following his time in rehab, which also played a part in the group rehearsing more than ever before.<ref name="LoudLegacy">{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PaSOTXJSLYw |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/PaSOTXJSLYw |archive-date=21 December 2021 |url-status=live|title= HIM – ''Loud Legacy'' documentary|publisher=YouTube |date=25 February 2015 |access-date=17 July 2017}}{{cbignore}}</ref> According to Valo, he set out to prove all he could do with ''Screamworks'', but he later remarked that in hindsight the excessive rehearsing wore much of the band out, particularly drummer Mika "Gas Lipstick" Karppinen, who had recently become a father.<ref name="LoudLegacy" /><ref name="HS">{{cite web|title = Jäähyväiset HIMille – Ville Valo kertoo, miksi Suomen suurin rockyhtye lopettaa ja mitä siitä seuraa|url =http://www.hs.fi/kulttuuri/art-2000005275642.html|publisher=Helsingin Sanomat |date=2 July 2017 |access-date=17 July 2017}}</ref>
Additional recording for the album was also done at NRG Studios in North Hollywood, while the album was mixed at Paramount Studios by Neal Avron.<ref name="SleeveNotes">''Screamworks: Love in Theory and Practice'' album sleeve notes.</ref> ''Screamworks'' was then mastered by Ted Jensen at Sterling Sound in New York, with Valo receiving the album's first master on Halloween.<ref name="SleeveNotes" /> The album's title was partly inspired by the book ''Magick in Theory and Practice'' by Aleister Crowley, DreamWorks, and ''The Scream'' by Edvard Munch.<ref name="Vimeo">{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2VKEZyu1H8 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/w2VKEZyu1H8 |archive-date=21 December 2021 |url-status=live|title =Ville Valo 2010 Interview |date=8 April 2010 |publisher=YouTube |access-date=17 July 2017}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Another title considered for the album was ''Pick Up Lines from Hell'', which was taken from the lyrics of the song "Scared to Death".<ref name="Scared">{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zxEeyxuCdzs |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/zxEeyxuCdzs |archive-date=21 December 2021 |url-status=live|title =Ville Valo speaking about "Scared To Death" |date=7 February 2010 |publisher=YouTube |access-date=17 July 2017}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Ultimately the title was deemed to be too "joky".<ref name="Scared" /> The cover art of ''Screamworks'' is a picture taken of a late 19th-century nun sculpture, that Valo had purchased in Bavaria.<ref name="Bravo">{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RF5M9DiHhD8&t=433s |title= Ville Valo bei BRAVO Web TV 2 February 2010 |publisher=YouTube |access-date=17 July 2017}}{{cbignore}}{{Dead YouTube link|date=February 2022}}</ref> The picture was edited in Photoshop to include another set of eyes and a mouth, after which it was silkscreened in the style of Andy Warhol.<ref name="Bravo" /> The cover art was also influenced by 1980s British new wave acts, such as Siouxsie and the Banshees and Ultravox.<ref name="Finnish">{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBsGVj-Dizk |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/iBsGVj-Dizk |archive-date=21 December 2021 |url-status=live|title= Interview Ville Valo in Finnish 2010 |date=14 April 2011 |publisher=YouTube |access-date=17 July 2017}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
