Dark Light

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. Dark Light received mostly positive reviews from critics, with many praising the writing and the band's performance, while some criticism was given to the second half of the album. Dark Light charted in fifteen countries, reaching number one in Finland, later going platinum, as well as gold in Germany, the UK and the US, making HIM the first Finnish band to receive a gold record in the United States. Three singles were also released, with "Wings of a Butterfly" peaking at number one in Finland, and "Killing Loneliness" at number two. "Wings of a Butterfly" later received the award for "Song of the Year" at the 2005 Emma Awards, and was awarded at the 2007 BMI Pop Awards as well. During the album's world tour, HIM made their live debut in various countries, including Japan, Australia, and New Zealand. Production In August 2003, HIM separated from BMG, after fulfilling their contractual obligations to the label. In September 2004, HIM announced that they had signed a new recording contract with Sire Records, who would handle the band's future releases in Europe, the United States, Japan and Australia. In their native Finland, however, HIM's recordings would be released through the band's own Heartagram label. In March 2005, HIM relocated to Los Angeles to start work on their fifth studio album at The Paramour Estate, with producer Tim Palmer, who had previously mixed the band's fourth album Love Metal. After two days of rehearsals, the band began recording drums, which were done in two days. This was followed by the bass, and then guitars and keyboards. The band were faced with multiple distractions during the recording process, including dogs around the estate, as well as a Playboy video shoot.