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UNBELIEVABLE: Ville valo | History Defined

"Some of my first TV interviews were explaining that the band was more to do with the heart than burning down a church." The rise, fall and demise of HIM - Finland's goth metal princes

From Sabbath-obssessed teens to celebrities in their own right, Ville Valo reflect on 30 years of HIM

Metal Hammer

"When I went to rehab, they forced me to do the serenity prayer...I told them I’d say, ‘Ozzy grant me the serenity.'" Heartbreak, partying with Playboy bunnies and relapsing with Slayer: Every HIM (and VV) album in Ville Valo's own words

Ville Valo reflects on 30 years of HIM and horny, doomed gothic romance

Metal Hammer

“It was our first clandestine operation, gathered in a larder listening to church bells tolling”: Get the new issue of Metal Hammer with an exclusive HIM cover, t-shirt and signed art card

Celebrate 30 years of goth metal’s finest in style

Metal Hammer

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“We were just kids who didn’t know what ‘authentic’ metal was supposed to be”: Babymetal look back on the hate they endured amidst the viral success of breakout single Gimme Chocolate!!

The J-metal idols admit that some of the responses to their 2014 hit were “frightening”

Metal Hammer

"This band was and is my life." The new issue of Metal Hammer magazine celebrates 30 years of HIM with a world exclusive Ville Valo interview

Ville Valo looks back on 30 years of HIM, only in the new Metal Hammer

Metal Hammer

"All the melancholy and darkness could be traced to my dog. He was my furry brother." Gothic metal legend Ville Valo reveals some of the surprising influences behind his much-missed band, Him

From beloved pets to a definitely not metal US singer-songwriter, Ville opens up on what helped Him find their identity

Metal Hammer

"There’s beauty in the fact we didn’t strangle each other at the end." Ville Valo would love to reunite goth metal icons HIM

Nearly 10 years after one of Finland’s biggest bands called it a day, their singer is hoping they can get back together

Metal Hammer

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The 12 best new metal songs you need to hear right now

Kreator, Electric Callboy and Kim Dracula are among the best new metal songs this week. Plus, vote for your favourite!

Metal Hammer

“I don’t think anyone is as iconic as I am right now”: How Ville Valo helped lead HIM to stardom and became a modern rock god in the process

In 2006, HIM were at the peak of their powers –and frontman Ville Valo was living the rock star life to the max

Metal Hammer

“We were weeping like little babies, trying to figure out whether to continue, and if so how”: How HIM pulled back from the brink to make their final album Tears On Tape

Metal Hammer

“He was called ‘the Wickedest Man In The World’ by the press – how can you fail to be fascinated by such a character?”: The twisted life and decadent times of Aleister Crowley, metal’s favourite occultist

How Aleister Crowley, aka The Great Beast, influenced generations of metal bands

Metal Hammer

“We’ve never made a song as close to our core”: Deftones- and Alcest-approved synth-punks Kælan Mikla release new single Stjörnuljós

The Icelandic trio, who’ve toured with Deftones and Him’s Ville Valo, have shared their first original music since 2021

Metal Hammer

Synthy rocky metal wackadoodles Zetra announce first-ever headline tour

Your favourite face-painted, synthpop-loving metal duo will play across the UK next year

Metal Hammer

"Brandon Lee was always laughing, fun-filled and determined – a beacon of light." From HIM to Avatar and Ice Nine Kills, 90s cult hit The Crow has had a lasting impact on metal culture

From HIM to Avatar, The 69 Eyes and Ice Nine Kills, The Crow has had a lasting impact on metal's aesthetic and themes

Metal Hammer

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Metal Hammer

“I’m three years younger than Jesus. I’m just waiting to be crucified”: how Ville Valo went darker than ever on HIM’s Venus Doom

HIM’s Venus Doom was the sound of a band peering over the edge of the abyss, as Ville Valo explained when Metal Hammer spoke to the singer in 2007

Metal Hammer

"He was my hero." HIM legend Ville Valo reveals the iconic goth film character that inspired him

This beloved 90s cult classic is a particular favourite of the HIM frontman

Metal Hammer

Ville Valo at the Royal Albert Hall review: “Whatever he does next will need to be special to upstage this”

The former Him lynchpin brings his VV project to a graceful close at London’s most prestigious music venue

Metal Hammer

“I didn’t realise how much Him meant to people”: Ville Valo on the legacy of Him, finishing up with VV and the music that comes next

The goth metal beloved talks about his impending Royal Albert Hall show, drawing VV to a close and why he won’t play a Him album live in full

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Metal Hammer

“I’m a good actor. I’m the Jack Nicholson of rock’n’roll! I can do the one expression and people still believe it”: how Ville Valo became one of rock’s last great stars

A classic 2004 interview with Ville Valo that proves he’s always been goth metal’s most charismatic star

Metal Hammer

“It’s as evocative and deviant as the title suggests. It’s very sexual and disturbed”: the obscure 90s goth songs that changed Ville Valo’s life

Ville Valo on the cult goth songs every goth metal fan should listen to

Metal Hammer

“The heart of darkness for me is a heart of honesty, it’s the heart of vulnerability”: how Ville Valo pulled back from the abyss and bared his soul on HIM’s Screamworks

In 2010, Hammer visited HIM frontman Ville Valo at home in Helsinki to talk about the goth-metal band’s new album, Screamworks: Love in Theory And Practice

Metal Hammer

"I've already started humming and strumming": Ville Valo is planning to work on new music this year

Ville Valo explains what he misses most about HIM, but says he's still planning on working on a sequel to Neon Noir in 2024

Metal Hammer

The 10 best goth albums of 2023

From Grave Pleasures and Creeper to Host and Ville Valo, these are the best gothic albums of 2023

Metal Hammer

12 songs that brought horniness back to heavy metal (without the cringe)

From Sleep Token and Scene Queen to Ghost, Halestorm and Type O Negative - these are the bands who brought some sex positivity back to metal

Metal Hammer

10 metal bands who thankfully retired before they turned rubbish

While some bands may choose to push on years past their sell-by date, these metal icons called it quits at just the right time

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