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| The Story Of HIM HIM was formed in mid 1995, by a young and fresh faced Ville Valo, who at the time was working in his father's sex shop but secretly longed to have his own band. He and 4 friends known well from high school thus formed the original HIM lip up and quarter of which still remains today. Ville the singer & songwriter, Mikko Vijami "Linde" Lindstorm on guitar, Mikko Henrik Julius Pannanen "Mige" on bass, Juhana Rantala on drums and Antto Melasniemi on keyboard. Juhana was replaced by Mika Karppinen (Gas Lipstick) in 1999, and Antto Melasneimi by Juska Salminen (or Zoltan Pluto as he's more widely known) and then again replaced in 2000 by Emerson Burton who has remained with the band since. The first single of the band was "666 Ways To Love: Prologue". In October of 1996 the "Wicked Game" single, was released an excellent cover of Chris Isaak's harmonious song, and this is the song which has made them a household name in their native Finland and Neighbouring European countries. In Autumn of 1996, the first ever HIM album "Greatest Love Songs Vol. 666", was released which included "Wicked Game" and a cover of Blue Oyster Cult's "Don't Fear The Reaper" but true success still enluded the Finn rockers. But success came knocking in January 2000 when the eagarly awaited follow up album "Razorblade Romance" was releases on the GUN record label and achieved #1 both in Germany and in Finland dragging itself the debut of the band. The success was so great that "Razorblade Romance" was re-edited adding "Your Sweet 666" and "Wicked Game" from their first album. Then HIM started a frenetic trip all around Europe. Razorblade Romance was produced by John Fryer who had worked before with White Zombie, Nine Inch Nails and Depeche Mode, and was recorded at Rockfield Studios in Wales, birthplace of such classics as Queen's "Bohemian Rapsody", Oasis' "(What a Story) Morning Glory" or the debut album of Black Sabbath. "Join Me" went up quickly in German and Finnish charts to achieve the number one postion in both countries and its included in the O.S.T. of the german movie "The 13th Floor", produced by Roland Emmerich ("Independence Day" & "Godzilla" director) and, in spite of the fact Valo thinks it's one of the weakest tracks on the album, "Join Me" is the best selling Finnish single of all time. The name HIM itself has been a much widely disscussed topic as not one band member will a straight answer originally the name was perchieved to Mean "His Infernal Majesty" Ville himself has point blankly denied that the band has ever had that name, there all also many oher more unbelieveable reasonings behind the name such as it being the name of a 70's gay porn magazine, a german shop that makes wedding dresses for transvestites to the more tame names ventured occasionally in interviews by Valo him such as "Hanson is Murder" and "Helsinki Ice Hokey Maniacs". Press in Finland have many times linked the bands with Satanism due to the fraquental uses of 666 in the song lyrics and titles and the resemblance to the bands signature logo of the heartagram to the sign of the devil... the pentagram which as suspected is something else Valo denys. To date HIM has released 5 albums, 1996's Greatest Loves Songs Volume 666, 2000's Razorblade Romance, 2001's Deep Shadows and Brillant Highlights, 2003's Love Metal and this year, 2004's The Greast Hits compilation "And Love Said No" documenting the highs of their ten year career and entertained over a million people whilist doing it, Boys we salute you... carry on rockin'!! |
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| Emerson Burton |
| Mige Amour |
| Gas Lipstick |
| Lily Lazer |
| Ville Valo |