Cries from the Quiet World: HIM

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miércoles, 14 de octubre de 2026

HIM "And Love Said No: The Greatest Hits 1997–2004 (CD+DVD, EU, RCA, 8287660606)"

And Love Said No: The Greatest Hits 1997–2004 is a greatest hits album by Finnish rock band HIM. It contains two new songs: "And Love Said No" and "Solitary Man", the latter of which is a Neil Diamond cover, both songs produced by Tim Palmer. The British version also has a re-recorded version of "It's All Tears (Drown in This Love)". The digipak version of this album comes with a DVD with six songs live at Semifinal Club in Helsinki.

Track listing

"And Love Said No" – 4:10
"Join Me" – 3:37
"Buried Alive by Love" – 5:01
"Heartache Every Moment" – 3:56
"Solitary Man" (Neil Diamond cover) – 3:36
"Right Here in My Arms" – 4:00
"The Funeral of Hearts" – 4:29
"In Joy and Sorrow" – 3:59
"Your Sweet 666" (re-recorded version) – 3:56
"Gone with the Sin" – 4:22
"Wicked Game" (Chris Isaak cover; re-recorded version) – 4:04
"The Sacrament" – 4:30
"Close to the Flame" – 3:47
"It's All Tears (Drown in This Love)" (re-recorded version) – 4:30*
"Poison Girl" – 3:51
"Pretending" – 3:41
"When Love and Death Embrace" – 6:11

Website extras included as Enhanced CD content

* – Only available on the UK version. Other versions omit this track completely. The UK version also features a hype sticker stating there are two never-before-released re-recordings exclusive to the UK; this is incorrect as "When Love and Death Embrace" is a remaster and not a re-recording.

Bonus DVD: Live at the Semifinal in Helsinki (24–30 April 2003)

"Soul on Fire" – 4:09
"The Funeral of Hearts" – 4:44
"Beyond Redemption" – 4:23
"Sweet Pandemonium" – 5:07
"Buried Alive by Love" – 4:48
"The Sacrament" – 4:34

HIM "Love Metal (Limited Edition Digipak, Enhanced CD, Finland, BMG Finland, 82876 505042)"

Love Metal is the fourth studio album by Finnish rock band HIM. Released on 11 April 2003, HIM began recording demos for the album in northern spring 2002, after an exhausting touring cycle for their previous album, which nearly broke the band up. Excited and invigorated by the new material, HIM entered Finnvox Studios in September 2002 with producer Hiili Hiilesmaa, who had previously helmed the group's 1997 debut album. Musically Love Metal featured a more raw and organic sound, inspired by the band's early influences, which was also seen as a reaction to the difficulties they faced while recording their previous album. Vocalist Ville Valo has since described Love Metal as the album where HIM found their sound. Love Metal was also the band's first album to predominantly feature their logo, the Heartagram, on the cover, while the album's title was coined in the mid-nineties as a description for HIM's musical genre.

Love Metal received positive reviews from critics, with many praising the songwriting and calling the album a return to form after Deep Shadows and Brilliant Highlights. The album charted in eleven countries, reaching number one in Finland and Germany, later going platinum and gold respectively. Love Metal was also the band's first album to chart in the UK and France at number 55 and 141 respectively. Three singles were released, with "The Funeral of Hearts" reaching number one on the Finnish Singles Chart. Music videos were produced for all three singles, with professional skateboarder and Jackass member Bam Margera directing two. Following the album's release, HIM toured the US for the first time, with all of the shows being sold out.

