Drummer GAS LIPSTICK Quits HIM: There Is No Drama, Bad Blood Or Any Negativity Mika Kristian Karppinen, better known as drummer Gas Lipstick of Finnish love metallers HIM, has released the following statement: With a heavy heart, Im announcing my departure from HIM, a magnificent band that Ive been part of for the past 16 magical years. It has been a journey that I will remember for the rest of my life. There is no drama, bad blood or any negativity involved in my departure. I simply feel that its time for me to move on as a musician. I have noticed during the final stages of our last tour that my heart was not in it 100% anymore. Ive always been a guy who played every note straight from my heart and I feel the music very strongly while I perform. If my heart feels that its time to let it go, then I have to listen, because otherwise it wouldnt be right towards myself, the rest of the band or you wonderful fans. It would end up being a forced effort and I cant perform or create like that. Another thing that Ive recently started to miss is songwriting. Ive always been a songwriter. I didnt feel the need to write after I joined the band in 1999 and noticed that Ville [Valo] is a tremendous songwriter. In my mind, he has never brought a single half-assed song to the practice room. Every song was top notch and I felt that I didnt have the need to stir the mix. All of his songs were amazing as he presented them. But last fall Ive started to feel that Im missing writing again and that I would like to pursue my own musical interests. I started to miss the feeling of being in a band, where I could be one of the songwriters again. Three years ago, I had a very heavy year with my arm problems and it took a toll on me. It took me 9 stressful months to get back into playing shape, but after recording the Tears On Tape record and performing 100+ live shows following the release of that record, I can safely say that Im back 100% physically and mentally. Those 9 stressful months were one of the toughest periods I have ever experienced throughout my career and adding everything mentioned above, I feel that I need a change in life. I need a fresh start. I have nothing but great words to say about my brothers: Ville, Mige, Burton, and Linde, our touring crew Viltsu, Antti, Manne, Sean, Brad and our management Seppo, Taina and Vuokko. I wish them nothing but a great success in the future! They are all amazing people and it has been a pleasure working with them all of these years. Id like to as well thank all the record company people, promoters, past crew members, producers and engineers that Ive had the privilege to get to know and work with. You rock BIG TIME! And for the last but not the least important Id like to thank all of you fabulous fans. Thank you for your never ending support and love. HIM has the best fans in the world! Without you, nothing wouldve been possible. I hope that our paths will cross again eventually and you can count on that Im going to keep you posted about my future endeavours in the crazy world of Musicland. Stay tuned! HIMs 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 Vinyls specialist rock imprint) in the U.K. and Ireland. The love metal acts eighth official album was recorded at Helsinkis Finnvox Studios with longtime producer Hiili Hiilesmaa (APOCALYPTICA, AMORPHIS, MOONSPELL) and was mixed in London, England by Tim Palmer, who previously helmed 2005s Dark Light and 2007s 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.
Posted on: Tue, 27 Jan 2015 20:35:13 +0000
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