began demoing material

In January 1999, HIM began demoing material for its next album with Hiili Hiilesmaa. These sessions proved to be unsuccessful, however, and the band decided to relocate to Rockfield, Wales with producer John Fryer . In November 1999, HIM released the single ” Join Me in Death “, which charted at number one in Finland and Germany. The single would eventually go platinum in Finland, as well as gold in Germany and Austria. At the 1999 Emma Gala, HIM were named Export of the Year. On 31 December 1999, the band performed at the Tavastia Club in Helsinki, Finland, which turned into a New Year’s tradition for the group. HIM’s second album Razorblade Romance was released on 24 January 2000. It peaked at number one in Finland, Austria and Germany. The album would eventually be certified double platinum in Finland, triple gold in Germany, as well as gold in Austria. Four more singles were released, all of which reached the top five on the Finnish Singles Chart. Razorblade Romance was mostly well received by critics. Soundi gave the album four out of five stars, while Blabbermouth.net called it “yet another amazingly crafted album from Europe’s best-kept secret.” At the 2000 Emma Gala, HIM was named Band of the Year and Razorblade Romance Album of the Year. The group also received the Viewers’ Choice Award and the Video of the Year award for “Join Me in Death” at the 2000 VIVA Comet Awards. During the supporting tour for Razorblade Romance , HIM played its first shows in the United Kingdom. As the tour progressed, however, the band began to feel exhausted. They were also hit with several near-fatal accidents, where Valo nearly fell off a balcony and Salminen ended up in the emergency room after a prank gone wrong. By the band’s own account, HIM nearly broke up, though they eventually regrouped and began rehearsing for another album.