HIM (Finnish band): Difference between revisions
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It is a common misconception among listeners that HIM have [[Satanic]] affiliations or practice [[Luciferianism]]. The band's all-black dress, hints of sadism, blood and other gothic topics in their lyrics [http://www.sing365.com/music/Lyric.nsf/Wings-Of-A-Butterfly-lyrics-H-I-M-His-Infernal-Majesty/2F2DB83AE549133B4825705300095BE8], and the heartagram logo (by which they are widely recognized) have all contributed to this. Although they are not dedicated Satanists, much of their imagery and lyrical references do bear a resemblance to the more romantic elements of Satanic beliefs, specifically one's natural indulgence in lust and "animal" desires (something the [[Church of Satan]] condones as a way to separate themselves from conservative values). It is not uncommon for other metal bands, such as [[Mötley Crüe]], to adopt this mentality with the sole purpose of upholding an alternative identity, and not necessarily to "worship the devil" (the [[Church of Satan]] itself merely believes in Satan as a personification, not as an actual entity). |
It is a common misconception among listeners that HIM have [[Satanic]] affiliations or practice [[Luciferianism]]. The band's all-black dress, hints of sadism, blood and other gothic topics in their lyrics [http://www.sing365.com/music/Lyric.nsf/Wings-Of-A-Butterfly-lyrics-H-I-M-His-Infernal-Majesty/2F2DB83AE549133B4825705300095BE8], and the heartagram logo (by which they are widely recognized) have all contributed to this. Although they are not dedicated Satanists, much of their imagery and lyrical references do bear a resemblance to the more romantic elements of Satanic beliefs, specifically one's natural indulgence in lust and "animal" desires (something the [[Church of Satan]] condones as a way to separate themselves from conservative values). It is not uncommon for other metal bands, such as [[Mötley Crüe]], to adopt this mentality with the sole purpose of upholding an alternative identity, and not necessarily to "worship the devil" (the [[Church of Satan]] itself merely believes in Satan as a personification, not as an actual entity). |
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==Misconceptions on Satanism== |
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==Heartagram Logo== |
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[[Image:Heartagram.JPG|thumb|right|The Heartagram]] |
[[Image:Heartagram.JPG|thumb|right|The Heartagram]] |
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HIM is widely recognizable by their [[heartagram]] logo. It consists of a [[heart (symbol)|heart]] and a [[pentagram]], which symbolizes the contrast or perfect balance between life and death or love and hatred or even love and death together. Valo has said that "the heartagram stands for HIM as a band, as an entity, and for 'love metal' in general," and claims the band is a "love metal band". |
HIM is widely recognizable by their [[heartagram]] logo. It consists of a [[heart (symbol)|heart]] and a [[pentagram]], which symbolizes the contrast or perfect balance between life and death or love and hatred or even love and death together. Valo has said that "the heartagram stands for HIM as a band, as an entity, and for 'love metal' in general," and claims the band is a "love metal band". |
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Revision as of 18:31, 27 July 2006
HIM | |
|---|---|
| Background information | |
| Years active | 1991 – present |
| Members | Ville Valo (Vocals) Mikko Viljami Lindström (Guitar) Migé Amour (bass) Emerson Burton (keyboard) Gas Lipstick (drums) |
- This article refers to the Finnish band. For the New York group, see HiM (band).
- For other uses, see HIM (disambiguation).
HIM, is a musical group from Finland formed in 1991 by vocalist Ville Hermanni Valo, guitarist Mikko Viljami "Linde" Lindström, and bassist Mikko Henrik Julius "Migé" Paananen. HIM was formerly known as His Infernal Majesty but dropped the full name to its abbreviation to separate from the misconceptions on satanism. They were also known as HER and HIM and HER for a brief time while in the United States and Germany, respectively.
History
HIM started out as a cover band of artists such as Type O Negative, KISS, Danzig, Black Sabbath and Depeche Mode. The band's name was changed to HIM for several reasons; once the band achieved success in Finland the Finnish people found pronouncing the name difficult, and the band had no connection with the occult. They were also attracting many gothic followers which they did not want. They wanted everyone to enjoy their music, not just a certain group of people.
After many lineup changes and a hiatus from 1991 to 1995 caused by the members' military services, the band now consists of the three founding members plus keyboardist Janne Johannes "Burton" Puurtinen and drummer Mika Kristian "Gas" Karppinen.
The band released their first studio album, Greatest Love Songs Vol. 666, on November 20th, 1997. The album features covers of Chris Isaak's "Wicked Game" and Blue Öyster Cult's "(Don't Fear) The Reaper". After gaining popularity in Europe, particularly their homeland, with the success of their second album, 1999's Razorblade Romance, HIM broke out into the mainstream in the UK in the early 2000s. The group became more well-known in America and internationally when professional skateboarder and TV personality Bam Margera began using the band's heartagram logo and promoting them extensively on his MTV series Viva La Bam.
Razorblade Romance reached some U.S. stores but HIM was not allowed to use their name for sales in the US because another American band owned the rights to that name. Therefore, they changed their name to HER only for the U.S. and Razorblade Romance. The full rights to HIM were finally bought and all HER Razorblade Romance's were discontinued and were replaced by a HIM version. During this time, they also used the name "HIM and HER" briefly while touring in Germany.
In 2001, HIM released Deep Shadows and Brilliant Highlights. This is the first album that new keyboarder Emerson Burton took part in, and was the final addition to the current line-up. On April 14, 2003, HIM released Love Metal. This was the first album that did not feature singer/songwriter Ville Valo on the cover. Instead, it featured a gold heartagram, the band's well-known logo.
