Though Ville Valo has often been seen as the sole proprietor of love metal as a genre, primarily because very few can match his vampiric romanticism and poetry, Atlas arises as a formidable and remarkable successor. Infusing love metal with arcane echoes and bestial screams, they delivers a sensually brutal epic in their new record, Sunder (Odyssey Music). Continue reading
HIM (aka His Infernal Majesty) is one of the biggest, most successful bands to come out of Finland. Love Metal is not only the name of their fourth full-length album, but it is a genre of music they invented. So, it is fair to say many were dismayed when these Finnish fellas broke up six years ago. Yet hope was rekindled when frontman Ville Valo (aka VV) announced his debut solo album in 2022. Neon Noir (Heartagram Records, read our review here) was released earlier this year and has received high praise. Now the man is on the road again sharing his new tunes and some HIM classics on his headlining world tour. Valo brought his romantic rock to Detroit and blessed Saint Andrew’s Hall with his presence. The Live Nation venue was a perfect pit stop for this tour since it is a premiere music site that caters well to hot and flashy rock bands. Our local baseball team, The Detroit Tigers, had their opening day the same evening as Valo’s big show so the streets of the city were bustling and full of hubbub. That energy spilled into the beloved hall and made the night a colorful experience.
Following the 2017 death of HIM and a brief hiatus, Ville Valo debuted his solo project VV in the spring of 2020. After surviving on drip-feeding of singles over the past few years, romantics and vampires everywhere can finally rejoice as we’ve been given a feast in Valo’s first full-length record in a decade, Neon Noir (Spinefarm).