HIM Unveils New Drummer During Surprise Festival Appearance

Finnish “love” metallers HIM have recruited Jukka “Kosmo” Kröger (HERRA YLPPÖ & IHMISET) as their new drummer following the departure of Mika Kristian Karppinen (a.k.a. Gas Lipstick) earlier this year.

Kröger made his live debut with HIM earlier tonight (Saturday, July 25) during a surprise performance at the Qstock festival in Oulu, Finland. The concert was originally billed as a gig by RAMBO RIMBAUD, the solo project of HIM mainman Ville Valo.

Gas announced his exit from HIM in January, explaining: “I simply feel that it’s time for me to move on as a musician.” He added that “during the final stages of [HIM‘s] last tour, [I noticed] that my heart was not in it 100% anymore… If my heart feels that it’s time to let it go, then I have to listen, because otherwise it wouldn’t be right towards myself, the rest of the band or you wonderful fans. It would end up being a forced effort and I can’t perform or create like that.”

HIM‘s latest album, “Tears On Tape”, sold 20,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 15 on The Billboard 200 chart.

“Tears On Tape” was released on April 30, 2013 via Razor & Tie in North America and on April 29, 2013 through DoubleCross (Cooking Vinyl‘s specialist rock imprint) in the U.K. and Ireland. The “love metal” act’s eighth official album was recorded at Helsinki’s Finnvox Studios with longtime producer Hiili Hiilesmaa (APOCALYPTICA, AMORPHIS, MOONSPELL) and was mixed in London, England by Tim Palmer, who previously helmed 2005’s “Dark Light” and 2007’s “Venus Doom”.

HIM has been a band for 23 years, releasing eight studio albums to date, of which their fifth LP, “Dark Light”, was certified gold by the RIAA (Recording Industry Association Of America), making them the first Finnish rock band to have a gold album in the United States. They have had five of their studio albums certified platinum in Finland, with “Razorblade Romance” being certified double platinum in Finland and platinum in Germany.