Dark Light
Encyclopedia
Dark Light is Finnish
rock band HIM's fifth full length album. This album was released on 26 September 2005 internationally and on 27 September 2005 in the USA
with a limited edition pre-release of 20,000 some days before. This limited edition came in a tin case with a 24 page booklet with hand written lyrics by the band's lead singer, Ville Valo
, a certificate of authenticity and a key chain laser pen that shines the Heartagram, the bands logo. It debuted in stores, however, with a glossy black plastic wrap covering the front, so in order to see the real cover one needed to purchase it. This album was originally supposed to be produced and mixed by Andy Wallace
, an accomplished American
producer, but vocalist Ville Valo
said he made HIM sound too 'American' and they fired him, hiring Tim Palmer
with whom they had worked before on Love Metal
and And Love Said No. The first single released from the album was "Wings of a Butterfly
," and the second single was "Killing Loneliness
." The album charted at #18 in both the US and in the UK. In Germany, Dark Light reached #4.
The writing of Dark Light was inspired by a Finnish book with the same title and a collection of ancient mythologies and religions (mainly Christianity). Songs including mythological references are "Wings of a Butterfly
," "Venus (In Our Blood)," "Drunk on Shadows," and "In the Nightside of Eden." "Wings of a Butterfly" is a reference to a Greek myth in which two souls destroyed something beautiful to live forever, and "Venus (In Our Blood)" has the line "Venus denies your seven towers," referring to another Greek myth portraying hell as seven towers protruding from dark waters. In the song "In the Nightside of Eden," there is a line, "we descend to the circle number four," a reference to The Divine Comedy
's adaptation of hell, an adaptation that many mistake for an actual part of the Bible.
The Special Digibook Edition was released but was limited to 50,000 copies and included the track "The Cage." Also released was the Exclusive Heartagram Internet Edition, which in addition to including "The Cage", included the track "Venus (In Our Blood)." The Heartagram Internet Edition only produced 20,000 copies to be sold. The Japanese version of Dark Light also featured the HIM's cover of "Poison Heart," originally recorded and released by the Ramones
.
Dark Light was the first Finnish album to sell gold in the United States
, meaning it has sold over 500,000 copies in the U.S., and 1,500,000 copies worldwide. It was rated #9 in Metal Hammer
's albums of the decade.
Several of the songs include easter eggs
. In the exclusive bonus track "Venus (In Our Blood)," there is a little girl's voice speaking at the beginning, and in reverse the little girl says "Where are we going, daddy?" There is backmasked
voice at the end of "In the Nightside of Eden" and "Behind the Crimson Door", continuing their trend, has a whispering voice at the bridge of the song.
except where noted.
All three bonus tracks were also included on Side-4 of the double vinyl edition of the album in their respective order.
Track List
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
rock band HIM's fifth full length album. This album was released on 26 September 2005 internationally and on 27 September 2005 in the USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
with a limited edition pre-release of 20,000 some days before. This limited edition came in a tin case with a 24 page booklet with hand written lyrics by the band's lead singer, Ville Valo
Ville Valo
Ville Hermanni Valo is a Finnish singer, songwriter and frontman of the Finnish rock band HIM. He has received the "Golden God" award in 2004 by the heavy metal magazine Metal Hammer. Valo has a baritone vocal range. Valo was ranked number 80 in Hit Paraders Top 100 Metal Vocalists of All Time...
, a certificate of authenticity and a key chain laser pen that shines the Heartagram, the bands logo. It debuted in stores, however, with a glossy black plastic wrap covering the front, so in order to see the real cover one needed to purchase it. This album was originally supposed to be produced and mixed by Andy Wallace
Andy Wallace (producer)
Andy Wallace is a Grammy Award-winning music studio engineer with a long track record of successful productions, beginning with the 1986 production of the Run-DMC/Aerosmith collaboration on "Walk This Way" with Rick Rubin...
, an accomplished American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
producer, but vocalist Ville Valo
Ville Valo
Ville Hermanni Valo is a Finnish singer, songwriter and frontman of the Finnish rock band HIM. He has received the "Golden God" award in 2004 by the heavy metal magazine Metal Hammer. Valo has a baritone vocal range. Valo was ranked number 80 in Hit Paraders Top 100 Metal Vocalists of All Time...
said he made HIM sound too 'American' and they fired him, hiring Tim Palmer
Tim Palmer
Tim Palmer is a British music producer, audio engineer and songwriter of rock and alternative music.-1980-1990:Palmer worked as an assistant engineer at Utopia Studios in London, England in the early 1980s...
with whom they had worked before on Love Metal
Love Metal (album)
Love Metal is HIM's fourth album, released on 14 April 2003. The digipak edition of this album also includes the bonus track "Love's Requiem". This is HIM's first album that made the band popular to a wider public....
and And Love Said No. The first single released from the album was "Wings of a Butterfly
Wings of a Butterfly
"Wings of a Butterfly", also released as "Rip Out the Wings of a Butterfly", is a song by the Finnish metal band HIM. It is the second track on the 2005 album Dark Light and was released as the album's first single that year. The song reached #1 on the Finnish charts, #10 in Germany and the UK, and...
