Interview: Ville Valo of HIM (this interview originally appeared in issue #37 of Modern Fix Magazine in 2003). – by erin broadley HIM has been best described by the press as “Depeche Mode meets Dimmu Borgir in a David Lynch movie,” though by now the band has coined the phrase “love metal” to summarize its sound which Valo explains as, “music that includes elements of pop, metal, goth, glam…it’s music inspired by the feelings you have before the first touch, before the first kiss.” Love metal is music that embraces emotion but also pours you a drink. It’s a love letter signed in blood but sealed with Jack Daniel’s, not with a kiss. It makes your heart ache but it also raises your eyebrow and makes your lip curl. It’s foreplay that skips the sex and goes straight for the post-coital cigarette. It’s watching your lover sleep only to realize that you can’t get Black Sabbath’s “Crazy Train” out from stuck in your mind. From their humble beginnings in Helsinki, Finland in 1995 to playing sold out gigs across Europe four critically acclaimed albums later, HIM has brought European rock romanticism a higher level of musicianship and an irresistibly charming attitude to match. Completed by Mige on bass, Linde on guitar, Gas on drums and Burton on keyboards, the band first garnered widespread attention for its impressive cover of Chris Issak’s “Wicked Game,” but have since built an expansive musical catalog that swaggers its way right on past the road sign that points to one-hit-wonders. HIM has rightly earned its legions of admirers, some of which include Ozzy Osbourne (who has invited the band on tour), pro-skater and Jackass star Bam Margera (who directed two of HIM’s music videos to date), and actress Juliette Lewis (who starred in one of those videos). European shores secure, HIM decided to bring its music stateside and re-released “Razorblade Romance” on Universal Records, finally making the album available in America whereas before it could only be bought as an import. Excited about HIM’s American debut, Ville Valo took a few hours out of his vacation time in Finland to talk about songwriting, art, and why he doesn’t think he’ll ever need a prescription for Prozac.