== Music and lyrics == Musically Valo has described ''Screamworks'' as a "lighter shade of black", being more "direct" and "straightforward" than some of HIM's previous albums.<ref name="MTV">{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Oej4wLD6ck |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/4Oej4wLD6ck |archive-date=21 December 2021 |url-status=live|title =Interview With Ville Valo + Extras |date=24 February 2010 |publisher=YouTube |access-date=17 July 2017}}{{cbignore}}</ref> The album was heavily influenced by music of the 1980s, including such acts as a-ha, Depeche Mode and The Cult, and also featured a bigger focus on keyboards to counterbalance the guitar-centric sound of the band's previous album ''Venus Doom''.<ref name="MTV" /><ref name="WatchMojo">{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cgeZdmXMNmk&t=209s |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/cgeZdmXMNmk |archive-date=21 December 2021 |url-status=live|title= Interview with Ville Valo of HIM |date=29 July 2011 |publisher=YouTube |access-date=17 July 2017}}{{cbignore}}</ref> ''Screamworks'' has thus been described as one of the band's most accessible albums to date, sounding more "hopeful" and "poppy".<ref name="Imperiumi" /><ref name="RockSound" /><ref name="Soundi" /> Thematically the album was largely inspired by a relationship of Valo's with an undisclosed partner, who served as his muse while writing the material.<ref name="MTV" /><ref name="bigFM">{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfPJxvvZMiM |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/jfPJxvvZMiM |archive-date=21 December 2021 |url-status=live|title =Ville Valo in bigFM Interview February 2010 |date=21 January 2011 |publisher=YouTube |access-date=17 July 2017}}{{cbignore}}</ref> {{Listen |filename = Scared to Death (sample).ogg |title="Scared to Death" (2010) |description="Scared to Death" has been described as "joyful and vulnerable", and displays the more straightforward and accessible sound of ''Screamworks''.<ref name="MetalHammerPg128">''Metal Hammer'' Presents HIM: ''Tears On Tape'' Fanpack Magazine – pg. 128</ref> }}
"In Verene Veritas" makes use of a Casio SK-1 sampling keyboard, which was included on the insistence of Valo.<ref name="Verene">{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f64G9OApkvs |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/f64G9OApkvs |archive-date=21 December 2021 |url-status=live|title =Ville Valo speaking about "In Venere Veritas" |date=29 January 2010 |publisher=YouTube |access-date=17 July 2017}}{{cbignore}}</ref> "Scared to Death" was described by Valo as lyrically being a simplified version of the album's theme about "trying to get back to life, have a bit of hope in yourself".<ref name="Scared" /> The song also makes mention of the novel ''Sense and Sensibility'' by Jane Austen, and was also described by Valo as being the album's most straightforward "pop song", containing elements of Hüsker Dü, Foo Fighters and "The NeverEnding Story" by Limahl.<ref name="Scared" /> "Heartkiller" was originally titled "The Biblical Sense", and makes mention of the biblical figure Lazarus and ''Frankenstein'' by Mary Shelley.<ref name="Heartkiller">{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epmIE5dK-Cw |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/epmIE5dK-Cw |archive-date=21 December 2021 |url-status=live|title =Ville Valo speaking about "Heartkiller" |date=29 January 2010 |publisher=YouTube |access-date=17 July 2017}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Lyrically the song talks about "opening the door for new possibilities, and not trying to be afraid of new things and things that might hurt you".<ref name="Heartkiller" /> "Dying Song" had already been partially written in 1996, and lyrically talks about having to "go to the depths of Hell, to appreciate the glimpse of Heaven".<ref name="Dying">{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFplv39hpIY |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/eFplv39hpIY |archive-date=21 December 2021 |url-status=live|title =Ville Valo speaking about "Dying Song" |date=29 January 2010 |publisher=YouTube |access-date=17 July 2017}}{{cbignore}}</ref> "Disarm Me (With Your Loneliness)" is performed in 3/4 tempo, and was described by Valo as being HIM's "first attempt in the realm of classic rock ballad[s]".<ref name="Disarm">{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9j9fYkhcu0 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/Z9j9fYkhcu0 |archive-date=21 December 2021 |url-status=live|title =Ville Valo speaking about "Disarm Me (With Your Loneliness)" |date=7 February 2010 |publisher=YouTube |access-date=17 July 2017}}{{cbignore}}</ref> The song had originally been demoed in 2003 with producer Hiili Hiilesmaa, and considered for the band's 2005 album ''Dark Light''.<ref name="Disarm" /> Valo singled the song out as one of his favorites from ''Screamworks'', and lyrically talks about "teasing people into believing that you still have that much hope for something life-changing, and at the very last minute the carpet's being taken from underneath you".<ref name="Disarm" />
