Him and His Metal

Following their youthful obsession with Black Sabbath, Kiss and Iron Maiden, the Finnish band HIM developed their own unique sound which has become known as love metal. In 2017, Ville Valo and his bandmates decided to close the door on their 20-year career with a traditional new year’s eve concert in Helsinki. However, the charismatic frontman soon realised that nothing has really changed in his life, and he started working on a debut solo album. He wrote the lion’s share of the material during the pandemic lockdowns, so it’s hardly a surprise that he continues to follow the dark path once laid down by his band. During the wintertime concert at Studio, we will hear favourite tracks from HIM’s discography alongside the latest compositions from Neon Noir described by Valo as a “teary mascara marathon… with a dash of hope”. (Bartosz Suchecki, Kraków Culture)