Ville Hermanni Valo is a Finnish singer, songwriter and musician. He is best known as the lead vocalist of the gothic rock band HIM.
Amorphis is a Finnish heavy metal band founded by Jan Rechberger, Tomi Koivusaari, and Esa Holopainen in 1990. Initially, the band was a death metal act, but on later albums they evolved into playing other genres, including progressive metal and folk metal. They frequently use the Kalevala, the epic poem of Finland, as a source for their lyrics.
HIM was a Finnish gothic rock band from Helsinki. First formed in 1991 by vocalist Ville Valo and bassist Mikko "Mige" Paananen under the name His Infernal Majesty, the band broke up after only a few years, only to be reformed in 1995 by Valo and guitarist Mikko "Linde" Lindström. After being rejoined by Mige, as well as keyboardist Antto Melasniemi and drummer Juhana "Pätkä" Rantala, the band, now called HIM, released its debut album Greatest Lovesongs Vol. 666 in 1997. In 2000, now with drummer Mika "Gas Lipstick" Karppinen and keyboardist Juska Salminen, the band released Razorblade Romance, which reached the number one spot in Finland, Austria and Germany. The first single "Join Me in Death" also charted at number one in Finland and Germany, eventually going platinum and gold, respectively. Following the addition of Janne "Burton" Puurtinen on keyboards, HIM released Deep Shadows and Brilliant Highlights (2001) and Love Metal (2003). Both cracked the top ten in several countries and allowed the band to tour in the United Kingdom and the United States for the first time.
Sentenced was a Finnish gothic metal band that played melodic death metal in their early years. The band formed in 1989 in the town of Muhos and broke up in 2005.
Timo Tapio Tolkki is a Finnish musician best known as the former guitarist, singer, songwriter and producer of the power metal band Stratovarius. With his tenure lasting for more than twenty years, he was the longest standing member of the band before his departure in 2008. After leaving Stratovarius he formed two supergroups named Revolution Renaissance and Symfonia, both of which have since disbanded. In a 2011 article by Guitar World magazine, Tolkki was included in the all-time top 50 list of the world's fastest guitarists.
Marko Tapani "Marco" Hietala is a Finnish heavy metal vocalist, bassist and songwriter. Internationally, he is best known as the former bassist, male vocalist and secondary composer to Tuomas Holopainen, of the symphonic metal band Nightwish. He is also the vocalist and bassist as well as composer and lyricist for the heavy metal band Tarot.
Poisonblack was a Finnish gothic metal band led by singer and guitarist Ville Laihiala.
Dark Light is the fifth studio album by Finnish gothic rock band HIM. Released on 26 September 2005, HIM began recording the album in March 2005 at the Paramour Estate is Los Angeles with producer Tim Palmer, who had also mixed the band's previous album Love Metal. Dark Light also served as HIM's first worldwide release with Sire Records, with whom the band had signed with in September 2004. In Finland, however, the album was released under the band's own label Heartagram. Musically, Dark Light featured a more "polished" and "accessible" sound than previous albums, and was written as a cross between Black Sabbath and U2, also influenced by the work of composer Angelo Badalamenti.
Gothic metal is a fusion genre combining the aggression of heavy metal with the dark atmospheres of gothic rock. The music of gothic metal is diverse with bands known to adopt the gothic approach to different styles of heavy metal music. The genre originated during the early 1990s in the United Kingdom originally as an outgrowth of death-doom, a fusion of death metal and doom metal. Lyrics are generally dark and introspective with inspiration from gothic fiction as well as personal experiences.
Juha-Pekka "JP" Leppäluoto is a Finnish musician. He was in the band Charon until the summer of 2011 as a vocalist and songwriter. He also formed the band Harmaja as a vocalist, guitar player and songwriter. They released three albums. Together with Marko Hietala, Tony Kakko, and Jarkko Ahola, he was also in the band Northern Kings as a vocalist. He provided vocals for the first release from the band Poisonblack, which featured members from several other Finnish rock bands, and also sang in the band Dark Sarah, first as a guest, and then as an official member for one album cycle, before stepping away to focus on a solo career, although he still provides guest vocals for the band. In 2020 he released his first solo album, titled Piilevää pimeää.