Valo described "Love, the Hardest Way" as being "retro HIM", with a "Billy Idol -vibe", while the song's chorus also mentions French poet Charles Baudelaire and lyrically deals with "the illogical in relationships in general".<ref name="Hardest">{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CIat25EKVMY |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/CIat25EKVMY |archive-date=21 December 2021 |url-status=live|title =Ville Valo speaking about "Love, the Hardest Way" |date=29 January 2010 |publisher=YouTube |access-date=17 July 2017}}{{cbignore}}</ref> "Katherine Wheel" was partly inspired by the Christian saint Catherine of Alexandria, and lyrically deals with "the submissive nature of a relationship".<ref name="Katherine">{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMqZ7LYVAsw |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/GMqZ7LYVAsw |archive-date=21 December 2021 |url-status=live|title =Ville Valo speaking about "Katherine Wheel" |date=20 April 2013 |publisher=YouTube |access-date=17 July 2017}}{{cbignore}}</ref> "In the Arms of Rain" was inspired by a childhood memory of Valo's, of him and his younger brother running in the rain, while "Ode to Solitude" was described as a "celebration of the painful aspects of relationships".<ref name="Rain">{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qi4-z6bn-nY |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/Qi4-z6bn-nY |archive-date=21 December 2021 |url-status=live|title =Ville Valo speaking about "In the Arms of Rain" |date=29 January 2010 |publisher=YouTube |access-date=17 July 2017}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref name="Solitude">{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAQOiGnRzFU |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/xAQOiGnRzFU |archive-date=21 December 2021 |url-status=live|title =Ville Valo speaking about "Ode to Solitude" |date=29 January 2010 |publisher=YouTube |access-date=17 July 2017}}{{cbignore}}</ref> "Shatter Me with Hope" makes mention of the mythical figures Damocles and Cassandra, and King Solomon, while the line "turn to page 43, and you'll know how I feel" was meant as a direct message to Valo's "muse" for the album.<ref name="Shatter">{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IsF_MRnkXgw |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/IsF_MRnkXgw |archive-date=21 December 2021 |url-status=live|title =Ville Valo speaking about "Shatter Me with Hope" |date=29 January 2010 |publisher=YouTube |access-date=17 July 2017}}{{cbignore}}</ref> "Acoustic Funeral (For Love in Limbo)" was described by Valo as the "lullaby from hell", with elements of This Mortal Coil, while the title was a tribute to Black Sabbath and their song "Electric Funeral".<ref name="Acoustic">{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoZL6v2O3tc |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/aoZL6v2O3tc |archive-date=21 December 2021 |url-status=live|title =Ville Valo speaking about "Acoustic Funeral (For Love in Limbo)" |date=29 January 2010 |publisher=YouTube |access-date=17 July 2017}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Lyrically the song is partly an interpretation of the Latin proverb ''Memento mori''.<ref name="Acoustic" /> "Like St. Valentine" was the first song the band worked on for the album, and was described by Valo as "punky" and a "rough, rocking, fast track".