After nearly breaking up following an exhausting supporting tour for their previous album Deep Shadows and Brilliant Highlights, HIM took a two-month break in early 2002. While other members of the band flew on vacation, vocalist Ville Valo stayed behind in Helsinki and began writing new material. When HIM regrouped at the turn of February and March 2002, the band felt re-energized, as well as excited about the new songs Valo had written. The group soon began recording demos in the spring of 2002, with producer Hiili Hiilesmaa, who had previously produced the band's 1997 debut album. HIM continued to work on new material for approximately six months, before entering Finnvox Studios in September 2002 to record their fourth studio album with Hiilesmaa acting as producer. The recording process lasted two months, after which the band flew to Los Angeles for two weeks to mix the album at Studio Scream with Tim Palmer, who had previously worked with Pearl Jam and U2 among others. Additional mixing for the tracks "Buried Alive by Love" and "Sweet Pandemonium" was done at Sphere Studios in London, while the album was mastered at Sterling Sound in New York by George Marino.

The artwork for Love Metal was designed by Valo and Janne Uotila, and marks the first predominant use of the band's logo the heartagram, which was originally designed by Valo on his twentieth birthday in 1996. According to Valo, the inclusion of the heartagram on the cover was done as "a statement of intent [...] musically, visually and ideologically", as well as to "get the symbol across". The term "love metal" was coined by the band in the late-nineties as way to respond to peoples' difficulty categorizing HIM's music, and was chosen as the title of the album in order to explain to people what the term means, with Valo stating: "When somebody asks 'what is love metal', we can give him or her the album".

The overall sound of Love Metal was described by Ville Valo as being more "organic" and "dynamic" than some of the band's previous work, whilst at the same time containing elements from all their albums in one. He also described Love Metal as a "hats off" to the band's influences, such as Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, and Iggy Pop, as well as a reaction to the difficulties they faced during the making of Deep Shadows and Brilliant Highlights. He elaborated, stating: "After what we considered a disappointment with Deep Shadows and Brilliant Highlights, because there were so many chefs in the kitchen, we wanted to be a band [...] that we control what we do, and everybody else can fuck-off." Valo referred to Love Metal as a "moment of realization" for the band, stating: "This is what we are, and this is what we're going to do". He also described the album as the point where the group found "the identity of the band".

"Buried Alive by Love" was one of the first songs composed for the album, and opens with a riff inspired by "Search and Destroy" by The Stooges, which Valo had written while on tour for Razorblade Romance. According to Valo, the song was deliberately chosen as the first track of the album to display "that youthful, animalistic energy" that had been "lacking" in some of the band's previous work. "The Funeral of Hearts" wasn't originally considered for the album, as it was unfinished when recording began. The song was added at the last minute after bassist Mikko "Mige" Paananen heard the chorus, demanding it be included on the album. Lyrically "The Funeral of Hearts" talks about "being able to celebrate what you have, even though things might end." Valo described the song as "the most accessible, straight on HIM-tune" on Love Metal. "Beyond Redemption" was inspired by a relationship of a friend of Valo's, and lyrically deals with "people who fall in love, and then they are beyond redemption; there's no turning back". "Sweet Pandemonium" talks about "understanding you've got a problem" and the difficulty to "talk about it", while "Circle of Fear" deals with the inability to help other people "without loving yourself first". "The Path" was inspired by the legend of Orpheus, and was included in the end credits of the Finnish film Honey Baby, as was "The Sacrament" in the 2007 anime film Highlander: The Search for Vengeance.

"The Funeral of Hearts" was released in March 2003 as the first single from Love Metal, charting in five countries, including at number one in Finland and number two in Germany. The song also gave the band their first UK chart position at number fifteen. A music video by Stefan Lindfors was also filmed in Lapland, which later won "Best Video" at the 2004 Kerrang! Awards. "The Funeral of Hearts" was also nominated for "Best Single" that year. Love Metal was released on 11 April 2003 in Finland and on 14 April internationally, and charted in eleven countries, peaking at number one in Finland and Germany, number four in Switzerland, and at number five in Austria. The album also reached number 55 on the UK Albums Chart, and later charted at number 117 in the US in 2005. Love Metal was eventually certified platinum in Finland and gold in Germany. The album was also nominated for "Best Album" at the 2003 Kerrang! Awards, as well as "Hard Rock/Metal Album of the Year" at the 2003 Emma Awards, while HIM were nominated for "Band of the Year".

