Ville Valo is still breaking down why HIM called it quits almost six years after the Finnish gothic rock act announced their split. But on the heels of his new solo album under the artist name VV  (Neon Noir arrives on Jan. 13) you can't blame people for asking him about it.

After all, Valo has hinted at a HIM reunion as recently as last year. But the focus is currently on his solo material and upcoming VV tour. (See the dates below.) Still, in a new interview, the singer explained how HIM unraveled after their final album, 2013's Tears on Tape.

"It took quite a long time for us to realize that the story of HIM had ended," Valo tells Sonic Seducer in a video chat. "After Tears on Tape, Gas [Mika 'Gas Lipstick' Karppinen], the drummer, left the band. Then we found a new guy. We toured a bit. We tried to get everything to work. But it just didn't sound as good as we wanted to." (via Blabbermouth)

The singer continues, "I think we lost the spark, so to speak. And we tried to be adult about it and realized that maybe it's just not our time. Because you couldn't blame us for not trying."

Valo adds, "We really tried to figure [it] out. We didn't go to any therapy sessions, we didn't go down the Metallica road, but we sat down long and hard and tried to figure out if there's anything we could give the world musically and decided that it's the perfect time to end it."

Clearly, the singer still holds HIM close to his heart. And Valo has revealed what HIM songs he will play on his upcoming solo tour. But you won't find him handling his own social media.

In the 2017 statement announcing HIM's farewell tour, Valo said, "After quarter of a century of Love and Metal intertwined, we sincerely feel HIM has run its unnatural course and adieus must be said in order to make way for sights, scents and sounds yet unexplored. We completed the pattern, solved the puzzle and turned the key. Thank you."

Ville Valo (VV) Sonic Seducer Interview - Dec. 19, 2022

Ville Valo (VV) 2023 U.S. Tour Dates

April 1 — Philadelphia, Pa. @ TLA
April 2 — Boston, Mass. @ Big Night
April 4 — Pittsburgh, Pa. @ Roxian Theatre
April 5 — Cleveland, Ohio @ House of Blues
April 6 — Detroit, Mich. @ St. Andrews Hall
April 8 — Cincinnati, Ohio @ Bogarts
April 9 — Chicago, Ill. @ House of Blues
April 11 — Minneapolis, Minn. @ Varsity Theater
April 13 — Denver, Colo. @ Summit
April 14 — Salt Lake City, Utah @ Depot
April 16 — Sacramento, Calif. @ Ace of Spades
April 17 — San Francisco, Calif. @ Fillmore
April 18 — Los Angeles, Calif. @ Belasco
April 21 — Las Vegas, Nev. @ House of Blues
April 22 — San Diego, Calif. @ House of Blues
April 23 — Phoenix, Ariz. @ Van Buren
April 25 — Dallas, Texas @ House of Blues
April 26 — San Antonio, Texas @ Aztec Theater
April 27 — Houston, Texas @ House of Blues
April 28 — New Orleans, La. @ House of Blues
April 30 — Orlando, Fla. @ House of Blues
May 1 — Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. @ Revolution
May 3 — Atlanta, Ga. @ Buckhead Theatre
May 4 — Nashville, Tenn. @ Brooklyn Bowl
May 5 — Charlotte, N.C. @ Underground
May 7 — Silver Spring, Md. @ Fillmore
May 8 — New York, N.Y. @ Irving Plaza

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