HIM is All About Love Metal

HIM is a Finnish band that seemingly defies conventional band store categorization. The band has been alternatively placed under the genres of rock and metal. This isn’t the end of the attempt to define the group though since it has also been variously placed under the sub genres of gothic, hard, doom and alternative. There are just so many different ways of looking at the band’s work. Clearly though, it doesn’t seem to matter what their music is most like.

Band Symbol

It is perhaps because of the differing categories that the term love metal was hatched to define the group’s kind of music. In an attempt to be as exact as possible, experts say that love metal is really a mixture of rock, gothic, heavy, rock and pop elements. This rich mix is said to largely be the result of lead singer Ville Valo’s creative juices.

In keeping with the band name, the group has adopted the heartagram as its definitive symbol which also reflects its genre. Valo believes that the symbol has become so well known that people now associate it more with the band than anything else.

Band Past

The band was originally known as His Infernal Majesty. By 1998, the name was changed to HIM after the release of the Wicked Game single. The name however should not be taken as the same as American post rock group HiM, Christian group 4Him and Canadian metal band Infernal Majesty.

Of all the similarly named groups, it is HiM that bears the closest connection with the group. The Finnish HIM bought the rights from the American HiM to use the name. In the past, the group used HER for the album Razorblade. They also used HIM and HER for European tours.

Just like any rock band, the group has had its share of musical chairs amongst its members. At present, the band is composed of Ville Valo on lead vocals and acoustic guitar; Mikko Lindstrom on lead and acoustic guitar; Mikko Paananen on bass guitar and backing vocals; Mika Karppinen on drums and percussion; and Janne Puurtinen on keyboard and backing vocals. The former members included Juippi, Juha Tarvonen and Juhana Tuomas Rantala on drums and percussion; Antto Melasniemi, Sergei Ovalov and Jussi-Mikko Salminen on keyboards; and Oki on guitar.

Released Albums

As expected from this unique band, they can boast of a substantial work collection. They have twenty-two singles, twenty-three music videos, seven HIM albums, six compilations, one live album, one extended play and four video albums.

• Greatest Love Songs Vol. 666 came out in 1997 but is not a Satanic album as some would think
• Razorblade Romance was released in 1999 and is a particularly significant work because it is an undisputed bestseller in the Finnish music scene
• Deep Shadows and Brilliant Highlights was a 2001 album that first featured the current band lineup
• Love Metal is a 2003 album, featuring the heartagram, that clearly reflects the band and its genre the most
• Dark Light followed in 2005 and was inspired by ancient mythology and present day religions
• Venus Doom was released in 2007 and is currently considered the most heavy metal of all HIM albums
• Screamworks: Love in Theory and Practice is the most recent 2010 release from the group and is dubbed by Valo himself as a cathartic primal scream

With this long list of artistic creations, there is no doubt that HIM will be around for long on band posters. There’s no killing this pioneering music giant.