"Buried Alive by Love" and "The Sacrament" were released as singles in May and June 2003 respectively, with both hitting the UK charts, and the latter also peaking at number four in Finland. Both received music videos, which were directed by professional skateboarder and Jackass member Bam Margera. The band had first met Margera in 2000, after a show in London, and played their first concert in the United States the following year at a party organized by Margera. "Buried Alive by Love" was shot in Los Angeles, with a guest appearance by actress Juliette Lewis, while "The Sacrament" was filmed in Prague. In May 2003, HIM performed a sold-out show at the London Astoria, before starting the album's supporting tour in October 2003 in Finland. HIM were also scheduled to support Ozzy Osbourne in the fall of 2003 on a European tour, but were forced to drop-out, after the tour was postponed due to Osbourne injuring his leg. Following the release of the compilation album And Love Said No: The Greatest Hits 1997–2004, HIM announced in August 2003, that they had parted ways with their record company BMG, having fulfilled their contractual obligations to the label. Around the same time the band also announced plans to release a new live album, tentatively titled Live Metal, in November 2003, but the record was ultimately scrapped, in favor of starting work on new material. HIM continued touring on 17 January 2004 in Italy, which was followed by a seven-date UK leg, which was entirely sold-out. From 15 April to 19 May 2004, HIM embarked on their first tour of the US, which was also entirely sold-out. HIM also received a nomination for "Best Band on the Planet" at the 2004 Kerrang! Awards.

Track listing

All tracks written by Ville Valo.

"Buried Alive by Love" 5:01
"The Funeral of Hearts" 4:30
"Beyond Redemption" 4:28
"Sweet Pandemonium" 5:45
"Soul on Fire" 4:02
"The Sacrament" 4:32
"This Fortress of Tears" 5:46
"Circle of Fear" 5:27
"Endless Dark" 5:35
"The Path" 7:44

Total length: 52:53

Digipak bonus track

"Love's Requiem" 8:36

Total length: 60:50

Enhanced content:

Buried Alive By Love (Video) 4:04

Digipak manufactured by Pozzoli, Italy. On this version the booklet pocket is open to the right side.

Limited edition including one bonus track, extended booklet and the video.

Recording information:

Hiili Hiilesmaa − production, engineering

Tim Palmer − mixing

Mark O'Donoughue − mixing engineer

Alex Uychocde - mixing assistant

Nick Friend − mixing assistant

George Marino − mastering

Janne Uotila − artwork

HIM "Greatest Lovesongs Vol. 666 [Digipak, Finland, Terrier Records, 74321 53106 2]"

Greatest Lovesongs Vol. 666 is the debut studio album by Finnish rock band HIM. The album was recorded in fifteen days during the summer of 1997 with producer Hiili Hiilesmaa, whom vocalist Ville Valo has credited as the honorary sixth member of the band due his help in honing the band's sound, and released on 3 November 1997. Musically Greatest Lovesongs Vol. 666 has been described as a combination of heavy metal and 1980s rock and goth, with lyrics centered around themes of love and death. The album also features the only writing credits from guitarist Mikko "Linde" Lindström in the band's history, and is their only album to feature keyboardist Antto Melasniemi and drummer Juhana "Pätkä" Rantala.

Greatest Lovesongs Vol. 666 received positive reviews from critics, who commended the album's diversity and overall sound. The album peaked at number four in Finland and at number 50 in Germany, later going platinum in the former. Three singles were released, two of which reached the top ten in Finland, with music videos also being produced for two. HIM would later go on to win "Debut Album of the Year", as well as "Newcomer of the Year", at the 1997 Emma Awards. After a supporting tour across Finland, Greatest Lovesongs Vol. 666 received its international release in late 1998, which was followed by the band's first tour abroad in Germany.

