HIM to Perform at The Wiltern

Ani Mikaelian

Finnish band HIM is back in the states, this time to promote their latest studio album “Tears on Tape” at the Wiltern on Dec. 16. Openers include Motionless in White and Wounds.

Hailing from Helsinki, Finland, this five-piece was formed in 1991 and currently consists of vocalist Ville Valo, guitarist Mikko “Linde” Lindstrom, bassist Mikko “Mige” Paananen, keyboardist Janne “Emerson Burton Puurtinen” and drummer Mika Karppinen. With eight albums under their belt, five of them have been certified platinum in Finland, album “Razorblade Romance” being certified double platinum in Finland with platinum in Germany.

Originally, the band went by His Infernal Majesty, now clearly shortened to HIM, and had released three demos and one EP before their first full-length album came out in Nov. 1997, roughly six years after forming. From then on, they’ve released popular songs “(Don’t Fear) the Reaper,” “For You,” and “Join Me in Death,” the last going down in history as the best-selling Finnish single. Not at all bad for a band perceived to be the Satan-worshipping type.

With 2005, came fifth studio album “Dark Light,” and this was what put HIM on the map in the United States, having debuted in the top 20 of the Billboard 200. It was hard to find someone who had not heard “Rip Out the Wings of a Butterfly” and “Killing Loneliness,” with Kat Von D appearing in the latter’s video. That summer the band had the opportunity to play with Black Sabbath and Velvet Revolver on the main stage of Download Festival, which only doubled their success.

Albums “Venus Doom” and “Screamworks: Love in Theory and Practice” were then released in 2007 and 2010, respectively. “Screamworks” also had a few tracks remixed by artists such as Tiesto, Morgan Page and Gavin Rossum.

After parting ways with Sire Records, HIM stepped into Helsinki’s Finnvox Studios to record with producer Hiili Hiilesmaa. The album was paid for out of pocket, as the band no longer had a label to support them, but in Feb. 2013, it was announced that the album would be licensed to three separate record companies: DoubleCross in the U.K., Razor & Tie in the U.S. and Universal in Europe.

HIM will be at the Wiltern on Dec. 16 and they will be promoting their second vinyl box to be released Nov. 25.

HIM will be performing at The Wiltern Dec. 16. Tickets are available here.