Former HIM frontman Ville Valo recently opened up about how his band differentiated itself from the black metal scene during their early years. He shared candid thoughts in an interview with Louder Sound.
Valo explained his approach to separating HIM’s romantic goth metal style from the more extreme elements of black metal. He described encounters that highlighted the stark differences between the genres.
“I got some of my first TV interviews explaining to people that Him was more to do with the infernal aspects of the heart than burning down a church,” Valo said. “Black metal was the punk rock of the 90s – it was the big spiritual vomit over everything. I loved it, but a lot of those bands took themselves very, very seriously.”
The frontman then shared a particularly striking anecdote that illustrated the extreme nature of some black metal musicians.
“I was in a pub once with a guy from a black metal band and he goes, ‘You’ve never experienced darkness until you’ve strangled your own cat and looked into its eyes as it’s dying,'” Valo recalled. “That’s a terrible thing to do to an innocent critter. We were just pussies – Satan worship lite.”
This revelation provides insight into how HIM positioned themselves within the broader metal landscape. They chose a more romantic and accessible approach to dark themes rather than the extreme ideology often associated with black metal.
Valo’s deliberate distancing from black metal extremism was rooted in his band’s unique musical philosophy and diverse influences that shaped their distinctive sound.
Wikipedia reported that Valo and HIM coined the term “love metal” to describe their musical approach. This concept combined melodic and melancholic elements with heavier influences. It directly contrasted with black metal’s harsh ideology and helped establish HIM’s identity as purveyors of romantic darkness rather than nihilistic extremism.
The foundation for HIM’s gothic metal sound came from Valo’s early musical education. Louder Sound revealed that his formative years included playing Type O Negative cover sets. This direct lineage to the New York goth metal pioneers established a clear musical DNA that favored romantic interpretations of dark themes over black metal’s uncompromising brutality.
Before settling on gothic metal, Valo explored diverse musical territories including jazz, alternative bands like Jane’s Addiction and Mr. Bungle, death metal, and grindcore. Louder Sound noted that while these influences shaped his “attitude of having it undiluted and real,” they don’t directly appear in HIM’s music. This underscored his deliberate choice to pursue a different path than black metal’s uncompromising ideology.
This eclectic background ultimately reinforced Valo’s decision to create music that embraced darkness through love and melancholy rather than violence and extremism. It positioned HIM as a more accessible gateway to gothic themes for mainstream audiences.