," and the second single was "Killing Loneliness
Killing Loneliness
"Killing Loneliness" is the second single released by HIM, a Finnish band, and was released in February 2006 in Germany and in April in the UK from their 2005 breakthrough Dark Light...
." The album charted at #18 in both the US and in the UK. In Germany, Dark Light reached #4.
The writing of Dark Light was inspired by a Finnish book with the same title and a collection of ancient mythologies and religions (mainly Christianity). Songs including mythological references are "Wings of a Butterfly
Wings of a Butterfly
"Wings of a Butterfly", also released as "Rip Out the Wings of a Butterfly", is a song by the Finnish metal band HIM. It is the second track on the 2005 album Dark Light and was released as the album's first single that year. The song reached #1 on the Finnish charts, #10 in Germany and the UK, and...
," "Venus (In Our Blood)," "Drunk on Shadows," and "In the Nightside of Eden." "Wings of a Butterfly" is a reference to a Greek myth in which two souls destroyed something beautiful to live forever, and "Venus (In Our Blood)" has the line "Venus denies your seven towers," referring to another Greek myth portraying hell as seven towers protruding from dark waters. In the song "In the Nightside of Eden," there is a line, "we descend to the circle number four," a reference to The Divine Comedy
The Divine Comedy
The Divine Comedy is an epic poem written by Dante Alighieri between 1308 and his death in 1321. It is widely considered the preeminent work of Italian literature, and is seen as one of the greatest works of world literature...
's adaptation of hell, an adaptation that many mistake for an actual part of the Bible.
The Special Digibook Edition was released but was limited to 50,000 copies and included the track "The Cage." Also released was the Exclusive Heartagram Internet Edition, which in addition to including "The Cage", included the track "Venus (In Our Blood)." The Heartagram Internet Edition only produced 20,000 copies to be sold. The Japanese version of Dark Light also featured the HIM's cover of "Poison Heart," originally recorded and released by the Ramones
Ramones
The Ramones were an American rock band that formed in the New York City neighborhood of Forest Hills, Queens, in 1974. They are often cited as the first punk rock group...
.
Dark Light was the first Finnish album to sell gold in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, meaning it has sold over 500,000 copies in the U.S., and 1,500,000 copies worldwide. It was rated #9 in Metal Hammer
Metal Hammer
Metal Hammer is a monthly heavy metal music magazine published in the United Kingdom by Future Publishing, and in several other countries by different publishers. Metal Hammer articles feature both mainstream bands and more unusual acts from the whole spectrum of heavy metal music...
's albums of the decade.
Several of the songs include easter eggs
Easter egg (media)
Image:Carl Oswald Rostosky - Zwei Kaninchen und ein Igel 1861.jpg|250px|thumb|right|Example of Easter egg hidden within imagerect 467 383 539 434 desc none...
. In the exclusive bonus track "Venus (In Our Blood)," there is a little girl's voice speaking at the beginning, and in reverse the little girl says "Where are we going, daddy?" There is backmasked
Backmasking
Backmasking is a recording technique in which a sound or message is recorded backward on to a track that is meant to be played forward...
voice at the end of "In the Nightside of Eden" and "Behind the Crimson Door", continuing their trend, has a whispering voice at the bridge of the song.
Track listing
All tracks by Ville ValoVille Valo
Ville Hermanni Valo is a Finnish singer, songwriter and frontman of the Finnish rock band HIM. He has received the "Golden God" award in 2004 by the heavy metal magazine Metal Hammer. Valo has a baritone vocal range. Valo was ranked number 80 in Hit Paraders Top 100 Metal Vocalists of All Time...
except where noted.
- "Vampire HeartVampire Heart"Vampire Heart" is a song by the Finnish rock band HIM. It is the first track on the 2005 album Dark Light and was released as the album's third single. This was only released as a 7" vinyl single along with a HIM calendar....
