H.I.M Video Lovin'

In just seven short years, the Finnish musical juggernaut H.I.M. has managed to amass an impressive collection of excellent video clips which are represented here on this bleakly romantic group’s first video collection. Being that the band recently signed with Sire Records, you might think that the band’s former label, Universal Records, would have taken steps to make the audio portion of this DVD sound a bit better, in hopes that this would be a definitive release. Sadly, this is not the case and the audio here is quite substandard. The label obviously rushed to issue this collection in time for Christmas consumption, opting for the quick sales attached to the timeliness of the release as opposed to making an effort to issue the highest quality product possible. Hopefully, Warner Brothers will be able to concentrate on issuing a product with the proper audio quality in the future. That said, the disc is still a decent value for the price, with this compendium selling at a retail price of $9.99, it is difficult to say that the audio factor alone should be the fan’s primary reason for owning this material. 

The band’s twelve visually entertaining videos comprise the main reason for checking this work out. You will find some interesting tidbits in the bonus features that certainly add value to the package in some form. The clips of Bam and Ville goofing around bring a laugh and the behind the scenes goofiness has some entertainment value, but the skateboarding clips are a bit misplaced. As amusing as Bam can be, he is a bit overrated due to his enormous over-exposure on MTV and it is a far stretch to include clips of Bam skateboarding on the package. It is understandable that He and Ville are helping to promote each other, and of course, Bam now directs much of the band’s current video footage. Regardless, these outtakes are in the enhanced content, so you don’t have to watch these parts if the skater’s antics do not interest you. The interview segments included with Ville are very interesting as well and provide a great amount of insight as to his artistic intent and focus, as well as a bit of the history behind the band. There is also an egg on this disc that is quite amusing, check around and you will discover how to locate it. It is well worth the trouble.

H.I.M. comes across very, very well on a visual level. Ville possesses an intensity and charisma which translates very well through this medium, making for music videos which are as entertaining as they are artistically creative. The band’s ubiquitous Heartagram logo is present throughout the collection of clips. This stark impression implies the darkly emotive leanings of the group’s music wonderfully. Symbols can be even more powerful than the original intent of their definitions and this combination of romanticism with occult imagery is uniquely suggestive.

Actress Juliette Lewis takes on the role of Ville Valo’s love interest in the Bam Magera directed “Buried Alive By Love” clip. Shots of the group playing in front of a bold and particularly massive eight foot chrome Heartagram look that much edgier when shot with anamorphic Super8 film, giving the clip a grainy, reckless feel. Filmed in the L.A. Theatre in Los Angeles, the setting is a lush, extravagant atmosphere which relays the group’s image quite nicely. Ville constantly redefines himself visually, yet always maintains his dark, cryptically romantic persona. His leering glances pair up perfectly with his intense vocal delivery on this tune. Each of the band members is a strong visual performer as well and as about half of the shots in this video are directly focused on the group, it makes the clip all the more entertaining to look at. In summary, this vid is a standard rock piece, alternating between the flirting of Lewis and Valo and glimpses of the group in full-on action. 

“The Funeral Of Hearts” was filmed in Norway and Lapland by Director Stefan Lindfors contains one of the group’s most striking chorus parts and musically, this song is rife with strong melodies and Valo’s upfront, soulful crooning. In this clip, H.I.M. maintains an image similar to a black metal band as Valo canoes through the Arctic Ocean just off the coast of Norway. The backdrop of the iced over lake the band performs on, manifests a stunning visual. The film’s imagery contains representations of Satan and several wolves. At one point, Valo’s face morphs into that of a wolf. Obviously, this was a very cold shoot. The band’s dressed in cold winter gear and Valo looks as blue and pale as a corpse. His evil sneering and suggestive stares add to the mystique of his persona. During portions of the clip, the sleeved vocalist walks through forests in the company of a wolf and these forests are fully ablaze by the end of the video. Several small bonfires burn across the frozen Lapland lake as the group rolls through the cut. The appearance of the Heartagram in this clip occurs twice, as it is carved into a tree and displayed several times. Then, toward the end of the film, as cameras pan to an aerial shot of many ignited white candles, the symbol is portrayed burning in flaming grandiosity! This song is easily the best overall cut from “Love Metal” and the video really does the track justice.

