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Based in Helsinky, FINLAND, HIM -a.k.a. His Infernal Majesty- was founded
in 1995 by the charismatic frontman, singer+bassist & songwriter Ville
Hermani Vallo who assembled the band around guitarist Mikko 'Linde' Lindström
and bass player Mikko 'Mige' Paananen; at the time Vallo switched from
bass to vocals and he enlisted drummer Juhana Rantala to complete the
line-up.
The next year saw Janne 'Burton' Puurtinen joined as keyboard player
and the band released an EP which showcased their distinctive sound, a
mix of Goth-Rock, Metal and a touch of Industrial.
In 1997, after Antto Melasniemi replaced Burton on keys, the group released
their debut full-length disc, "Greatest Lovesongs Vol. 666";
it contained the cover of Chris Isaak's
"Wicked Game" which received massive airplay all over Europe.
During the following years, keyboardist Zoltan Pluto stepped in to replace
Melasniemi, a few months later Rantala also left, Gas Lipstick replaced
him on drums.
By the fall of 1999 the band recorded a single entitled "Join Me"
for the movie soundtrack of the film "13th Floor"; this track
was issued in the the U.S. four years later credited under the moniker
of 'HER' while a Chicago outfit had already registered the name HIM.
The band's second effort, 2000's "Razorblade Romance", was a
massive smash in Finland, it established them as a major European NuMetal
act and went on to sell one million copies.
Pluto left the group in early 2001 to concentrate on his studies and Burton
was called to replace the keyboardist; HIM unleashed their third album,
"Deep Shadows And Brilliant Highlights" a year later.
In April of 2003 the band released "Love Metal", the album shot
to #1 in Finnish and Germans charts and generated the U.K. top 20 hit
single "The Funeral Of Hearts".
By this point, HIM accepted the proposal of the Universal Record company
to represent them in America, consequently both their second and third
full-length discs crashed into the top 10 of the Billboard Magazine's
Top Heatseekers Albums chart.
"Love Metal" rose to the top spot on the same chart, upon its
U.S. release in February 2005 and reached the #117 position on The Billboard
Top 200 Albums list.
The band's next album, "Dark Light", come out in September 2005;
it peaked at #18 on the U.S. Top 200 chart and went gold highlighted by
the first single, "Wings Of A Butterfly" which crawled up to
#19 on The Modern Rock Tracks.
"Kiss Of Dawn" is the first single off HIM's sixth full-length
CD, "Venus Doom"; this album, issued on Sire in North America
in September 2007, is the second to receive wide U.S. release.
HIM - His Infernal Majesty biography is an exclusive of 100xr.com
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