Ville Valo: "For a week or two we were like Maneskin of the early 00s"

I’ve always had a huge respect for Ville Valo, since the very first days of HIM, nearly 30 years ago. Apart from his obvious talents (his characteristic/great voice and the good looks), he always seemed to come from a genuine place and mostly he seemed to be a real music lover. And as you’ll find out while reading the interview below all of the above are true, as he treats both his art and his fans with honesty and respect.

As he’s heading for the final leg of his world tour with his new solo project, VV, we talked about this new start, the live shows and the upcoming tour, but we also dove deep in the past, as we talked about the Finland metal scene of the late 90s and his love for black metal among many interesting topics.

I'm glad to actually being back on the tour bus soon, because shoveling snow back home isn't the most rock n' roll thing to do, really

Hello Ville! How are you?

I'm good. Thanks for asking. It's been an interesting last year with a lot of touring, after such a long break, and then a lot of countries to visit and few more shows that we've done and it feels quite amazing. Everything's been going really well and I'm glad to actually being back on the tour bus soon, because shoveling snow back home isn't the most rock n' roll thing to do, really. Well, even though it sounds like it…

I'm laughing because it's quite sunny here today!

Good for you!

So, thank you very much for the opportunity for this conversation. You're coming to play here in Athens and we've got a couple of questions for you.

Yeah, sure. Sounds great!

You seem to be back on track for good with your solo project and it's nice to see you rolling again after a not so active musical period for you.

Well, HIM disbanded in late 2017, and I did a project here in Finland. I sang stuff in Finnish. We did like a 50s-60s style pop music with a local bank called The Agents who are very well known here. But, it was totally different kinds of audiences. And I think it was musically great to do a 180 turn, meaning that straight after HIM I wouldn’t have to continue in similar fashion. It's good to take a little break from that.

But, by telling you The Agents thing, the fact is that I just want bring forth that I've been active more or less the whole time. And during The Agents period I was able to come up with some ideas for which became "Neon Noir". Obviously it's been quite a long break also because COVID that all of a sudden there's a lot of complications of various levels and nobody knew what's gonna happen next. And the only thing I was able to concentrate on and to keep myself semi-sane was to work on music. So, that's what I did and. It was a long few years…

When you're an older chap and you have history behind you, you easily fear that when you do something new you're gonna be considered like an old jukebox in a corner

Yeah, it was…

And I think the absence makes the heart grow fonder. At least audience wise, it really has been so. Cause people seem really hungry. Not only for music, but my kind of music too. So, that's great. And you also see there's been a sort of new generation of maybe a bit younger people than never had the chance to see HIM play live, and who maybe just found out about HIM and myself a while ago. So, it's been great.

When you're an older chap and you have history behind you, you easily fear that when you do something new, you're gonna be considered like an old jukebox in a corner, like "the old and goldies". And I'm really happy that people have been enjoying "Neon Noir" as well, the new stuff. And it goes very well together with HIM. It's not that different musically speaking. It's not the same songs, but it’s from the same musical world.

I'm like a zebra who can't get rid of its stripes

So I'm skipping my next question, because you already answered about the reception and the acceptance of "Neon Noir". So, when you set out to write the songs for the album, did you let your creativity flow or did you have any thoughts that you wanted it to sound like HIM? Or not to sound like HIM? How was the writing process for you?

Well, I'm like a zebra who can't get rid of its stripes. So if I pick up a guitar, the essence or the emotional core of the music's pretty much the same. I like melancholic music, and I like music that's very emotional and that feels very intimate and sentimental. So basically, that's the core of each and every HIM song ever. And also every VV song. So the big difference is how you dress the songs up. If you make them really heavy or if you make them really easy going or acoustic or synthetic. And I was wondering about that for VV, because I knew that this was my chance to do something completely different musically speaking. But I don't think that thinking does you any good. The best thing is just to pick up the guitar and start working and see where you end up. And that's what I did.