 The video for one of H.I.M.’s most mesmerizing compositions, the somber ballad “Gone With The Sin”, was filmed in the UK and Germany. The German issued clip is not the one that you’ll find here, as many of the scenes in that edit were projected onto nude bodies, making the film a bit too controversial for American audiences. The version included here is a vivid viewing experience nonetheless, as Valo strolls through a graveyard nestled inside a forest which has been toned over with sharp colors. Purple skies hang overhead as Valo wanders throughout the burial site. Bright green meadows and colorful flowers provide a powerful contrast to the image of Valo, who is cast in black and white tones, along with the grave markers over the course of the video. The song is rather melancholy as the singer issues mournful, romantic poetry. The Heartagram finally appears at the clip’s finale upon a gravestone where the vocalist is burying a bottle of Jack Daniel’s whiskey, but in the clip on this disc, he instead lays roses at the headstone. This excellent footage was shot by Director Ercin Filizli in 2000 and does not feature any of the other members of the group, with the focus completely on Valo.

One of two live assemblages on the collection, “Heartache Every Moment” portrays the band in an arena setting. Shot during the group’s 2001 “Deep Shadows And Brilliant Highlights” European tour, this video does a nice job of capturing the band in a live setting. The crowd shots are certainly a testament to the crowd’s massive European popularity. Parts of the footage are taken from the Koln live performance in specific and the group gives us a glimpse here of what they can accomplish with a rather large production. At times, Valo is reminiscent of a modern day Jim Morrison, prowling the stage like a panther as the crowd joyously sings with the group in unison. The four to one screen effects that pop up throughout the clip give the listener a great deal to look at. The Heartagram appears in this film at the very introduction as the end of a scepter on an MYV video award. Bassist Mige Amour proves himself to be a very entertaining live performer in this video, with shots of the four stringer pulling off some powerful on stage antics. All in all, this is an enjoyable clip that is shot and assembled in the style of the big arena metal videos of the 1980’s. 

“In Joy And Sorrow” is one of the deeper forays into somberness that H.I.M. have written and the track is beautifully offset by a brooding, dark video that begins with Valo sitting in a chair and reading from a page. This film begins in black and white and colors fade in throughout out the clip with red being a crucial thematic color. It is uncertain if he is reading the song’s lyrics or a letter from a lover, however, shortly into the piece, he ignites the page into flames. The Heartagram is immediately visible, etched into the wall in the background. In this clip, Valo closely resembles a young Alice Cooper. His long, brown locks and thick, black eye makeup create this similarity. Valo wears his famous black leather jacket with the words “Your Petty Face Is Going To Hell” scrawled across the back of the garment in while, painted letters. The rest of the ensemble are somewhat subdued in the clip, but remain visible. Bright floodlights glowing bright, hot white emanate from the speaker cabinets as the shadowy atmosphere lends a mysterious tone as they place much of the set in shadows. Directed by John Hillcoat, this clip was shot in the City of London in 2001. Near the end of the video, Valo looks simply possessed near the end of this clip, as if he has left his body completely. This video definitely gives an interesting vision of this tuneful, eerie track.

Created for the “Join Me In Death” single release and the issuance of “Razorblade Romance” in the UK, the “Ice version” of the “Join Me In Death” video is by far superior to the alternate version. The frozen set was created in a London studio and is a breathtaking landscape and easily the most creative and fitting theme contained in any H.I.M. video. The release of this video in particular, was highly controversial in the UK, where the group came under fire in regard to the track’s Shakespearean lyrics in which Valo begs of his lover to commit suicide in a “Romeo and Juliet’ fashion. The vocalist takes on a completely glammed out appearance in this clip, complete with fur coat, heavy purple eye shadow and bright, glossy, pink lipstick. The female model is incased in Ice near the beginning of the film, as Valo sits as a northern prince upon an icy throne. Above his head, etched in ice, is a glowing symbol that eventually morphs into a Heartagram. The viewer will find that Director Bill Yuckich has a spectacular eye for creating dramatic content that is nothing short of captivating. The group looks especially at home in this type of environment, with guitarist Lily Lazer taking on the impression of a complete rock star as he pouts and dances with his frozen axe. The crimson colored robe worn by Valo later in the clip contrasts the icy blue backdrop magnificently. Without a doubt, this is by far the most visually impacting clip that H.I.M. has filmed to date. If you buy this compilation for no other reason, get it for “Join Me In Death”


The group recorded the clip for “Poison Girl” at the onset of their German tour of 2000 in Berlin. This video very much contains the same feeling as the one produced for “Heartache Every Moment”, with bluish spots raining down light upon Valo and his boys. In this video, the singer dances around often coming off as an evil Billy Idol, although Valo’s current hairstyle causes his to look even more like the punk metal icon. “Poison Girl” is a very gothic sounding cut aurally that is easily singable, so naturally the crowd if packed with young ladies who are attending to gawk at the enigmatic crooner, packed tightly toward the stage front. Valo mockingly throws goats at the onlookers and makes plenty of suggestive glances toward the onlookers. Although this is a strong and definitely popular song, it is probably the weaker of the two live vids. Here, you will find the Heartagram gracing the bass drum somewhat inconspicuously as they rarely show a frontal clip of Gas Lipstick’s drumkit.