<ref name="Valentine">{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cgrMzvDvh3k |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/cgrMzvDvh3k |archive-date=21 December 2021 |url-status=live|title =Ville Valo speaking about "Like St. Valentine" |date=29 January 2010 |publisher=YouTube |access-date=17 July 2017}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Valo described "The Foreboding Sense of Impending Happiness" as the most experimental song on the album and took influence from Giorgio Moroder and "Take My Breath Away" by Berlin, which Moroder co-wrote.<ref name="Happiness">{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAT-EA182S4 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/SAT-EA182S4 |archive-date=21 December 2021 |url-status=live|title =Ville Valo speaking about "The Foreboding Sense of Impending Happiness" |date=29 January 2010 |publisher=YouTube |access-date=17 July 2017}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
== Release and promotion == thumb|right|250px|HIM performing in Los Angeles in April 2010 "Heartkiller" was released as the first single from ''Screamworks'' in December 2009, and charted in five countries, including at number five in Finland.<ref name="FIN">{{cite web|url=http://www.ifpi.fi/tilastot/virallinen-lista/artistit/him|title =HIM Discography|publisher=Musiikkituottajat |access-date=17 July 2017}}</ref> A music video was also produced, which was released on 8 January 2010.<ref name="HeartkillerVideo">{{cite web|url=http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/him-heartkiller-video-released/|title= HIM: 'Heartkiller' Video Released |publisher=Blabbermouth.net |date=8 January 2010 |access-date=17 July 2017}}</ref> The band originally approached Italian film director Dario Argento to helm the music video, but he reportedly got "stuck in traffic" and was unable to meet with the band.<ref name="Dario">{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rgkid_oaVao |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/Rgkid_oaVao |archive-date=21 December 2021 |url-status=live|title= Ville Valo of H.I.M. — Giving Kids A Lesson In Rock 'n' Roll |publisher=YouTube |access-date=17 July 2017}}{{cbignore}}</ref> At the 2009 edition of HIM's New Year's Eve festival Helldone, the band debuted three song live from ''Screamworks''; "Heartkiller", "Scared to Death" and "Love, the Hardest Way".<ref name="Helldone">{{cite web|url=http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/him-performance-footage-of-three-new-songs-available/|title= HIM: Performance Footage Of Three New Songs Available |publisher=Blabbermouth.net |date=30 December 2009 |access-date=17 July 2017}}</ref> ''Screamwork: Love in Theory and Practice'' was released on 8 February 2010, and charted in eleven countries, including at number two in Finland, number four in Germany, number seven in Austria and Switzerland, and at number 25 in the United States.<ref name="FIN" /><ref name="GER">{{cite web |url=https://www.offiziellecharts.de/suche |title=HIM Discography |publisher=Offiziele Deutsche Charts |access-date=17 July 2017 |language=de }}</ref><ref name="SWI">{{cite web |url=http://hitparade.ch/showinterpret.asp?interpret=HIM |title=Discographie HIM |publisher=HitParade.ch |access-date=7 February 2009 |language=de }}</ref><ref name="AUT">{{cite web |url=http://www.austriancharts.at/showinterpret.asp?interpret=HIM |title=Discographie HIM |publisher=AustrianCharts.at |access-date=7 February 2009 |language=de }}</ref><ref name="US">{{cite web |url=http://www.billboard.com/artist/303494/him/chart |title=HIM – Chart history|publisher=Billboard|access-date=17 July 2017}}</ref> The album was eventually certified gold in Finland.<ref name="FINcerts" /> A special two-disc edition of the album was also released, which included an acoustic bonus CD of the album, titled ''Baudelaire in Braille''.