Razorblade Romance is the second studio album by Finnish gothic rock band HIM, recorded with producer John Fryer.

[3] The band eventually decided on John Fryer, who had previously worked with Nine Inch Nails and Cradle of Filth among others, and flew to Rockfield Studios in Wales to commence recording their album.

[3] The first two songs to be recorded were "I Love You (Prelude to Tragedy)" and "Poison Girl", which Fryer began mixing early on while the band left to go on tour.

[5] After recording finished, Fryer and Valo began mixing the album in London, and were once again horrified to find that "everything sounded like shit".

[6] The initial mixes were later released on the Uneasy Listening albums as well as the 2014 remastered edition of Razorblade Romance as the "Rockfield Madness" versions and "Strongroom Sessions" respectively.

[7] Valo initially wanted the album to be called Goth 'n' Roll, but BMG refused, preferring the previously suggested title Razorblade Romance.

[7] The cover art was designed by Janne Uotila with photographs by Jouko Lehtola, and was influenced by the style of 1980s glam rock and pop acts.

[9] Lyrically, the song was inspired by Romeo and Juliet, as well as Blue Öyster Cult's "(Don't Fear) The Reaper", and talks about "how far are you willing to go for somebody you care for".

[12][14] Valo described "Right Here in My Arms" as a "Billy Idol ripoff" and "Resurrection" as what "Bon Jovi putting on goth masks" would sound like.

[14] While recording vocals for the song, Valo was surrounded by the rest of the band (sans drummer Mika "Gas Lipstick" Karppinen) sitting naked in a lotus position.

[17] HIM initially wanted to release Razorblade Romance in the fall of 1999 in Finland, in order to start a supporting tour, but BMG Germany refused, fearing the album would be bought there through importing.

[9] Two music videos were produced for the song; the first featured the single mix as well as scenes from The Thirteenth Floor, while the second was shot in England and directed by Billy Yukich.

[32][33] The intense touring cycle and promotional work exhausted the band, to the point where Valo nearly fell off the balcony of a hotel, before being pulled back by friends, and Salminen ended up in the emergency room after a prank gone wrong.

[10] He described the material as being the strongest he'd heard in years, singling out Valo's songwriting ability to blend "goth metal influences with mindlessly catchy pop melodies" as a "virtually unbeatable combination".

[49] Holger Stratmann of Rock Hard, who rated the album nine out of ten, praised HIM's ability to surpass their debut and their skill to write "simple, compact earworms".

[52] Particular praise was also given to Valo's vocals and Gas Lipstick's drumming, which were echoed by Antti Mattila of Soundi, who awarded the album four stars out of five.

[11] Mattila compared the material as being lighter and more accessible than the band's debut, and commended the album's production, remarking: "a sound this strong isn't created out of nothing".

[11] Rumba's Tero Valkonen gave Razorblade Romance eight out of ten, praising both the performances of the band and Valo, but noted the production as "playing it safe".

[53] Jarkko Jokelainen of Helsingin Sanomat was generally positive in his review of Razorblade Romance, giving praise to Valo's performance, but criticized some of the material backing him as sounding "flat".

[55] KaaosZine felt similarly, ranking Razorblade Romance third in the band's discography, describing it as an album "full of vigorous pop songs, equipped catchy choruses".