HIM began recording their debut album in the northern summer of 1997. The drums, bass and guitars were recorded at MD-Studios in Munkkiniemi, while the vocals and keyboards were recorded at Peacemakers Studios in Jokela. All in all the recording process took fifteen days, while the album was mixed in approximately one week. Due to HIM's minimal studio experience, producer Hiili Hiilesmaa played a key role in honing the band's sound, and was touted as the honorary sixth member of the group by vocalist Ville Valo. When recording began, HIM had eight songs ready for the album, two of which ("Wicked Game" and "The Heartless") were previously recorded for the group's 1996 EP 666 Ways to Love: Prologue. After initial recording ended, the album clocked in at 32 minutes, which the band's record label BMG felt was too short. As a result, HIM opted to include a cover of Blue Öyster Cult's "(Don't Fear) the Reaper" on the record, which the band had recorded the previous winter. The track also featured guest vocals by Sanna-June Hyde, an old school friend of Valo's and guitarist Linde Lindström's ex-girlfriend. During the album's mastering process, Hiili Hiilesmaa and Pauli Saastamoinen added an effect at the end "It's All Tears (Drown in This Love)", where the stereo sound breaks, which later caused many people to return the album to stores, believing they had received a faulty copy.

Valo had originally envisioned the album's front cover as featuring a replica of his body that would slowly turn into a skeleton as it went down. Due to minimal funds and time constraints, the band were unable to fulfill this idea, instead opting for a more traditional photo session with Vertti Teräsvuori. The finished cover art was meant as a combination of goth and eroticism with its dark red color scheme, while Valo posing was described as a "Jeanne d'Arc–style tortured figure". BMG were not fond of the finished artwork, feeling that it evoked too much of a "Billy Idol vibe" by just having one band member on the cover. The label also protested to the band's idea of having the name HIM barely visible on the cover. "For You" was also chosen as the first track on the album at the insistence of BMG, with "Intro" in parentheses. According to Valo, this was done because the label didn't want people just listening to the long opening of the song, thinking the whole album would be like that. "Your Sweet Six Six Six" was later switched out as the opening track on the international edition of the album.

The sound of Greatest Lovesongs Vol. 666 has been described as a combination of heavy metal and 1980s rock and goth music, with Valo citing Type O Negative as the main influence on the album. Lyrically the material is heavy on symbolism centered around love and death, a theme that would continue through the band's later work as well. As a whole however, Valo has described the album as much more "serious" than the band's later releases, stating: "I guess I was a bit humorless back then. I thought we were really making some fucking fine art or something, and in hindsight, I realized that maybe it wasn't quite like that." The album opens with "For You", which features a '50s-style guitar intro, inspired by Chris Isaak's "Wicked Game", while the main riff of the song is taken from "Bloody Hammer" by Roky Erickson. "For You", along with "Our Diabolikal Rapture", are the only two HIM-songs to date to be co-written by guitarist Linde Lindström. The latter of the two tracks came to be after Valo heard Lindström playing a riff, which they then modified to be more "stonery". This eventually evolved into "Our Diabolikal Rapture", which Valo described as "progressive, yet catchy". "Your Sweet Six Six Six" is a love song about how "when another person does you harm, but still it's so fucking hard to let go. You're not even sure if you want to let go" according to Valo. The title was inspired by the alleged backmasking featured on Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven", where TV evangelist Paul Crouch claimed that, when played backwards, satanic messages can be heard in the song, including the phrase "Here's to my sweet Satan". The use of the number 666 was also seen by the band as purely "symbolic" and "traditionally rock 'n' roll", not indicative of Satanism.