I think the first one was "Run Away From The Sun" for the album. And after that, more or less, I just found myself walking around in circles and found myself in very similar spots. I think that mostly the difference between HIM and the VV stuff is the fact that the HIM guys are not playing on the album, and we didn't rehearse together. So I ended up playing stuff by myself. I’m not the best musician and also I have slightly different influences. I love the new wave, early-80s, mid-80s, but both synth wise and guitar wise. I like the jangly guitars of The Cure and The Chameleons...

With VV I was able to follow my musical perversions as much as I wanted to

That's what you grew up with?

Yeah! Well, I grew up with that a bit later, because I was too young to be there at that time, because I was born in 76. So, listening to Joy Division at three years old would have been a bit early. So, I got into that maybe in the like mid-90s something, when somebody told me about the Sisters of Mercy. And also all the big pop stars was there. You couldn't avoid it… Madonna and stuff. But bands like Depeche Mode and Killing Joke and all that stuff I got into a bit later through my friends. But that was an influence that - musically speaking - I wasn't able to bring to the fore with HIM, because everybody had their own thing going, which is the sound of HIM, which is great in itself. But this enabled me to be a bit more of a free agent. I was able to follow my musical perversions as much as I wanted to.

It's nice to end in London, cause The Royal Albert Hall is a very special place...

It seems that you have toured the relentlessly in 2023 and now you're set for another big tour, as you're heading to Australia in March, then in Europe in April and May. Do you have any special plans for these upcoming shows or will they be a continuation of your US shows?

I think it'll be a continuation. We did a 120 gigs last year and I think the band is a very well-oiled machine now. You know, the songs sound great, we've added some songs to the setlist, we're taking some song out, but it's a natural development. It's usually always the last gig when you play the best and then you feel sad and go like "why doesn't the tour continue?". But it has to stop at some point. And the reason for this last leg for "Neon Noir" is that there's a lot of places we haven't played yet. We played one festival in Greece during the summer but we haven't played any club dates and we're going to Salonica as well. And then after Greece we're going to like Bulgaria and Eastern Europe, we’re playing Bucharest, Lublianja and we’re also playing Baltics and Nordics, which we didn't. We didn't tour in Finland for example and we didn't tour in Sweden because there was no time. You're trying to make a cohesive tour happen, but the world is a big place. I'm happy that there's still seem to be people interested in what I do. So the tour is looking really good and there's a lot of gigs already being sold out. And then it's nice to end in London, cause The Royal Albert Hall is a very special place...

A wonderful place…

Yeah, indeed. And I've never been there…

You haven’t played there before?

No, it's a very hard place to book, because their calendars are filled like years and years in advance. We were hoping to play there with HIM, but we never had the chance. And this time around, there was a there was a slot opening and I said, "Yeah, let's do it and let's end the tour there". It's bit egocentric in a way that it's a very iconic way to end the tour and its album cycle for myself as well.

And England's always been good to us, the UK has been good to us. And it's also a place that it's fairly easy to travel to. So it seems a lot of people from Europe and also from the Sates are flying in. People who are very loyal to HIM and the VV. I think without doing this last leg of the tour, it wouldn't be a proper ending. So in that sense, I'm happy that we're able to do it. And we're having the break for January is usually a month nobody's touring and people are… I don't know what they are doing, but that's the reason for a small break. And now we get back.

The same with Australia. It's been I think more than 10 years since I've been there before for the last time and it's a beautiful place and it truly does feel like a world tour when you played South America and North America and Europe and Australia and all that. We're missing Japan and China, but there's always a there's always a next album, hopefully somewhere in the future

At least it's summer in Australia now…

Indeed. Yeah, it's good to get some vitamin D.

So you are finishing this leg of the tour in London, but you are kicking it off, I believe in Athens, so we are also feeling a bit special. Not only London feels special, but we also feel special that you kick off your tour here. And you have visited us a lot of times with him from 2000 until 2007, I think it's six times. So you were quite regular here in Greece. Do you recall anything from these past shows with ΗΙΜ? Any fond memories?

Many…

Felt a tiny bit of like The Beatles on our first trip in Greece, back in the day

Any favorite show?

