HIM is a rock band from Finland formed in 1991 by vocalist Ville Valo, guitarist Mikko Lindström, and bassist Mikko Paananen. They have released six full length albums to date. As of 2009, they are the only Finnish band to have an album certified a "gold record" in the United States. An unreleased seven-track 1992 demo tape, Witches and Other Night Fears was the band's first recording. The only known copy supposedly resides with frontman Ville Valo.
The band was originally called His Infernal Majesty, but later changed their name after being associated with Satanic Rituals. In addition, "His Infernal Majesty" was too lengthy to pronounce in their native Finnish language so they shortened it to HIM. 666 Ways to Love: Prologue was released in 1996 solely in Finland, and only 1,000 copies of this album were sold. This makes it very rare for HIM collectors and fans, and worth quite a lot. Recently a near mint condition copy of the bands EP was listed on eBay for around $600. The lady on the cover is said to be Valo's mother, who (according to an interview with Valo) worked in a shoe shop at the time. It was produced by Hiili Hiilesmaa, and was recorded at Finnvox Studios, MD and Peacemakers, Helsinki.
Current members
* Ville Valo - lead vocals, acoustic guitar (1991-present)
* Mikko "Linde" Lindström - lead guitar, acoustic guitar (1991-present)
* Mikko "Migé" Paananen - bass guitar, backing vocals (1991-present)
* Mika "Gas Lipstick" Karppinen - drums, percussion (1999-present)
* Janne "Burton" Puurtinen - keyboards, backing vocals (2001-present)
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