HIM

HIM performing at Ursynalia in June 2013.

HIM is a Finnish rock band formed in 1991 in Helsinki, Finland. Scoring a number of top-ten hits in Europe and South America, they also broke records by being the first Finnish band to have a gold album in the United States. HIM's breakout album, "Razorblade Romance" featured a heady mix of gothic-tinged ballads and heavy, crunching guitar riffs, a genre mish-mash which proved an instant success. HIM had five of their studio albums certified platinum in Finland with "Razorblade Romance" being certified double platinum in Finland and platinum in Germany.

They released eight full-length studio albums (plus two box sets and seven live, remix and compilation albums) before breaking up in 2017.

The band consists of vocalist Ville Valo, guitarist Mikko "Linde" Lindström, bassist Mikko "Migé" Paananen, Janne "Emerson Burton" Puurtinen on keyboards, and Mika "Gas Lipstick" Karppinen on drums.

HIM's genre remains a matter of dispute, though they are often classed as an alternative metal band, while Wikipedia calls them gothic rock. Irritated with such pigeon-holing, lead singer Ville Valo has stated frequently that they are essentially a 'love metal' band; a sound that can be best described as 'Depeche Mode meets Black Sabbath'.

Notably, the band's Heartagram logo is equally well-known.

Not to be confused with a certain villain from Powerpuff Girls.

Discography:

• Greatest Love Songs Vol. 666 (1997)
• Razorblade Romance (2000)
• Deep Shadows and Brilliant Highlights (2001)
• Love Metal (2003)
• Dark Light (2005)
• Venus Doom (2007)
• Screamworks: Love in Theory and Practice (2010)
• Tears on Tape (2013)

HIM provides examples of the following tropes:

• Actually Not a Vampire: Good luck convincing HIM's fangirls of this. The videos for 'Wicked Game' and 'Join Me in Death' as well as 'Kiss of Dawn' to a degree employ heavy classical vampire and otherwise Victorian gothic aesthetics. One Dark Light track is titled 'Vampire Heart.' Finally, the music video for 'The Sacrament' alludes to creatures of European folklore including arcane vamp-like creatures.
• A Good Name for a Rock Band: The band was previously referred to as His Infernal Majesty, which predictably led to accusations of satanism and infant sacrifices. The name HIM was eventually adopted to quell suspicion.
• And There Was Much Rejoicing: Many fans were pleased to learn that the band had split from Warner due to creative differences following Screamworks.
• Arc Number: Guess.
• Arena Rock: Razorblade Romance & Dark Light both feature songs which fall into this category.
• B-Side: Arguably the second Screamworks disc 'Baudelaire in Braile' which came with the preordered Screamworks set.
• Badass Beard: Ville Valo circa 2007-2008 rocked a devilish beard Jack Sparrow would have been proud of. He usually teamed it up with heavy-duty guy-liner, further increasing comparisons with Johnny Depp.
• Black Sheep Hit: Killing Loneliness.
• Bishonen: Valo, Linde, and Burton, natch.
• Cloudcuckoolander: Lead singer Ville Valo is very much this, probably owing this to his less than.....conventional upbringing.
• British Rock Star: Literally subverted if not allegorically. While Valo has a rather pronounced British accent to his English, he and his bandmates all hail from Suomi.
• Cover Version: Several, including:
  • Chris Issac's Wicked Game
  • Billy Idol's Rebel Yell
  • Neil Diamond's Solitary Man
  • Type O Negative's Black No.1
  • Backstreet Boys' Larger Than Life
• Creator Breakdown: Venus Doom. Immediately after finishing production, Valo reportedly went into rehab.
• Dual-Meaning Chorus: The vast majority of the band's song lyrics contain multiple levels of meaning in every line. To list every double entendre, reference to classic literature, shout-out to other rock/metal ballads, and so forth would be accordingly impossible.
• Deadpan Snarker: Ville Valo has a very morbid sense of humor. The rest of the band isn't far behind.
  • Unexpectedly present in other parts of HIM's work; the 'Screamworks' CD specifically sported a bright Barbie-esque label to make fun of the typical dark and grungy style of their genre.
• Epic Instrumental Opener: 'Wings of a Butterfly' and 'Sleepwalking Past Hope' come to mind.
• Even the Guys Want Him: Lead singer Ville Valo is often photographed indulging in public displays of affection with various men. Doesn't help that he's rumored to be bisexual.
• Evolving Music: Listen to and compare the overall styles of each album for some rainy day fun.
• Fallen Angel: Frequently evoked in their first two albums and later in select Venus Doom tracks. The celestial body Venus is closely associated with the Morning Star.
• Fan Service: Check out the Ville Valo tag on tumblr sometime.
• Five-Man Band: The current lineup consists of Valo, Migé, Linde, Gas, and Burton.
• Greatest Hits Album: 'And Love Said No: The Greatest Hits 1997–2004'
• Getting Crap Past the Radar: 'It's All Tears' contains the lyrics 'I'll violate you in the most sensual way'. Pretty self-explanatory.
  • The radar is then thrown out entirely in the live version on their Digital Versatile Doom recording when Ville adds the following to the end: 'Well out back/ I gotta cock made outta platinum'...
• Grief Song: In spades.
• I Am the Band: Averted in real life, as each band member contributes to some degree. Linde in particular has some pretty epic guitar solos under his belt, while the antics and personality of bassist Mige are frequently showcased in the band's various "Making of" music video production documentaries or interviews. Nonetheless the vast majority of fan presence online focuses on Valo.
• Incredibly Long Note: Valo is definitely a fan of these.
• Lonely Piano Piece: Burton's riff in 'The Sacrament', and roughly the first minute of "Sleepwalking Past Hope".
• Lyrical Cold Open: Occasionally, such as in "In Venere Veritas" and "The Heartless".
• Metalhead: A far more melodic and romantic flavor, but that chord is quite visible nonetheless.
• Metal Scream: Frequent in Venus Doom and can be spotted in many of their earlier pieces. Unexpectedly frequent in Screamworks.
• Mohs Scale of Rock and Metal Hardness: Around a 5 or 6, though they fit onto many levels at different times, particularly in Venus Doom and Screamworks.
• Most Writers Are Male
• Neoclassical Punk Zydeco Rockabilly: HIM's genre is very much a matter of dispute. Safe to say, it's an eclectic, if acquired, taste. Think of it as Gothic Alternative Melodic Progressive Heavy Metal.
• Nobody Loves the Bassist: Inverted. Mige is a wildly popular member of the band, more so than Burton or Gas and arguably more than Linde.
• Non-Appearing Title: Deep Shadows and Brilliant Highlights, as well as Love Metal.
• Obligatory Bondage Song: Katherine Wheel, not that it stops there...
• Obsession Song: 'Gone With The Sin', 'Katherine Wheel', potentially 'The Sacrament'.
• Ominous Music Box Tune: Notable near the end of titular opening track 'Venus Doom'.
• Rock Opera: A mini-one in the epic ballad 'Sleepwalking Past Hope', for sure.
• The Rock Star: Everyone qualifies when onstage, but Ville has a noticeably more unassuming and gentle demeanor otherwise.
• Sanity Slippage Song: Many.
• Self-Backing Vocalist: Often, though Burton has taken over the backup vox recently.
• Serenade Your Lover: Frequently implied with this band.
• Setting-Off Song: 'The Path', if nothing else.
• Shout-Out: HIM's logo, the heartagram, have appeared in several films and TV series, such as The Thirteenth Floor, Transformers, Viva La Bam and LA Ink.
• Signature Song: 'Killing Loneliness', 'Join Me In Death', and , 'Wings of a Butterfly' particularly in U.S. where the song propelled the record to Gold status (notably the first Finnish band to do so). Also, to some degree, 'The Funeral of Hearts'.
• Singer Namedrop: While not a song they themselves wrote, 'Solitary Man' sports a heavily pronounced "Him" at the end of one line and is further emphasized in their music video.
• Singer-songwriter: Ville.
• Stage Names: Listed in the description. The band's multiple side projects feature the same people under an entirely different set of stage names as well.
• Subdued Section: Occasionally pops up. 'Your Sweet 666' employs this.
• Suicide by Sunlight: Not surprisingly implied in 'Vampire Heart.'
• Tall, Dark and Handsome: At 6'2", Valo embodies this trope.
• Title Track: Inverted with 'For You' in which "666 Ways to Love" appear in the lyrics. Played straight with "Dark Light" and "Venus Doom", then twisted in Screamworks with the subtitle phrase "Love in Theory and Practice" appearing in the song "Katherine Wheel".
• Unplugged Version: A few, largely in the Uneasy Listening albums.
• Vocal Range Exceeded: Played for Laughs in a particularly jazzy cover of 'For You.' Even Ville's stunning falsetto has its limits...