<ref name="Baudelaire">{{cite web|url=http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/him-screamworks-special-edition-to-include-acoustic-bonus-disc/|title= HIM: 'Screamworks' Special Edition To Include Acoustic Bonus Disc |publisher=Blabbermouth.net |date=10 January 2010 |access-date=20 July 2017}}</ref> HIM was later nominated for "Band of the Year" at the 2010 Emma Awards, while ''Screamworks'' and "Heartkiller" received nominations for "Metal Album of the Year" and "Video of the Year" respectively.<ref name="Stara">{{cite web|url=https://www.stara.fi/2010/12/10/paleface-ja-jenni-vartiainen-saivat-emma-palkinnon/|title =Paleface ja Jenni Vartiainen saivat jo Emma-palkinnot |date =10 December 2010 |publisher=Stara |access-date=3 January 2018}}</ref><ref name="Emma2013">{{cite web|url=https://yle.fi/ylex/uutiset/emma-ehdokkaat_on_julkistettu__katso_lista_kaikista_ehdokkaista/3-7583525|title =Emma-ehdokkaat on julkistettu – katso lista kaikista ehdokkaista |publisher=YleX |access-date=3 January 2018}}</ref><ref name="EmmaArchive">{{cite web|url=http://www.emmagaala.fi/fi/arkisto|title =Emma Gaala – Arkisto |publisher=Emma Gaala |quote= Enter 'HIM' in the field 'Suodata nimellä:'|access-date=21 April 2019}}</ref>
HIM began the supporting tour for ''Screamworks'' in February 2010 with several showcase dates in Europe, before starting an Australian tour as a part of the Soundwave Festival.<ref name="March">{{cite web|url=http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/him-to-kick-off-u-s-tour-in-march/|title= HIM To Kick Off U.S. Tour In March |publisher=Blabbermouth.net |date=30 December 2009 |access-date=17 July 2017}}</ref> From March to May 2010, the band embarked on a tour of the UK and the US, with We Are the Fallen, Dommin and Drive A acting as support in the latter.<ref name="March" /><ref name="UKMarch">{{cite web|url=https://www.rocksound.tv/news/read/him-announce-uk-tour|title= HIM ANNOUNCE UK TOUR |publisher=Rock Sound |date=18 November 2009 |access-date=18 July 2017}}</ref><ref name="ScaredVideo">{{cite web|url=http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/him-scared-to-death-video-released/|title= HIM: 'Scared To Death' Video Released |publisher=Blabbermouth.net |date=22 March 2010 |access-date=17 July 2017}}</ref> On 23 February 2010, HIM teamed up with Harmonix and MTV Games to release a downloadable song pack for the video game ''Rock Band'', which included two tracks from ''Screamworks''; "Heartkiller" and "Ode to Solitude", along with "Wings of a Butterfly".<ref name="RockBand">{{cite web|url=http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/him-teams-up-with-rock-band-to-release-three-song-downloadable-content-pack/|title= HIM Teams Up With 'Rock Band' To Release Three-Song Downloadable Content Pack |publisher=Blabbermouth.net |date=18 March 2010 |access-date=17 July 2017}}</ref> "Scared to Death" was released as the second single from ''Screamworks'', with a music video also premiering on 22 March 2010.<ref name="ScaredVideo" /> In November 2010, HIM announced the release of a remix album of ''Screamworks'', titled ''SWRMXS'', on 7 December.<ref name="SWRMXS">{{cite web|url=http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/him-swrmxs-official-remix-album-coming-in-december/|title= HIM: 'SWRMXS' Official Remix Album Coming In December |publisher=Blabbermouth.net |date=12 November 2010 |access-date=17 July 2017}}</ref> The album was done in collaboration with several different artists, including Tiësto, Salem and Morgan Page, and was physically released in the US exclusively through Hot Topic.<ref name="SWRMXS" /> The Huoratron remix of "In Venere Veritas" was also released as a promotional single from the album.<ref name="iTunes">{{cite web|url=https://music.apple.com/fi/album/in-venere-veritas-huoratron-remix-single/406935163?l=fi|title= HIM – In Verene Veritas (Huoratron Remix) |date= 13 December 2010 |publisher=iTunes |access-date=17 March 2018}}</ref>
