HIM, the Finnish goth metal band that painted our teenage bedrooms black with anthems like "Wicked Game" and "The Funeral of Hearts," probably won't be gracing the stage together anytime soon. In a recent interview with Metal Hammer, frontman Ville Valo poured cold water on any possible reunion rumors.
While Valo expresses love for his former bandmates and acknowledges the possibility of a future reunion under the right circumstances, his current focus is firmly on his solo venture, VV.
“I don't find it an appetizing idea at the moment. We haven't really been in touch, which tells you a lot. If the phone starts ringing at some point, then we'll see. I love the guys and I hope that they still care about me, too. So maybe one day, but it would have to be for good reason." Ville explained.
"But the countdown to the end of my life has started, I don't have time to reinvent the wheel, so I have to put all my effort into whatever is happening next. It's lovely to have a family, and lovely to have that co-dependency in a band, but with this, the cool thing was that I didn't have to call anybody and ask for permission. I'd like to keep it like that for the time being."
Valo's solo journey hasn't been without its challenges. Stepping out of the HIM shadow and carving his own path involved embracing vulnerability and trusting his instincts. He admits channeling the spirit of music-making icons like Prince and Andrew Eldritch.
"What I'm happy about is that I was able to pull the whole thing off, and not face total hate from the audience. There seems to be a new generation of people coming to the gigs, and not only for the HIM songs. With VV there's been a lot of firsts. I wrote the whole album myself, I played all the instruments, I produced the album myself, there was a lot of me, myself and I. Where Prince and Andrew Eldritch, and all those self-centered geniuses lit the torch, I followed. I had to be really humble, and trust my ears, and trust my instincts."
