IQ magazine (Croatia)
/2001/

"Melodic hardcore"

Instead of pyrotechnics and over-the-top light and sound effects, HIM promised a good show to the Croatian audience.

After a big success of their second album Razorblade Romance (2000), Finnish pop-rock attraction HIM have released their third album, Deep Shadows and Brilliant Highlights. They will perform at Zagreb’s Dom sportova on 10th December as part of the promo tour.

IQ: We have caught you in the middle of the tour, you have played a lot of gigs by now. Are you satisfied with the DS&BH tour and album promotion?
Ville: Right now we are in Portugal, then we are moving on to Spain. We had performed in Germany, Austria and Switzerland already and are very happy with the tour. There were several great gigs, and by saying “great” I mean first our performance. Of course, we hope the audience were satisfied as well. Judging by their reaction, they indeed were.

IQ: You are coming to Zagreb in December. What are your expectations?
Ville: I have never been to Croatia, but I also never have specific expectations from certain cities. I don’t like imagining how some place looks like in advance. You can get easily disappointed if your expectations are too high. That’s why it’s the best to adjust to each new situation and just “go with the flow”.

IQ: You are promoting your third album on this tour, which the critics hasn’t accepted as well as your previous one. They say you have become mellower and more pop-inclined …
Ville: The album really is more melodic, or as some say “mellower”. I can only say we haven’t planned this beforehand, the album just turned out that way. I think it’s stupid searching for a formula for making a better album and submit everything to it. That’s the way AC/DC work and they’re doing really well, but we have never been interested in working like that.

IQ: How do your songs develop, do you care more about the music or lyrics?
Ville: There are no rules, but most often it turns out we work first on the music, and then the lyrics. Of course, all of our songs have a certain intimate touch to them and I think that’s what makes them good and interesting. Because they are intimate, it is easy for us to perform them and feel each song. When it comes to writing lyrics and making music, I am terribly slow. I am not one of those types who write a hundred songs and then pick ten out of them. I write ten and all of them have to make it to the album.

IQ: Who has influenced your new sound on the latest album the most?
Ville: It’s hard to say whose influence has prevailed. Each of us are influenced the most by the music we listen to the most while we’re working on a new album. While we were busy with DS&BH, I listened to Iggy Pop and The Stooges the most, but I’m not sure how much you can notice the influence. There are too many influences. I like good songs and I take what’s good out of every one.

IQ: What are you listening to now?
Ville: While we’re on tour, we listen to everything, but in fact nothing. We all took fifty different cds and constantly lead a fight on the tourbus about whose we are going to listen to next. The bass player and the guitarist listen to Brian Eno, I listen to Lamb, but also Travis, Suede, Iggy Pop, The Stooges and many others.

IQ: Are you making any changes for the rest of the tour?
Ville: We don’t like to use pyrotechnics or over-the-top sound and light effects. Personally, I prefer gigs where everything is based on music, it’s important that we play well and have a connection with the audience. In Germany you have bands such as Rammstein who make their gigs into true spectacles. But once you fire the first rocket, on the next gig that won’t be enough. You’ll need to have at least two. In the end, the music becomes less important and everything comes down to visual impression and technique. We are happy when we play well and the sound and lightning function. That’s what we expect from the gig in Zagreb as well – and the audience to have a great time.

IQ: Do you want to add anything for the end?
Ville: Tell our fans in Zagreb to be patient, we are coming, and make them dress warmly not to get sick before the gig!

Translation from Valo Daily