== Reception == {{Music ratings | MC = 61/100<ref name="metacritic">{{cite web|work=Metacritic|title=Critic Reviews for ''Screamworks: Love in Theory and Practice''|url=http://www.metacritic.com/music/screamworks-love-in-theory-and-practice/him|access-date=17 July 2017}}</ref> | rev1 = AllMusic | rev1Score = {{Rating|3|5}}<ref name="Allmusic">{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/screamworks-love-in-theory-and-practice-chapters-1-13-mw0001954783|title =''Screamworks: Love in Theory and Practice'' Review |publisher=AllMusic |access-date=17 July 2017}}</ref> | rev2 = ''Classic Rock'' | rev2score = {{Rating|5|10}}<ref name="classic">{{cite magazine |title=H.I.M. - Screamworks: Love in Theory and Practice |magazine=Classic Rock |date=March 2010 |last=Lawson |first=Dom|issue=142 |page=90}}</ref> | rev3 = Imperiumi.net | rev3Score = 10/10<ref name="Imperiumi">{{cite web|url=http://imperiumi.net/index.php?act=albums&id=10049|title =''Screamworks: Love in Theory and Practice'' Review |publisher=Imperiumi.net |access-date=17 July 2017}}</ref> | rev4 = ''Rock Sound'' | rev4Score = 7/10<ref name="RockSound">{{cite web|url=https://www.rocksound.tv/reviews/read/him-screamworks-love-in-theory-and-practice?|title =''Screamworks: Love in Theory and Practice'' Review |publisher=Rock Sound |access-date=17 July 2017}}</ref> | rev5 = ''Rumba'' | rev5Score = {{Rating|5|5}}<ref name="Rumba">{{cite web|url=https://www.rumba.fi/artikkelit/nostalgiamatka-rumban-arkistoista/|title =HIM-nostalgiamatka Rumban arkistoista |publisher=Rumba |access-date=24 January 2017}}</ref> | rev6 = ''Soundi'' | rev6Score = {{Rating|3|5}}<ref name="Soundi">{{cite web|url=http://www.soundi.fi/levyarviot/him-screamworks-love-theory-and-practice-chapters-1-13/|title =''Screamworks: Love in Theory and Practice'' Review |date =5 March 2010 |publisher=Soundi |access-date=17 July 2017}}</ref> | rev7 = ''Spin'' | rev7Score = 6/10<ref name="Spin">{{cite web|url=http://www.spin.com/2010/02/him-screamworks-love-theory-and-practice-sire/|title =''Screamworks: Love in Theory and Practice'' Review |date =17 February 2010 |publisher=Spin |access-date=17 July 2017}}</ref> }} ''Screamworks: Love in Theory and Practice'' received generally positive reviews from critics, with a score of 61 out of 100 on Metacritic.<ref name="metacritic" /> Mape Ollila of Imperiumi.net gave the album ten out of ten, and called it HIM's best album to date.<ref name="Imperiumi" /> He praised Valo's performance, and described the album as containing "at least six or seven radio singles".<ref name="Imperiumi" /> ''Rumba''{{'s}} Jean Ramsay felt similarly, awarding the album five stars out of five, and hailing it as "possibly" HIM's best record.<ref name="Rumba" /> He described ''Screamworks'' as "unashamedly romantic, poppy and hedonistic" and praised it for redefining the band's sound.<ref name="Rumba" /> He did criticize the album as "too long", but concluded his review stating: "If this record doesn't elevate HIM into superstars, I don't understand anything in this world."<ref name="Rumba" /> ''Alternative Press'' described ''Screamworks'' as "ultimately successful in its blending of melody and muscle", while ''Billboard'' called it "a mixed bag, but an appealingly bold one".<ref name="metacritic" /> Marko Säynekoski of ''Soundi'' gave ''Screamworks'' three stars out of five, and stated that the album "brings forth plenty of memorable moments and the whole is skillfully constructed".<ref name="Soundi" /> He singled out "Heartkiller" and "Ode to Solitude" as particular highlights and commended Valo's ability to write so many potential "hits".<ref name="Soundi" />
''Rock Sound'' gave the album seven out of ten, and described it as "a solid album, rife with brooding love metal and big choruses".<ref name="RockSound" /> The magazine also stated that ''Screamworks'' "still channels the HIM spirit, allowing melancholy and compassion to creep in and out of the 13 tracks", but criticized it as being the band's most "unpalatable" album, stating: "Ville takes one step too many towards self-satire".<ref name="RockSound" /> James Christopher Monger of AllMusic felt similarly, criticizing some of the lyrics as "embarrassing", and calling the album "predictable".