Finnish band HIM brings heartagram to Orlando in part of US tour
Finnish metal band, HIM, have returned to the United States and make their way to Orlando on March 19, in honor of the latest release “Tears on Tape,” at the House of Blues to support their 2013 album.
Frontman Ville Valo formed the band in 1991, in Helsinki, Finland. Along with remaining members: Mikko “Linde” Lindström on guitar, and bassist Mikko “Migé” Paananen.
After several attempts to find the right drummer and keyboardist, HIM solidified their lineup in 2001 with Janne “Emerson Burton” Puurtinen on keyboards and Mika Karppinen on drums.
After the band released their first EP “666 Ways to Love: Prologue” exclusively in their homeland, they recorded their first full length record “Greatest Lovesongs Vol. 666.” The album’s run time was a length of 66 minutes and 6 seconds and had 66 songs, 56 of which were blank.
The group made their breakthrough in the United States with their fifth studio album “Dark Light,” which debuted on the top 20 of Billboard 200, and featured their two hit singles “Wings of a Butterfly” and “Killing Loneliness.” The album’s success led HIM to becoming the first Finnish band to more than 500,000 copies and to earn a Gold certification by the Recording Industry Association of America.
In an attempt to return to their roots, the band recorded their latest album “Tears on Tape,” released in late April of 2013, with producer Tim Palmer, who produced the band’s previous albums “Dark Light” and “Venus Doom.”
The “Heartagram” is the bands official logo, which Valo created on his 20th birthday. Featured on five of their past albums, the logo was also picked up by “Jackass” star and professional skateboarder Bam Margera, who uses the logo on his Adio shoes and Element skateboards. With the heartagrams wide usage, frontman Valo has stated that the band has become better known for their logo than for their music.
Doors to the House of Blues open at 6:30 pm. Opening the show is supporting act Anathema, who will play at 7:30 p.m. Tickets for the show are available for $32, plus additional fees at LiveNation.com.
