Razorblade Romance
| Razorblade Romance | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
||||
| Studio album by HIM | ||||
| Released | 19 December 1999 (FIN) 24 January 2000 (EU) 15 May 2000 (UK) 28 October 2003 (US) |
|||
| Length | 54:33 | |||
| Label |
BMG, RCA, GUN, Supersonic {EU) Jimmy Franks, Universal (US} |
|||
| Producer | John Fryer | |||
| HIM chronology | ||||
|
||||
| HER version | ||||
| Singles from Razorblade Romance | ||||
|
||||
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |    |
| Road Runner | |
| Rock Hard (de) | 9/10 |
Razorblade Romance is the second studio album by Finnish band HIM, released on 19 December 1999 in Finland and 24 January 2000 in the rest of Europe—except for the UK, where it was released 15 May 2000. It was produced by John Fryer and recorded at Rockfield Studios in Wales by John Fryer and Paul Read. A two disc remastered edition was released on December 15, 2014 via The End Records.
The original working title for the album was Gotham Roll, Goth’n’Roll or Slippery When Dead, and a demo or properly recorded song from this session titled "Too Happy to Be Alive" leaked onto the internet in mid-2004. A drum machine was not used for this particular session as it is rumored, but was recorded with Pätkä still in the band. Another track that did not make the final cut in its original form was ”I’ve Crossed Oceans of Wine to Find You” (the title, a play on the line "I've crossed oceans of time to find you", from Bram Stoker's Dracula. It was made available as a b-side on the limited edition Right Here in My Arms maxi single. This song has few lines from later song "Resurrection", although the demo of "Resurrection" was recorded on 1998 session where "Too Happy to Be Alive" can be found.
The album was met with major success in Europe when their single "Join Me In Death" was featured in the sci-fi movie The Thirteenth Floor. It reached #1 on German sales charts, going platinum, and is the biggest-selling single in Finnish music history. The album sold more than 2,500,000 copies worldwide. Upon its US release in 2004, the album peaked at number 8 on the Top Heatseekers Chart. The album has been certified 2X platinum in Finland.
Razorblade Romance was released shortly after in the US under the pseudonym "HER". There was a jazz band in Chicago named HiM who did not want to give up the rights to their name, but eventually HIM bought the rights to use their name in the United States and now can release their albums under it. The American albums were released under Jimmy Franks Recording Company, run by Jimmy Pop, singer of the Pennsylvania band Bloodhound Gang. They released the HER Razorblade Romance around the Boston area, and once HIM regained the rights to their name, they re-released Razorblade Romance nationwide under Universal Records.
...
Wikipedia