<ref name="Allmusic" /> He did however award the album three stars out of five and described the material as sitting "within the band’s canon well enough to please longtime fans".<ref name="Allmusic" /> John Dolan of ''Spin'' gave ''Screamworks'' six out of ten and described the album as sounding like "a pro forma emo-fed hard rock band with some likably silly Euro-doom flourishes."<ref name="Spin" /> He still concluded his review by calling the album "more interesting than it’s designed to be."<ref name="Spin" /> Dom Lawson of ''Classic Rock'' was even less positive and described the album as "too fey for the metal crowd, too knowingly accessible for hardcore goths and just a little bit too far from the mainstream radar to reach the pop fans [Ville Valo's] melodies seem to pursue".<ref name="classic" />
Ville Valo later considered the album a "failure" in terms of commercial success,<ref name="UniScreen">{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vRkIaRaChq0 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/vRkIaRaChq0 |archive-date=21 December 2021 |url-status=live|title =Ville Valo on UniScreen July 2010 |date=22 January 2011 |publisher=YouTube |access-date=17 July 2017}}{{cbignore}}</ref> but in 2017 revisited ''Screamworks'', and described it as "maybe the album that's mine the most", stating: "My influences came through the most on that one. We might have mixed it too much like American rock."<ref name="HS" /> ''Loudwire'' later ranked ''Screamworks'' lowest in the band's discography, describing it as "saturated in daisychained, pop-friendly moods that have more in common with nasal-toned emo groups than anything else in the band's catalog."<ref name="Ranked">{{cite web|title = HIM Albums Ranked|date =27 July 2017|url =http://loudwire.com/him-albums-ranked/|publisher=Loudwire |access-date=31 August 2017}}</ref> On the other hand, ''Kaaoszine'' ranked the album as HIM's best record, stating that "''Screamworks'' is irresistibly catchy pop metal, that still hides a strong dose of HIM's trademark dark melancholy beneath the surface".<ref name="Ranked2">{{cite web|title = Tuotanto ruodinnassa: HIM|date =27 December 2017|url =http://kaaoszine.fi/tuotanto-ruodinnassa-him/|publisher=Kaaoszine |access-date=29 December 2017}}</ref>
== Track listing == All tracks written by Ville Valo. {{track listing | title1 = In Venere Veritas | length1 = 3:36 | title2 = Scared to Death | length2 = 3:41 | title3 = Heartkiller | length3 = 3:29 | title4 = Dying Song | length4 = 3:32 | title5 = Disarm Me (With Your Loneliness) | length5 = 3:59 | title6 = Love, the Hardest Way | length6 = 3:19 | title7 = Katherine Wheel | length7 = 3:26 | title8 = In the Arms of Rain | length8 = 3:47 | title9 = Ode to Solitude | length9 = 3:58 | title10 = Shatter Me with Hope | length10 = 3:52 | title11 = Acoustic Funeral (For Love in Limbo) | length11 = 3:58 | title12 = Like St. Valentine | length12 = 3:15 | title13 = The Foreboding Sense of Impending Happiness | length13 = 3:03 | total_length = 46:55 }} {{track listing | headline = iTunes bonus tracks | title14 = Heartkiller | note14 = live at Helldone | length14 = 3:35 | title15 = Love, the Hardest Way | note15 = live at Helldone | length15 = 3:25 | total_length = 51:30 }} {{track listing | headline = iTunes pre-order bonus tracks | title14 = Heartkiller | note14 = live at Helldone | length14 = 3:35 | title15 = Love, the Hardest Way | note15 = live at Helldone | length15 = 3:25 | title16 = Scared to Death | note16 = live at Helldone | length16 = 3:48 | total_length = 54:38 }}
{{track listing | total_length = 38:28 | headline = ''Baudelaire in Braille'' bonus disc | title1 = In Venere Veritas | length1 = 2:30 | note1 = acoustic | title2 = Scared to Death | length2 = 2:59 | note2 = acoustic | title3 = Heartkiller | length3 = 3:10 | note3 = acoustic | title4 = Dying Song | length4 = 2:44 | note4 = acoustic | title5 = Disarm Me (with Your Loneliness) | length5 = 3:34 | note5 = acoustic | title6 = Love, the Hardest Way | length6 = 2:34 | note6 = acoustic | title7 = Katherine Wheel | length7 = 3:31 | note7 = acoustic | title8 = In the Arms of Rain | length8 = 3:02 | note8 = acoustic | title9 = Ode to Solitude | length9 = 3:08 | note9 = acoustic | title10 = Shatter Me with Hope | length10 = 2:42 | note10 = acoustic | title11 = Acoustic Funeral (For Love in Limbo) | length11 = 3:19 | note11 = acoustic | title12 = Like St. Valentine | length12 = 3:04 | note12 = acoustic | title13 = The Foreboding Sense of Impending Happiness | note13 = acoustic | length13 = 2:11 }}