"The Heartless" was inspired by Valo's first crush, who fell in love with his best friend, whom Valo felt was being "completely heartless" to her. "When Love and Death Embrace" was chosen as the first single from the album by BMG Finland's Asko Kallonen, who felt that the song "represented HIM at its core", to which Valo agreed, touting it as being a good representation of the band overall. The verse-chords of the song are taken from the soundtrack to the TV series Twin Peaks, while the use of a Moog synthesizer later became a "trademark of HIM" according to Valo. The banging sounds featured on "The Beginning of the End" were achieved by the band hitting trash bins in a cellar, while the opening riff was performed by Valo, as Lindström was not present at the studio and the band wanted "the world's shittiest sound played badly", which they believed Lindström could not provide. "Wicked Game" was originally released in 1989 by Chris Isaak on his album Heart Shaped World. A year later the song was used in the David Lynch film Wild at Heart, which is where Valo first heard it. Around this time, HIM were low on original material and thus decided to add "Wicked Game" to their repertoire. According to Valo, the song played an integral part in HIM's evolution, helping them develop their own sound. "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" was originally released by American rock band Blue Öyster Cult on their 1976 album Agents of Fortune. The Romeo and Juliet-inspired lyrics of the song convinced Valo to record it as a duet, explaining: "I never understood the manliness of the original by Blue Öyster Cult, as [the song] is clearly an exchange between a man and a woman. I thought it would be more interesting to make a version, where a boy and a girl decide you don't have to be afraid".

"When Love and Death Embrace" was released as the first single from the album in October 1997, debuting at number twelve on the Finnish Singles Chart, before peaking at number nine two weeks later. A music video, directed by Mikko Pitkänen, was also produced. Also in October, HIM held a showcase for members of the music industry at the Music and Media Expo in Tampere. Greatest Lovesongs Vol. 666 was released on 3 November 1997, debuting at number eleven on the Finnish Albums Chart, before peaking at number four a week later, eventually being certified gold and later platinum. On the day of the album's release, HIM held a party at King's Kakadu, a strip club in Helsinki, where they performed three songs by Rauli "Badding" Somerjoki, dressed in suits with slicked-back hair, as well as '50s-style instruments. Afterwards HIM performed a sold-out show at the Tavastia Club in Helsinki.

The official supporting tour for Greatest Lovesongs Vol. 666 began in mid-December 1997 at the Maxim in Kuopio. "Your Sweet Six Six Six" and "Wicked Game" were released as the follow-up singles from the album, with the former charting at number nine in Finland and the latter receiving a music video, directed by Markus Walter. HIM would go on to win "Newcomer of the Year" and "Debut Album of the Year" at the Finnish Emma Awards in 1998. Greatest Lovesongs Vol. 666 was released internationally a year after its initial Finnish release, charting at number 56 in Germany. The album would re-enter the German Albums Chart in 2000, peaking at number 50. Prior to the album's release, HIM were invited to play two festival dates in Germany, followed by a fourteen date tour across the country in the fall. Before the start of the tour, keyboardist Antto Melasniemi was let go from the band, being replaced by Jussi-Mikko "Juska" Salminen. After returning to Finland, HIM also decided to part ways with drummer Juhana "Pätkä" Rantala, who was replaced by Mika "Gas Lipstick" Karppinen before the start of another German tour.

Tracklist:

"For You (Intro)" Linde Lindström, Ville Valo 4:00
"Your Sweet Six Six Six" 4:12
"Wicked Game" (Chris Isaak cover) Chris Isaak 3:54
"The Heartless" 4:03
"Our Diabolikal Rapture" Teemu Järvinen, Linde Lindström, Ville Valo 5:21
"It's All Tears (Drown in This Love)" 3:44
"When Love and Death Embrace" 6:08
"The Beginning of the End" 4:07
"(Don't Fear) The Reaper" (Blue Öyster Cult cover) Buck Dharma 6:30
Untitled (Tracks 10–65 consist of silence that last different lengths. Track 66 has silence until 5:49, when the instrumental outro of "The Heartless", from the band's 1996 EP 666 Ways to Love: Prologue, plays until the end.) 7:51