Posted under What I'm Listening To
Recently I’ve been listening pretty much non-stop to HIM. I tend to go through phases of just listening to one band for a few days or weeks, but I especially like HIM. I don’t have one favourite band, but they’re up there in my top favourites! (Actually, having been listening a lot to The Rasmus and Apocalyptica, I’m obviously going through a bit of a Finn-rock phase right now! 
)
HIM are a Finnish band that was formed in 1991 by vocalist Ville Valo, guitarist Mikko Lindström (Linde) and bassist Mikko Paananen (Migé). The line up has changed somewhat over the years, and these three original members are now joined by drummer Mika Karpinnen (Gas) and keyboardist Janne Puurtinen (Burton).
Ville poster available from Amazon.co.uk
HIM’s sound is predominantly a mix of metal, rock and goth influences, with fantastic hooks and rather doom-laden lyrics that frequently seem to be based around heartbreak and death. Personally, as a happy optimist, I’m more attracted to the music than the lyrics, but they do have that certain dark beauty that is often an appealing feature of gothic imagery. With their catchy melodies backed by satisfyingly heavy guitars, HIM seem to attract a very varied audience, and Valo’s photogenic appeal doesn’t do them any harm either.
I don’t really have a favourite album (because I love them all), but I’ve been listening to ‘Deep Shadows and Brilliant Highlights’
