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Soundwave is just around the corner and another heavy hitter that has been added to the bill are Finnish rockers HIM. HIM (His Infernal Majesty) have a relatively new album Tears On Tape which they are touring the world with including Australia as front man Ville Valo explains.

Are you enjoying the opportunity to take a break before touring ramps up again?

Well yeah, it’s been decent. We finished off touring around Halloween last year. The latest album came out in April after which we played a bunch of festivals in the States then flying back to Europe for our own headline tour. We played a mini tour in Finland during New Years so we do get little breathers in between. Recharging the batteries in between for us has been important otherwise we’d be dead within an hour!

Twenty years is a significant milestone, congratulations, is there a secret to longevity?

I think there are various ways of looking at it. I think you could look at it as if we have nothing better to do or band that has made incremental steps with a fair share of struggles. Touring has given us the opportunities to go far broader than our home country particularly Europe, the UK, North America and now Australia. It has been baby steps, which I think keeps the band rejuvenated and interesting for us because it is a bit of a struggle at times as it takes of time and energy. Sacrificing the other stuff like family life or whatever you want to call, really you don’t have much time for that. We tried in 2010 to get to Australia so hopefully it all goes to plan and we can see all those great bands at Soundwave.

Does it make it harder knowing that there is a greater reliance on touring because music sales are not what they used to be?

It’s a complex thing, record sales started going down in the late nineties and then people started saying that it shouldn’t be a problem for real bands who make decent music. Then the problem starts with too many bands and too many tours at the same time so that there is over saturation. So a whole lot of people can’t afford to see all those bands and it is a double edged sword. We’ve been lucky in a lot of ways that we have been able to get bread on the table and have a roof over our heads. Plus we’re lucky that we haven’t been forced to do menial jobs to support the rock as they call it. It is a special thing, we are proud and never forget the fact it is rare to live this kind of lifestyle.

Do you still believe in the concept of an album and it will that still be a viable option for the next album?

I still think the genre needs it and I think people have forgotten that the whole concept of an album is still important. The history of pop music more or less started on a seven inch so bands releasing EP’s and so on every two months is nothing new. It depends on the genre but having said that there aren’t a lot of good pop albums that people would listen to from the beginning to the end. Then again with rock ‘n roll and psychedelic music it is important to have more than three and a half minutes of it to get in to the zone. I find it interesting though that things are changing and challenging which will hopefully weed out the bad.

Were you happy with the response to the new album?

I’m still happy with the fact that we’re still together in this band and able to make music that resonates with people. Touring was great so we’ll cross our fingers that it will continue to work out that way with Soundwave and tours afterwards.

Was the album challenging and did it test relationships within the band?

I think it should be problematic and I think it would be terrible if the process of creating an album was an easy task. There is always some sort of drama and some sort of existential crisis, writing blocks and the thoughts of why the hell am I doing this, blah, blah, blah. It is a very important part of the process but hopefully there is a song that revitalises the belief in the band. Then it’s like fucking hell this is great and we start playing like we’re seventeen years old again. It is an important combination to have the moments of despair and disbelief then to regain that belief.

Have you started throwing around ideas for the next album?

Um, things are in place with touring to August this year. Once that’s done and knowing how the band is we’ll need a bit of a breather to start writing new material before getting in to recording mode. Hopefully sometime next year we’ll enter the studio which will all be dependent on how it all comes together. We won’t be in a rush as it will take a few months to rehearse, a couple of months to record it and then all the hassle of getting it out, which is its own problematic adventure.

Do you think the band’s sound will continue to evolve?

That’s the constant battle to find that balance of the left and right side of the brain. Being in the studio you’re always constantly new learning new bits and at times having to unlearn stuff as well.

Are you looking forward to Soundwave?

Last time round was four years ago and which was a real blast. This festival is a special one and it enables us to enjoy it, see the other bands, meet new people and make new friends. The cool thing about festivals is that there will always be a group of people that don’t know anything about us and hopefully we’ll be able to attract the attention of those who will fall in love with what we do. It’s a good challenge and problem to have.

HIM tour nationally with Soundwave, and then a whole bunch of US date, full details over at their website.

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