Happy Holidays...

#OOTD from yesterday; new jacket + Tripp NYC (thx Nick!)

♫♪ #MetalMonday - Report from HIM's Love Metal Archives Tour

i followed HIM around the East Coast this month on their latest tour with WOUNDS and Motionless In White, and what better section of my blog to write about it in than Metal Monday?! for those who have been living under a rock, HIM (which stood for His Infernal Majesty) is band from Finland, you could say call them an alternative or goth rock band, seeking influences from Black Sabbath, Type O Negative, doom metal, and many more which they wear on their sleeves; but the band pioneered their own genre, "Love Metal," which is also the title of their fourth studio album released in 2003.
if you have ever seen this symbol: you have seen HIM's logo, also used by Bam Margera after he discovered them while skateboarding in Finland. Although i believe they would've hit the American airwaves either way, there's no doubt that Bam (and later, Kat Von D) helped out with making sure to spread the band around in The States and blowing them up. I only found out about the band because i used to sneak and watch Jackass and Viva La Bam on Mtv, and i'm a die-hard fan.
That being said, i have to mention that last year HIM won the Revolver Golden God Award for having the most dedicated fans. As i write about the show and some of the people i met there, you will get what i mean.

✎ ℝｅａｌｉｔｙℂｈｅｃｋ ✔ - WOUNDS; love at first listen

i just saw Wounds, the band you don't know you love yet, 3x in ONE WEEK. and it was the best 3 shows of my life. Right now, Wounds is the opening band for HIM's Love Metal Archives Tour along with Motionless in White. I went to all but one show on this leg of the tour. In case you're wondering, the one i missed was in New Jersey. as everyone who knows me already knows, i am a die-hard HIM fan, Saturday was my 7th HIM show, and i saw all 7 gigs within the last year and a half. I credit HIM for helping me discover many bands through the years, mainly through internet radio. After starting to see them live, i discovered even more. So, along with HIM, i've seen a few bands with them. another band HIM toured with called Airbourne during Rock Allegiance in 2013 (my first HIM show) grew on me, but not like Wounds did.  . I go to live shows with a strategy. If i haven't heard of a band on the roster, i don't listen to them prior to the show. I had obviously heard of HIM, I knew about Motionless In White, but before buying presales i'd never heard of Wounds.  .