HIM

The Profile

HIM was a Finnish rock band from Helsinki fronted by singer Ville Valo, known for romantic themes blending love and death and for popularizing the term “love metal.”

Publicly known: HIM (often stylized H.I.M.) was a Finnish band from Helsinki led by Ville Valo; the name originally stood for “His Infernal Majesty.” The band is commonly associated with a “love metal” concept and the Heartagram symbol. HIM’s active career ran from the 1990s until their 2017 farewell tour.

Across these reviews, HIM are portrayed as a Finnish (Helsinki) band built around Ville Valo’s baritone charisma and romantic gloom. Listeners argue over whether it’s genuine dark rock/metal or knowingly commercial pop-goth, with “Love Metal” and the Heartagram as the calling cards. Razorblade Romance and Greatest Lovesongs Vol. 666 are praised as defining statements; Dark Light and Screamworks split opinion for polish and pop leanings. Venus Doom is widely framed as a heavier, darker corrective, while Tears On Tape is seen as a dirtier, partial return after Screamworks.