Greatest Lovesongs Vol. 666   by HIM

The Finnish band HIM in 1997 will gain attention with their debut album titled Greatest Lovesongs Vol. 666. The band from Helsinki will present in their first record a mix of metal music with many gothic influences, which will initially capture the interest of their compatriots and subsequently the rest of the European continent. For this reason, in 1998, the album was released internationally with the only different element being the order of the songs.

The Greatest Lovesongs Vol. 666 is an album that took fifteen days to record during the summer of 1997. It was produced by Hiili Hiilesmaa, the drummer of the Finnish death metal band KYPCK. The album consists of nine tracks. Seven belong to the band and two are covers. One is of Chris Isaak's Wicked Game (!), which also became the third single from the album, and the other is (Don't Fear) The Reaper by Blue Öyster Cult. Most of the songs are compositions by the group's singer and frontman, Ville Hermanni Valo.

The album reached No. 2 in Finland and No. 50 in Germany. Its sales in HIM's homeland were enough to make it platinum. However, the real achievement of this particular album was that it paved the way for the international career that followed a few years later with the release of the band's subsequent albums.