I think the most memorable one is the one we're Lycabettus, because it's such a cool place and it was televised as well. Somewhere on YouTube it just looked beautiful. The audience went really crazy for us and the Greek audience have always been very celebratory. They're singing along and smiling along and having a great time. And it's very different from what we have in Finland, because a lot of people when they come to shows and even though they love the band, they're just like this... [editor: Ville puts his hands on his chest and stands still]… (laughs)

So, I remember being able to travel there for the first time and we did a signing session at a record store as well. I think it was on the first trip, but we had people running on the streets behind the van. Felt a tiny bit of like The Beatles back in the day. So yeah, it's a special place. And then historically speaking, think about the cradle of civilization in a way and all the history of philosophy and all the myths surrounding it. For a Finnish guy, living in a tiny country between Russia and Sweden, it felt amazing to be able to travel to those places. I only heard in stories and I just witnessed it myself. But I'm really glad that we can be back for the club dates also because when you playing a festival, first of all, it's not your gig. There's a lot of bands and we've played really early and we had a really short set. So now we're able to play longer, a full set and also to have our light show and our stuff. So, it’s a big difference and I'm glad that we're able to make it happen. There are economic crises happening at times and you can't afford to tour and then there's a COVID thing and there's so many variables. It's not about not wanting to do it… Of course I want to and the band wants to. But at times, it's not possible.

Even though it is about art, and even though it's about the emotional trip, it's not charity, in a way that you can't do it for free

I do understand. Yeah…

A lot of US bands, a couple of years back, when COVID started getting easier, they had to cancel the tours because the expenses had gone up so much… like tour buses and all that. So, at the end of the day, even though it is about art, and even though it's about the emotional trip, it's not charity, in a way that you can't do it for free. You have to bring bread on the table …

It's business, too...

Yeah… Considering all those things, I'm really happy that we're able to come over. So even though we had a crisis, with COVID and the uncertainty, I'm really happy that last year was so busy and that there was a lot of familiar faces in the audiences but also a lot of new faces. That's the best thing you can hope for. And I'm hoping that that will continue from Athens on.

I was at the show you played last summer. It was not your show, but it was spot on. It was very good. Yeah

Beautiful, beautiful place. Beautiful place I think right there. I was talking to the promoter. We played there with HIM once and the dining room area it was all tents. I remember the whole dress room area was very different. I think it was the first or the second of those festivals. So yeah, it's a beautiful place. A beautiful place indeed.

In a couple of years, it will be 30 years since the release of your debut album with HIM, and it makes me feel a bit old…

Oh, I know…

The trick is not to look back

Because, I was there as an active listener when you started out. So I remember the first album and the second album coming out. So when you look back in 1997 how do you feel about "Greatest Love Songs 666" today?

I think the trick is not to look back… (laughs).There's so many variables that a band or an artist can cannot control. There's so many things in life in general that can happen that I'm amazed about the fact that I'm still here after so many albums and so many tours, and so many years. People just change and their priorities change and they want to do different things and they grow out of it or whatever. And I pretty much still feel the same as on the day when we did "Greatest Love Songs". Still, a lot of times we're ending the show with "When Love And Death Embrace". That's one of the long and slow ones from the "Greatest Love Songs". And it's funny, after all that time, nearly 30 years that it still feels relevant to me. It still resonates with me. It's like time travel. When I’m singing that song, I can feel like how I felt back in back in the 90s and that's a good feeling.. That's a great thing. At times it can be like looking at baby pictures and you’re like "ughhh" (editor: like you don’t like what you see). But, it's still fun and I'm not ashamed of those baby pictures, talking about HIM songs or HIM albums. Those are important moments. Without those moments, I wouldn't be here.

