Any sociologist student in need of a good thesis subject could do worse than traveling to Finland and figuring out what drives the thriving Finnish metal scene. My theory is they love the black metal to compensate for that Midnight Sun phenomenon where the sun stays visible at midnight. While most of Finland's musical exports are either too weird — see the symphonic metal band Nightwish, for a good example— or just too darn scary — Satanic Warmaster, anyone? — H.I.M. has been having some mainstream success in the U.S. with an a Gothic and Romantic version of hard melodic alternarock. The video for "Kiss Of Dawn" — a song title which isn't probably a reference to the aforementioned Midight Sun, or a reference to a chick named Dawn — accentuates all those spooky castle elements that are probably required in any H.I.M video while keeping the focus on singer Ville Valo, who comes across as the brooding Goth love child of Jim Morrison and Morrissey. Director Meiert Avis also delivered a series of virals for other songs off the band's new opus, Venus Doom. --> watch "Kiss Of Dawn" plus some virals virals virals virals
H.I.M. "Kiss Of Dawn" (Sire/Warner Bros.)
Meiert Avis, director | Kris Eber , producer | Pusher, production co | Labuda Management, rep | Danny Hiele, DP
