10 Things You Probably Knew About: HIM – Deep Shadows and Brilliant Highlights

Many years ago, there was this really popular rock/metal band mysteriously called HIM that I had heard somewhere, and I desperately wanted to start listen. So I went to the local record store—or should I say CD store, since it was at the beginning of this century when records were nowhere to be found.

Without any knowledge and no internet to learn about it (I mean, there was internet, but it was slow and pure), I asked the seller what he had from the band called HIM. And he showed me this—Deep Shadows and Brilliant Highlights. A black cover album with a mysteriously looking dark dude in gothic attire. He said it was their newest. I took it! That’s how it all started.

Then I went back to that store and bought the previous two mega releases. But in the years to come, I kind of stopped following the band, since I didn’t like the successor to Deep Shadows, which was Love Metal. As far as Deep Shadow is concerned, even the album remains as one of the most polarizing entries in the Finnish band’s discography, it always had a special place in my own rock musical journey.

Anyway, here are 10 things you probably knew about this album, just to remember it once again.

1.The album took eleven months to record in 2000-20001, which was far longer than expected. Originally demoed with producer T.T. Oksala, the band hoped to keep it raw and organic. However, label pressure led to a switch in producers and a more polished sound.

2.HIM clashed with their label BMG over the album’s direction. Ville Valo revealed that the label wanted “a more famous producer” and interfered with creative decisions, leading to Kevin Shirley (Bon Jovi, Aerosmith) being brought in. The band didn’t fully connect with Shirley’s style, though Valo later admitted he contributed good ideas.

3.Deep Shadows and Brilliant Highlights marks HIM’s most pop-oriented and commercial album. The heavy goth-rock vibes of Razorblade Romance were gone, while this one leaned into more radio-friendly hooks and sleeker production. But even so, it preserved that unique HIM signature the band developed at the beginning of their career – mix of goth, melancholy, darkness and melody – a signature that later disappeared with the emergence of newer and more modern approaches starting with the Love Metal album.

4.This is the first HIM album to feature keyboardist Janne “Burton” Puurtinen, who replaced Juska Salminen during recording. His arrival solidified the classic HIM lineup that would stay intact until 2015.

5.Several tracks changed drastically throughout the production. For example:

“Love You Like I Do” was described by Valo as “Elvis on acid,” complete with church bells in tribute to Black Sabbath. “Lose You Tonight” started out sounding like Cathedral and ended up “like Bon Jovi on mushrooms.” “Please Don’t Let It Go” began as a raw Stooges-style rocker but evolved into a mix of acoustic and electric textures.

6.The opener “Salt in Our Wounds” was deliberately chosen to confuse listeners. With looping and effects, Valo described it as “the record’s Neil Young song.” This was a bold choice to signal that HIM was taking a different path.

7.Reviews were mixed to polarizing. Some praised Valo’s voice and the songwriting, while others called the album “anemic,” “utterly boring,” or “a pop sellout.” Rumba magazine even criticized the overproduction that amplified Valo’s “asthmatic breathing sounds.”

8.Despite the criticism, the album hit #1 in Finland and Austria, and eventually went platinum in Finland and gold in Austria. It was also HIM’s first album to chart on the Billboard 200 in the U.S., peaking at #190.

9.The 44-show European tour that followed the release nearly caused HIM to split. Ville Valo admitted to being constantly angry and mentally drained, leading to a much-needed hiatus in early 2002 where each member took a break in different countries.

10.Ville Valo later called the album a “fragmented, unnatural record” shaped by too many industry voices. And yet, years later, fans and critics still debate its merits. Loudwire and Kaaoszine ranked it mid-tier in HIM’s discography, citing its strong hooks and standout moments—even if it wasn’t the Razorblade Romance sequel fans expected.

Date of release: 27 August 2001
Best Songs: Pretending, In Joy And Sorrow, Heartache Every Moment, Please Don’t Let It Go
Personell: Ville Valo, Mikko Lindstrom (guitar), Mikko Paananen (bass), Janne Puurtinen (keys) and Mika Karppinen (drums)
Guests: Eicca Toppinen (from Appocaliptyca) and Tuomas Kantelinen

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