The best way to tell how well you are doing is to look at the tours: how many people you had, how many tickets you sold

Of course. And then, after the "Greatest Love Songs" came "Razorblade Romance" and the international explosion for you. And I'm really curious if a new rock band that starts today could possibly live what you lived with this album. You know, the kind of success you had with this album back in the day. I have a feeling that things have changed so much that it's more difficult today. I don't know if you agree with that…

It's very different. The whole business aspect has changed quite a bit because back in the day recording budgets were ten times larger. You could spend half a million euros on a video, and these days maybe 20 grand, if you’re lucky. So, it's partially due to the streaming services and the way money is being made out of music. Nobody's buying CDs. It's cool that the "Greatest Love Songs" was recorded on tape. That was before Pro Tools. And I think it was a 16-track. So, with the band we went through the old analog years into the modern digital recording post-streaming years and I think the best way to tell how well you are doing is to look at the tours: how many people you had, how many tickets you sold. Because that's something similar that you can compare to how many records have you sold. Because these days it's like X amount of streams means Y record sales, which I can't comprehend… you know, the way of calculating it. And so I think touring is a good way of realizing…

For a week or two we were like Maneskin of the early 00s

…the measure of success, let's say?

Yeah… Well, measuring success is a double edged sword… you know, the word. Maybe measuring how well the music resonates with people. How much of a connection you have with people. And that usually comes with people who wanted to see you playing live and be part of the experience.

But, you're right. Without being in the Eurovision contest I can't see a rock band being so big in that sort of sense like it was in the early 2000s I think that for a week or two we were like Maneskin of the early 00s. Because, with "Join Me (In Death)" and a couple of other songs from "Razorblade Romance", we crossed boundaries - we weren't a rock band or a metal band anymore. We were all of a sudden a pop band and a metal band and a rock band. So we were wearing a lot of different shoes and different hats and that was a very interesting time. But it was also quite a crazy time because we were young and we didn't know what to do, so it was weird. It was good experience but I'm not sure if I would like to go through the whole thing again… (laughs)

The cool thing about Finland and the music scene has always been that there's never been 100 bands trying to do exactly the same thing... It's like, you can't really compare HIM to Nightwish or to Children Of Bodom

Back in these days, you know, late 90s and early 00s I was full on Finnish metal bands like Sentenced, Amorphis etc. And I always heard a lot of rumors that you were into these Finnish bands, you were supportive of them, you were there in the studios with them when they recorded their albums and stuff...

Well, Finland is a small country, so a lot of bands knew each other and there's only a few very well-known studios that metal or rock bands were recording at. So you weren't able to avoid meeting other bands and hanging out. And I think the cool thing about Finland and the music scene has always been that there's never been 100 bands trying to do exactly the same thing, but it seems that everybody's got their own voice and their own ideas, which also means that there's no direct competition. It's like, you can't really compare HIM to Nightwish or to Children Of Bodom. They all have their own thing going.

When Sentenced didn't have Ville I was in touch with somebody in the band as well about the possibility of singing with them

Yeah, yeah…

Or had their own thing going. And that's the beauty of it all. That also made it probably easier for us to communicate and sing on each other’s albums. I sang on some 69 Eyes albums and I think back in the day when Sentenced didn't have Ville - the other Ville singer - I was in touch with somebody in the band as well about the possibility of singing with them. But that was a long, long time ago. And that was before HIM did anything. That must have been like mid 90s or something. So people knew each other. It would be a very different world, I guess if that would have happened...

Interesting trivia.

Yeah… That was then…

Do you have any favorite albums from the Finnish metal scene of the 90s?

That's a good question. I think it was more exploration of the international stuff, because of early 90s…

White Zombie’s "Astro Creep 2000" was such a different album. Faith No More’s "Angel "Dust", "Ritual de lo Habitual" by Jane's Addiction, "Quickness" by Bad Brains, "Pandemonium" by Killing Joke, which was amazing, or "Deliverance" from Corrosion Of Conformity…

I've always loved bands with conviction. You know, bands that really believe in what they do and don't give a fuc

With "Albatross"…

That’s the riff of all riffs. So to me that was a very fresh time. So there was a lot of music going on. And I was into some metal stuff from Finland, but probably my favorites were, Impaled Nazarene. I loved impaled Nazarene. It’s a black metal band. Taneli Jarva used to play bass with them on. I think one album, on their second album "Ugra-Karma" and we went to see them live and I was a big fan of that band, because I've always loved bands with conviction. You know, bands that really believe in what they do and don't give a fuck. I think that's important. And it doesn't matter what the genre is. It can be country and Western or it can be reggae or it can be black metal. As long as the people who are in the band believe in what they do, I think that you as a listener can feel it too. The sort of like the conviction. And I thought black metal was the shit back in the day. You know, that was when the churches were burning in Norway and all that. Dimmu Borgir came out with and "Enthroned Darkness Triumphant" and Cradle Of Filth came out with the "Dusk And Her Embrace". It was an exciting time then.

