Razorblade Romance

The second album began at MD-Studios in Munkkiniemi with Hiili Hiilesmaa, who had made the debut. Those sessions failed: Hiilesmaa was exhausted and relations inside the band had soured. BMG decided the record should be made abroad with a name producer. That producer was John Fryer, and the band moved with him to Rockfield Studios in Wales. Valo remembered it this way: getting out of those familiar circles and focusing on nothing but the album was damn fun, and it felt great that the band was together the whole time. The mixing did not go as smoothly — after about fifteen thousand euros spent trying to get it right in London, Fryer and Valo flew to Finland and finished it with Risto Hemmi at Finnvox. The budget reached nearly a hundred and fifty thousand euros. Valo wanted to call the record Goth 'n' Roll; BMG refused and kept Razorblade Romance. It is sleeker and more melodic than the debut. The reviews were mostly positive, with the songwriting singled out and the polish of the production drawing some complaint. It charted in six countries and went to number one in Finland, Germany and Austria, reaching double platinum, triple gold and gold respectively. The first single, "Join Me in Death", went to number one in Finland and Germany and appeared on the soundtrack of the 1999 film The Thirteenth Floor. The album reached the American charts in January 2004, the band's first to do so. The running order here is the Finnish edition's as printed.