== Personnel == {{col-begin}} {{col-2}} ;HIM *Ville Valo − lead vocals, artwork, art direction *Mikko "Linde" Lindström − guitar *Mikko "Mige" Paananen − bass *Janne "Burton" Puurtinen − keyboards *Mika "Gas Lipstick" Karppinen − drums {{col-2}} ;Production *Matt Squire − producer *Travis Huff − engineer *Steve Tippeconnic − recording assistant *Tate Hall − recording assistant *Dave Colvin – recording assistant *Neal Avron − mixer *Nicholas Fournier – mixing assistant *Ted Jensen – mastering *Craig Aaronson – A&R *Larry Goetz – programming *David Roemer – photography *Matt Taylor – artwork *Varnish Studio Inc – art direction *2Rabbits Studios – screen prints {{col-end}}
== Charts == {| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" |- !scope="col"|Chart (2010) !scope="col"|Peak<br />position |- !scope="row"|Australian Albums Chart<ref name="AUS">{{cite web |url=http://australian-charts.com/showinterpret.asp?interpret=HIM |title=Discography HIM |publisher=Australian-charts.com |access-date=7 February 2009}}</ref> |align="center"|36 |- !scope="row"|Austrian Albums Chart<ref name="AUT" /> |align="center"|7 |- !scope="row"|Dutch Albums Chart<ref name="NED">{{cite web |url=http://www.dutchcharts.nl/showinterpret.asp?interpret=HIM |title=Discografie HIM |publisher=Dutchcharts.nl |access-date=10 June 2017 |language=nl }}</ref> |align="center"|44 |- !scope="row"|Finnish Albums Chart<ref name="FIN" /> |align="center"|2 |- !scope="row"|German Albums Chart<ref name="GER" /> |align="center"|4 |- !scope="row"|Hungarian Albums Chart<ref>{{cite web|url=https://slagerlistak.hu/album-top-40-slagerlista/2010/7|title=2010/7 heti Album Top 40 slágerlista|publisher=MAHASZ|language=hu|access-date=28 November 2021}}</ref> |align="center"|21 |- !scope="row"|Italian Albums Chart<ref name="ITA">{{cite web |url=http://www.italiancharts.com/showinterpret.asp?interpret=HIM |title= Discografia HIM|publisher=ItalianCharts.com |access-date=19 June 2017}}</ref> |align="center"|68 |- !scope="row"|Spanish Albums Chart<ref name="SPA">{{cite web |url=http://spanishcharts.com/showinterpret.asp?interpret=HIM |title=Discography HIM |publisher=Spanishcharts.com |access-date=7 February 2009}}</ref> |align="center"|27 |- !scope="row"|Swedish Albums Chart<ref name="SWE">{{cite web |url=http://swedishcharts.com/showinterpret.asp?interpret=HIM|title=Discography HIM |publisher=Swedishcharts.com |access-date=7 February 2009}}</ref> |align="center"|21 |- !scope="row"|Swiss Albums Chart<ref name="SWI" /> |align="center"|7 |- !scope="row"|UK Albums Chart<ref name="UK">{{cite web |url=http://www.officialcharts.com/artist/1099/him/ |title=HIM – Chart history|publisher=Official Charts Company|access-date=19 March 2017}}</ref> |align="center"|50 |- !scope="row"|US Alternative Albums<ref name="US" /> |align="center"|2 |- !scope="row"|US ''Billboard'' 200<ref name="US" /> |align="center"|25 |- !scope="row"|US Hard Rock Albums<ref name="US" /> |align="center"|1 |- !scope="row"|US Top Rock Albums<ref name="US" /> |align="center"|2 |}
== Certifications == {{Certification Table Top}} {{Certification Table Entry|title=Venus Doom|artist=HIM|relyear=2005|type=album|region=Finland|award=Gold|certyear=2007|access-date=25 July 2017|salesamount=15,101|domestic=true|refname=FINcerts}} {{End}}
== References == {{Reflist}}
== External links == * {{Official website|http://www.heartagram.com/}}
{{HIM}}
{{Authority control}}
Category:2010 albums Category:HIM (Finnish band) albums Category:Sire Records albums Category:Albums produced by Matt Squire