And I think that at that time when we didn't have streaming, there were still filters, by which I mean record companies. You didn't have 200,000 records released every day. Somehow only about 20 albums were released and that made it easier to maybe concentrate on those, as opposed to skip and skip and skip and random or whatnot on playlists these days. They're both good, but the nineties was a good musical decade οn various levels. There were a lot of good bands, not only from Finland but from everywhere else.

But yeah, the Impaled Nazarene t-shirt that I owned was a huge, huge deal.

I grew up with albums like "Left Hand Path" by Entombed", "Symphonies Of Sickness" by Carcass, some of the early Napalm Death albums and early Deicide

Have you ever been tempted to play like this?

I think we had a cover band and somebody had a birthday party and I was playing bass because that's my first instrument. Linde from ΗΙΜ was playing guitar and we had an Impaled Nazarene cover band for a while. And one of the first bands I ever sang in was at school, maybe on the 9th grade where we played Carcass. So I grew up with albums like "Left Hand Path" by Entombed", "Symphonies Of Sickness" by Carcass, some of the early Napalm Death albums and early Deicide. Which I loved. There's a lot of different kinds of music and in late 80s, early and the whole of the 90s.

But, when I pick up the guitar, this is the kind of music that comes out. And that's exactly what you were talking about earlier. It's like, I can't really force myself into doing black metal. Because it doesn't sound like me. It doesn't sound honest and it doesn't sound true. It might sound fun. But I always think that music has to be something deeper. It has to come from the soul or whatever you want to call it. It's a very intimate expression and I like to keep it that way.

Last question, I see the Black Sabbath cover behind you.

Oh yeah…

So can you name 5 records that you have been listening to during the past month, regardless of age or genre?

I've been listening to "Brighter Than A Thousand Suns" by Killing Joke. I suddenly fell in love with Killing Joke. I usually fall in love with one band and then I listen to that band only. Then the second one will be the "Pandemonium" by Killing Joke because I bought the vinyl and I've been getting back into it again.

What else? I've been actually setting up my studio, so I haven't been listening to a lot of music, cause all the like the cables have been taken off. But let me see…

There's a weird, experimental ritualistic band called Arktaus Eos from Finland. It's just like drone. It's very weird. It's not like Sunn O))). It's not as noisy, but it's scary. It's scary stuff. I've been listening to this quite a bit. So this is called "Mirrorion – Telegnostic Edition MMXVI"… You know, whatever it is… think I've been listening, some Cathedral. I love that band. Probably "Forest Of Equilibrium". I've always been a huge fan. I remember I bought that album when it came out in the same week, the CD… it was 91 or 92. So I'm showing my age too.

And what else?

I'll check from Tidal very briefly. I listen to all this stuff digitally, as everybody else does these days. Some Finnish stuff. 7 different Killing Joke albums.

You can mention another Killing Joke album. You know, last month I spoke with another musician and he gave me 5 Iron Maiden albums.

(laughs) That’s good! A lot of times you get really excited about a band and then you wanna suck in all the information about that band. And so as a curveball, I’ve been listening to "Blondie". I love Debbie Harry. I love her voice and I love their attitude. It's not my favorite band in the world, but I am like reeducating. So I've been listening to Killing Joke and Blondie. One of each and one song of the other. It keeps the balance.

OK. Would you like to close with a message to your fans here in Greece?

Well, I'm really flattered that there are still people who care for this sort of noise that I make. And I'm really glad that that the people in Greece have been patient. And hopefully that they will enjoy what we what we do. I think it's going to be a good combo of the old and the new, it's going to be a roller coaster ride between the past and the present, and I wouldn't want to have it any other way. And I I'm sure that you'll understand when you get to the gates.

Thank you very much for the opportunity to have this conversation. See you in April.

Thank you very much. Yeah, see you in a few weeks. Bye-bye.