HIM's VILLE VALO Returns With New Band

04 September 2018

Former HIM frontman Ville Valo has announced that he has formed a brand new group called VILLE VALO & AGENTS and will be revealing their first single later this month.

The new group features VALO along with AGENTS guitarist Esa Pulliainen and the project features their take on material from late Finnish singer Rauli Badding Somerjoki, according to Metal Hammer.

Pulliainen explained how it all came about, "This story begins three years ago," says the guitartist, whose band played with Badding in the 80s. "Upon finding three demo cassettes in my drawer which had been sent to me by Badding back in the day, I knew I had to contact Ville right from the get-go. I was aware he knows his Badding inside out. I'm really happy that we were able to finalize this project. Badding meant for these songs to be recorded and even if it took us 30 years to make that happen, I feel I've kept my promise."

The first single is set to be released digitally and will feature VALO and Pulliainen's rendition of Badding's 'Orpolapsi Kiurun ('Orphan Child Of The Skylark')'.

Badding is an iconic figure in Finnish music. Born in 1947, he released a string of solo albums in the 1970s and 80s, before dying of alcohol-related illness in 1987 at the age of 39.

HIM split up following a farewell tour in 2017. Ville told Metal Hammer last year that he was working on new solo material: “I have bits and bobs – I’m not sure if they’re good enough. But I like them. I think it’s gonna be more artsy. I’ve always loved Sonic Youth and I always loved Dinosaur Jr. and Nirvana – those messy guitars.”