Frozen is an album by the Finnish metal band Sentenced, released on 15 July 1998 via Century Media.
Down is the fourth album by the Finnish metal band Sentenced, released in November 1996 via Century Media. It is also the first album including the vocalist Ville Laihiala. This album is the band's first pure gothic metal album.
Lust Stained Despair is the second album by the Finnish gothic metal band Poisonblack. Provisionally titled The Music for the Junkies by Poisonblack frontman Ville Laihiala, the album was released in August 2006 after a three-year hiatus due to the search for a new singer.
Finnish gothic rock band HIM has released eight studio albums, one live album, eight compilation albums, one EP, twenty-eight singles, three video albums, and twenty-nine music videos. Formed in 1991 by vocalist Ville Valo and bassist Mikko "Mige" Paananen under the name His Infernal Majesty, the band broke up in 1993, but was reformed in 1995 by Valo and guitarist Mikko "Linde" Lindström. After being rejoined by Mige, as well new additions keyboardist Antto Melasniemi, rhythm guitarist Oki and drummer Juhana "Pätkä" Rantala, the band, now called HIM, signed to BMG, and released the EP 666 Ways to Love: Prologue in 1996. The EP charted at number nine on the Finnish Singles Chart, and in 1997, the band, sans Oki, released their debut album Greatest Lovesongs Vol. 666, which was certified gold and later platinum in Finland. In 2000, now with drummer Mika "Gas Lipstick" Karppinen and keyboardist Juska Salminen, the band released the album Razorblade Romance, which was certified double platinum in Finland, triple gold in Germany and gold in Austria. Its first single, "Join Me in Death", also charted at number-one in Finland and Germany, eventually going platinum in their home country and gold in Germany and Austria. Following the addition of Janne "Burton" Puurtinen on keyboards, HIM released Deep Shadows and Brilliant Highlights and Love Metal in 2001 and 2003 respectively. Both were certified platinum in Finland, as well as gold in Austria and Germany respectively.
Venus Doom is the sixth studio album by Finnish gothic rock band HIM. The album was recorded at Finnvox Studios in Helsinki with producers Hiili Hiilesmaa and Tim Palmer, both whom had collaborated with the band on various occasions, and released on 14 September 2007. During the making of Venus Doom, HIM was struggling with the personal problems of their vocalist Ville Valo. Among other things, his alcohol abuse had worsened to the point that he suffered a nervous breakdown during the recording process, after which he was admitted to the Promises Rehabilitation Clinic in Malibu by HIM's manager Seppo Vesterinen. Musically the album has been described as HIM's heaviest and darkest album to date, with influences from bands such as My Dying Bride, Anathema and Paradise Lost. Much of the album's lyrical themes and heaviness were inspired by Valo's personal difficulties, including his break-up with fiancé Jonna Nygrén.
A Dead Heavy Day is the third studio album by the Finnish gothic metal band Poisonblack. It was released on 1 September 2008 by Century Media Records.
Of Rust and Bones is the fourth studio album by the Finnish gothic metal band Poisonblack. It was released on 22 March 2010 in Europe by Century Media Records.
Insomnium is a Finnish melodic death metal band formed in Joensuu in 1997. The sound and lyrical themes of their music portray darkness, sorrow, loss, pain, and nature. Their music includes elements of progressive metal, black metal, folk metal, and doom metal.
The Man-Eating Tree is a Finnish atmospheric gothic metal band formed in Oulu in 2009. It features musicians who have appeared in bands such as Poisonblack, Entwine, Ghost Brigade, Mors Subita.
Jonas Olsson is a Finnish music producer, audio engineer and songwriter. He has worked and collaborated with many international acts, producers, and songwriters such as Andreas Carlsson (SWE), Kristinia DeBarge (US), Radical Something (US), Rasmus Thude (DK), and The Ocean (GER).