" – 4:47 - "Wings of a ButterflyWings of a Butterfly"Wings of a Butterfly", also released as "Rip Out the Wings of a Butterfly", is a song by the Finnish metal band HIM. It is the second track on the 2005 album Dark Light and was released as the album's first single that year. The song reached #1 on the Finnish charts, #10 in Germany and the UK, and...
" – 3:30 - "Under the Rose" – 4:50
- "Killing LonelinessKilling Loneliness"Killing Loneliness" is the second single released by HIM, a Finnish band, and was released in February 2006 in Germany and in April in the UK from their 2005 breakthrough Dark Light...
" – 4:29 - "Dark Light" – 4:31
- "Behind the Crimson Door" – 4:37
- "The Face of God" – 4:36
- "Drunk on Shadows" – 3:50
- "Play Dead" – 4:36
- "In the Nightside of Eden" – 5:40
- "Venus (In Our Blood)" Exclusive Internet Edition bonus track – 4:35
- "The Cage" Digibook, Internet Edition bonus track – 4:19
- "Poison Heart" only available on the Japanese version – 3:46
All three bonus tracks were also included on Side-4 of the double vinyl edition of the album in their respective order.
Dark Light Promo Release - EP
This promo has the label "Nearly There Version 7/14" because it has the mixes at that date. There is another version with a white-yellow case. On some printings the name of the artist is changed to "Harry Hits Parade", probably to prevent possible leaks.Track List
- "Vampire Heart"– 4:45
- "Wings of a ButterflyWings of a Butterfly"Wings of a Butterfly", also released as "Rip Out the Wings of a Butterfly", is a song by the Finnish metal band HIM. It is the second track on the 2005 album Dark Light and was released as the album's first single that year. The song reached #1 on the Finnish charts, #10 in Germany and the UK, and...
"– 3:29 - "Under the Rose"– 4:49
- "Killing LonelinessKilling Loneliness"Killing Loneliness" is the second single released by HIM, a Finnish band, and was released in February 2006 in Germany and in April in the UK from their 2005 breakthrough Dark Light...
"– 4:29 - "Dark Light"– 4:30
B-Sides (Not Included On The Album)
- "Wings of a Butterfly" (radio edit)'Wings of a Butterfly' single - 3:30
- "And Love Said No" (616 version)'Wings of a Butterfly' single - 4:24
- "Under the Rose" (live)'Killing Loneliness' single – 3:55
- "Wings of a Butterfly" (live)'Killing Loneliness' single – 3:26
- "Play Dead" (live)'Killing Loneliness' single – 4:00
- "Vampire Heart" (live)'Killing Loneliness' single – 5:13
HIM
- Ville Hermanni ValoVille ValoVille Hermanni Valo is a Finnish singer, songwriter and frontman of the Finnish rock band HIM. He has received the "Golden God" award in 2004 by the heavy metal magazine Metal Hammer. Valo has a baritone vocal range. Valo was ranked number 80 in Hit Paraders Top 100 Metal Vocalists of All Time...
— lead vocals - Mikko Viljami "Linde" Lindström — lead guitarLead guitarLead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
- Mikko Henrik Julius "Migé" PaananenMikko PaananenMikko Henrik Julius Paananen , better known as Migé or Migé Amour, is the current and founding bassist of the rock band HIM.-History:...
— bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick.... - Janne Johannes "Emerson Burton" PuurtinenJanne PuurtinenJanne Johannes Puurtinen, better known as Emerson Burton, is the current keyboard-player in the Finnish rock band, HIM. He was born 17 October 1974, in Helsinki. Burton made his second debut as a temporary member of the band at the concert arranged at the Semifinal Club on 12 January 2001...
— keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments... - Mika Kristian "Gas Lipstick" KarppinenMika KarppinenMika Kristian Karppinen, better known as Gas Lipstick , is currently the drummer for the rock band HIM. He is also the drummer of Finnish deathgrind band To Separate the Flesh from the Bones, punk band Ääritila and metal band Bendover. He also was a drum tech for Stratovarius at one point and was...
— drums
Technical Staff
- Sonny Gerasimowicz – Cover Design
- Michael GoldstoneMichael GoldstoneMichael Goldstone is an American music industry executive.He began his career at MCA Records, where he worked in marketing and artist development before moving into A&R. Segueing to PolyGram, he signed Mother Love Bone and, after the death of lead singer Andrew Wood, signed the remaining members to...
– A&R - Brie Greenberg – Supervisor
- Stephen Marcussen – Mastering
- Mark O'Donoughue – Engineer
- Tim PalmerTim PalmerTim Palmer is a British music producer, audio engineer and songwriter of rock and alternative music.-1980-1990:Palmer worked as an assistant engineer at Utopia Studios in London, England in the early 1980s...