“Pretending” is a great song, yet probably one of the least creative visually of all of the themed videos the band has done. The band members sway vertically up and down as they play the cut in a rocking, dizzying effect. Although this effect is cool, it makes for a rather one-dimensional music video. The clip is very stripped down and focuses on the members performing individually on the swaying platform, for the most part. The track is a straight ahead rocker with a decent hook featuring pitch bending, spacey keyboard effects that have become synonymous with the group’s sound. This clip was shot in May of 2001 by Director Kevin Godley in London, England. Shot at Saint Elaia’s, this architecture makes for an interesting backdrop. Perhaps the story of how the clip was created is even more interesting than the actual video itself. The band members were securely strapped in place upon a piece of steel attached to a rigging that was eight foot square and stood ten feet from the ground. Cameras were specially fitted to the aperture and aimed at specific angles in order to obtain the rocking effect you see in the video. See if you can find the Heartagram.

A Billy Idol influence is most noticeable in the music of “Right Here In My Arms”, a straight ahead rocking track that has some distinct similarities to Idol’s music that is hard to ignore. The song is entertaining nonetheless, and this clip makes for decent eye candy as the band is performing inside of a glass housing which contains an interesting grid pattern that is definitely an original visual statement. As many pin spots burn in the ceiling of the structure, Valo peers through the glass at the seductive looking model Ninja Sarasalo as she gazes through the illuminated glasswork. The 16 year old model mimics Valo’s movements including some motions simulating sexual activity as the group bashes out the cut. You will find the Heartagram easily visible throughout this video on Lipstick’s bass drum. While’s Valo’s attention is focused on Sarasalo, the group have a bit of fun, making gestures and acting like rock stars in general. The song carries a distinct metallic riff powered by Lily Lazer that is sharp, biting and memorable. “Right Here In My Arms” was shot in the group’s hometown of Helsinki, Finland by Director Pasi Pauni in February of 2000 and is, on the whole a very entertaining view.

Bam Magera directed the group’s clip for 2003’s “The Sacrament”, which is also culled from the group’s “Love Metal” release. The track is one of the more well arranged of H.I.M.’s up-tempo material, featuring an instantly recognizable guitar bend just before the track breaks into it’s explosive chorus. Magera did a fairly job with the video, which was shot at the Castle Ploskovice, located in Litomeoice, Czech Republic. Bassist Mige was actually reprimanded by the administrator of this facility for resting on a piece of antique furniture that was brought to the set for the shoot. Model Vanda Vasatkova is the distraught looking, forlorn female in the clip. The Czech model didn’t speak English, so it took her a bit of time to become comfortable in posing for the scene in the film where she is lying on a bed in her underwear. Her visual features give the video a distinctly European aura. The video opens with Valo sitting on the steps of the castle, gazing into the distance with a lost and lonely look in his eyes, which are enhanced to appear to be a very deep blue with either contact lens or digital effects. The Heartagram is visible in Valo’s tattoo if you care to look.

Shot in an old hotel in Finland by Director Miko Pifkanen back in 1999, “When Love And Death Embrace” has a gloomy feel which resonates throughout the entire video. Featuring abstract shots of leaking sinks, peeling paint and empty coat racks, the viewer is given the impression of decay. The worn down structure gives the song a fantastic medium of despair. Everything is shot in dark tones. Although the video is somewhat basic, it communicates the emotion of the track quite nicely. Valo scribes lyrics while listening to a recording on a reel-to-reel tape player as cigarettes burn away in the ashtray. Overall it is quite a dark and somber video which is not geared toward commercial appeal. There is no Heartagram in this clip.

H.I.M. takes on Chris Isaak’s tuneful “Wicked Game.” There are three versions of this video available, but the particular one on this DVD is generally referred to as the “Rude Version.” Valo is out walking on a rainy evening and enters a UK strip joint called “On The Rocks”. The club is filled with middle aged and older men gawking at an older lady as she strips. The other members of H.I.M. are on a stage which evokes a 50’s atmosphere and each of the band members are clothed in gold, sparkling jackets and sporting greaser haircuts (except for Gas) as they play the cut, entertaining the crowd. Valo sings the song from the crowd as the worn looking stripper performs her routine. At one point, Valo ventures into the restroom, where used toilets are overflowing and spilling rapidly onto the floor. The vocalist stares into a dirty mirror as he belts out the song’s familiar lyrics. At the end of this video, Valo is thrown back out into the rain by a rough looking doorman. The band performs this cover version quite well and certainly heavier than the familiar, memorable original. You will not find a Heartagram in this clip. As a poignant close, Valo issues the warning “Remember, he loves no one.”