HIM's fifth studio album, 2005's Dark Light, became their breakout in the U.S., debuting in the top 20 of the Billboard Top 200 and spawning two major rock hits, "Wings Of A Butterfly" and "Killing Loneliness", both of which have accompanying videos. The success of Dark Light has also allowed a number of HIM's previous albums (including Love Metal) to chart in the U.S.; however, it has been given mixed reviews by critics [1].
In addition to their studio albums, HIM has released several compilations. These include the Love Metal Archives DVD, the many-disc Singles Collection, a greatest hits titled And Love Said No, and a DVD collection of their videos through 2003.
In May 2006, Valo announced in the UK magazine Kerrang! that HIM will start recording their next studio album this summer and release it around September or October of 2007. [2]
Misconceptions on "Satanism"
It is a common misconception among listeners that HIM have Satanic affiliations or practice Luciferianism. The band's all-black dress, hints of sadism, blood and other gothic topics in their lyrics [3], and the heartagram logo (by which they are widely recognized) have all contributed to this. Although they are not dedicated Satanists, much of their imagery and lyrical references do bear a resemblance to the more romantic elements of Satanic beliefs, specifically one's natural indulgence in lust and "animal" desires (something the Church of Satan condones as a way to separate themselves from conservative values). It is not uncommon for other metal bands, such as Mötley Crüe, to adopt this mentality with the sole purpose of upholding an alternative identity, and not necessarily to "worship the devil" (the Church of Satan itself merely believes in Satan as a personification, not as an actual entity).
Misconceptions on Satanism
HIM is widely recognizable by their heartagram logo. It consists of a heart and a pentagram, which symbolizes the contrast or perfect balance between life and death or love and hatred or even love and death together. Valo has said that "the heartagram stands for HIM as a band, as an entity, and for 'love metal' in general," and claims the band is a "love metal band". Some people think they are sitanic for their songs.I love that band and I want to say something to the people who don't listen to the. Stop saying their sitanic first get to know them and listen to them.
Genre controversy
HIM's widely-debated musical style is often referred to as "love metal" by Valo and by the group's fans, while critics commonly refer to them as gothic metal or gothic rock [4]. However, their musical style varies between albums, and songs. Therefore the exact genre to which they belong is debated — in particular, the validity of describing their music as "metal", even in the unique context of "love metal". Some of the more common genres applied to their music include:
Discography
Studio releases
- Greatest Lovesongs, Vol. 666, (1997)
- Razorblade Romance, (2000)
- Deep Shadows and Brilliant Highlights, (2001) #190 US
- Love Metal, (2003) #117 US
- Dark Light, (2005) #18 US #18UK #4Ger
Other releases
- Witches And Other Night Fears (Demo), (1992)
- This Is Only the Beginning (Demo), (1995)
- 666 Ways to Love: Prologue (EP), (1996)
Compilations
Singles
| Year | Title | Chart Positions | Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Mainstream Rock | UK Singles Chart | German Mediacontrol Charts | |||
| 1996 | "Wicked Game" | - | - | - | Greatest Lovesongs, Vol. 666 |
| 1997 | "When Love and Death Embrace" | - | - | - | Greatest Lovesongs, Vol. 666 |
| 1998 | "Your Sweet Six Six Six" | - | - | - | Greatest Lovesongs, Vol. 666 |
| 1999 | "It's All Tears (Drown in This Love)" | - | - | - | Greatest Lovesongs, Vol. 666 |
| 1999 | "Join Me in Death" | - | - | #1 | Razorblade Romance |
| 2000 | "Right Here in My Arms" | - | - | #22 | Razorblade Romance |
| 2000 | "Poison Girl" | - | - | #34 | Razorblade Romance |
| 2000 | "Gone With the Sin" | - | - | #19 | Razorblade Romance |
| 2001 | "Pretending" | - | - | #10 | Deep Shadows and Brilliant Highlights |
| 2001 | "In Joy and Sorrow" | - | - | #17 | Deep Shadows and Brilliant Highlights |
| 2002 | "Heartache Every Moment" | - | - | #20 | Deep Shadows and Brilliant Highlights |
| 2002 | "Close to the Flame" | - | - | - | Deep Shadows and Brilliant Highlights |
| 2003 | "The Funeral of Hearts" | - | #15 | #2 | Love Metal |
| 2003 | "Buried Alive By Love" | - | #30 | #27 | Love Metal |
| 2003 | "The Sacrament" | - | #23 | #22 | Love Metal |
| 2004 | "Solitary Man" | - | #9 | #17 | And Love Said No: Greatest Hits 1997-2004 |
| 2004 | "And Love Said No" | - | - | - | And Love Said No: Greatest Hits 1997-2004 |
| 2005 | "Wings of a Butterfly" | #1 | #10 | #10 | Dark Light |
| 2006 | "Vampire Heart" | - | - | - | Dark Light |
| 2006 | "Killing Loneliness" | #4 | #26 | #32 | Dark Light |
Members
- Ville Hermanni Valo — vocals 1991–present
- Mikko Viljami Lindström (also known as Linde, Lily Lazer, or Daniel Lioneye) — guitar 1991-present
- Mikko Henrik Julius Paananen (also known as Migé Amour) — bass guitar 1991-present
- Janne Johannes Puurtinen (also known as Emerson Burton) — keyboards 2001-present
- Mika Kristian Karppinen (also known as Gas Lipstick) — drums 1999-present
Former members
- Antto Einari Melasniemi — keyboards (1995-1998)
- Jussi-Mikko "Juska" Salminen (also known as Zoltan Pluto) — keyboards (1998-2000)
- Juhana Tuomas "Pätkä" Rantala — drums (1995-1999)