– Producer, Mixing - Cindi Peters – Production Coordination
- Dave Starr – Assistant
- Seymour Stein – Supervisor
- Ralf Strathmann – Photography
- Steef Van De Gevel – Assistant
- Ellen Wakayama – Art Direction
- Craig Winkler – Supervisor
Weekly charts
| Chart (2005) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA Aria An aria in music was originally any expressive melody, usually, but not always, performed by a singer. The term is now used almost exclusively to describe a self-contained piece for one voice usually with orchestral accompaniment... ) |
40 |
| Austria (O3 Austria Top 40 Ö3 Austria Top 40 Ö3 Austria Top 40 is the name of the official Austrian singles chart, as well as the radio show which presents it, aired Fridays on Hitradio Ö3. The show presents the Austrian singles, ringtones and downloads chart. It premiered on 26 November 1968 as Disc Parade and was presented by Ernst Grissemann... ) |
4 |
| Belgium (Ultratop Ultratop Ultratop is an organization which generates and publishes the official record charts in Belgium, and it is also the name of most of those charts... 50 Flanders) |
42 |
| Belgium (Ultratop Ultratop Ultratop is an organization which generates and publishes the official record charts in Belgium, and it is also the name of most of those charts... 50 Wallonia) |
91 |
| Canada (Billboard Canadian Albums Chart The Canadian Albums Chart is the official album sales chart in Canada. It is compiled every Wednesday by U.S.-based music sales tracking company Nielsen Soundscan, and published every Thursday by Jam! Canoe and Billboard, along with its sister charts the Canadian Singles Chart and the Canadian BDS... ) |
24 |
| Czech Republic (IFPI IFPI The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry is the organisation that represents the interests of the recording industry worldwide. It is a not-for-profit members' organisation registered in Switzerland... Czech) |
13 |
| Finland (IFPI Finland) | 1 |
| France (SNEP) | 155 |
| Germany (Media Control Charts Media Control Charts The official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie... ) |
4 |
| Greece (IFPI Greece IFPI Greece International Federation of the Phonographic Industry Greece or IFPI Greece is the Greek branch of the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry and is the official charts provider and recording sales certification body for Greece. Currently two charts are compiled, one for sales of... ) |
1 |
| Hungary (Mahasz Mahasz Mahasz is the Hungarian music industry association, founded in 1992. Mahasz hands out the Hungarian Music Awards and maintains the music charts for Hungary.... ) |
15 |
| Ireland (IRMA Irish Recorded Music Association Irish Recorded Music Association is the Irish record industry association. IRMA is a non-profit association set up to manage and control the music industry in the Republic of Ireland.-Goals and activities:... ) |
19 |
| Italy (FIMI Federation of the Italian Music Industry The Federation of the Italian Music Industry is an umbrella organization that keeps track of virtually all aspects of the music recording industry in Italy.... ) |
10 |
| Japan (Oricon Oricon , established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan. It started as , which was founded by Sōkō Koike in November 1967 and became known for its music charts. Oricon Inc... ) |
56 |
| Netherlands (MegaCharts MegaCharts MegaCharts is responsible for the composition and exploitation of a broad collection of official charts in the Netherlands, of which the Mega Top 50 and the Mega Album Top 100 are the most known ones. Mega Charts also provides information to the Stichting Nederlandse Top 40, of which the Dutch Top... ) |
25 |
| Norway (VG-lista VG-lista VG-listen is a Norwegian record chart. It is weekly presented in the newspaper VG and the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation program Topp 20. It is considered the primary Norwegian record chart, charting albums and singles from countries and continent around the world. The data is collected by... ) |
13 |
| Portugal (AFP Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa The Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa is currently the only recording industry association in Portugal. Created in 1989, it succeeded GPPFV and UNEVA .... ) |
27 |
| Spain (PROMUSICAE) | 10 |
| Sweden (Sverigetopplistan Sverigetopplistan Sverigetopplistan, earlier known as Topplistan and Hitlistan and other names, is since October 2007 the Swedish national record chart, based on sales data from Swedish Recording Industry Association .... ) |
7 |
| Switzerland (IFPI IFPI The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry is the organisation that represents the interests of the recording industry worldwide. It is a not-for-profit members' organisation registered in Switzerland... ) |
8 |
| UK Albums (The Official Charts Company) | 18 |
| US Billboard Billboard (magazine) Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis... 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
18 |