I won’t speak for anywhere else in the world, but for America in the early 2000’s the state of rock music was very bleak. There was very little going on in terms of new music that was remotely exciting and original and I felt for the first time very jaded as a music fan. There really wasn’t much I saw in music magazines, Radio, or music television that I found exciting. This fact was one of the driving motivators for what drove me to look into underground music or more to the point music that was going on outside of America, That search was rewarded when I came across a lot of bands that were REALLY exciting, bands that blew away EVERYTHING going on in America. Among the many bands I came across in my search was H.I.M (His Infernal Majesty) and over time they became one of my favorite bands. H.I.M had great songs with great melodies and great riffs, their sound was like Billy Idol and Type O Negative had a musical child that was into 80s goth music. I use those comparisons loosely because for the most part H.I.M has a sound all their own. One of the aspects of their sound which helps them stand out is the voice of lead singer/ main songwriter Ville Valo, His seductive and unique voice really makes you feel the emotions he conveys in his songs, songs that often cover varying shades of love and loss.
H.I.M released eight full length studio albums before the band broke up in 2017, Ville would go on to record an album with fellow Finnish artists Agents which sounded absolutely nothing like his former band. If you, Like me, Were crushed when H.I.M split up then the Agents album didn’t really help. It’s actually a decent record in its own right but it’s not the sound that you associate with Ville’s songwriting style. In 2020 Ville quietly released three new songs under the banner of VV to gauge interest in any new music both from the fanbase and record labels, for those of us who love his old band these songs filled a void. There really wasn’t any promise of an album and there was very little in the way of information about what Ville was planning, But I’ve been waiting over two years for this album and it doesn’t disappoint. Many artists make a point of distancing themselves from the sound they’re known for when they record a solo album, Taking the risk of alienating their fanbase, Ville does the exact opposite of that. Neon Noir fits in so well with his back catalog that if he had released this as a H.I.M album no one would be the wiser, Which goes to show you just how much of that band’s sound he’s responsible for because on Neon Noir Ville plays all of the instruments, it’s a solo album in the literal sense of the term.
If you love H.I.M’s album Dark Light then you’ll definitely love the direction Ville Valo went on Neon Noir, because on his first solo album there’s a real focus more on keyboards as was the case with Dark Light. Sure, There’s distorted guitars on the album, but they often blend into the mix rather than be more in the forefront as is the case with album opener “Echolocate your love” this song is actually a great bridge between H.I.M’s last album Tears On Tape and where Ville goes with this album, it’s an excellent track but I think a guitar solo would’ve made this song even better.
“Runaway from the sun” is one of three tracks that were released in 2020 on the Gothica Fennica Vol 1 EP, This song is vintage H.I.M around the time of their album Deep Shadows and Brilliant Highlights, a great gothic power ballad full of longing. It will be a tragedy if this song isn’t given a music video and made one of the albums singles, it’s a definite contender for the best song on the album.
Some of the best songs on many albums fall under the category of deep cuts and the title track is my personal favorite deep cut on Neon Noir, This song starts with some gorgeous acoustic playing before going full tilt into a brilliant mid-tempo rocking track that has a beautiful atmospheric mid-section. I doubt this one will be a single but it’s a spectacular song that is one of the albums best songs.
“Love letting” is the albums first official single and no matter how many times I’ve heard it this song is incredible, Ville has a gift of writing incredibly catchy melodies and knowing how to make the songs cut deep. I interpret this song as being about two people who were in love drifting apart based on the chorus “two hearts beat out of sync with each other and crying, Dreaming of love letting love “ it’s a spectacular and heart wrenching song that is everything that is great about Ville’s songwriting style, my other contender for the best song on the album.
Being perfectly honest “The foreverlost” didn’t catch me on first listen, or second listen for that matter. But I’ve since come to appreciate this song and it definitely helps if you listen to it on a good speaker where you can get a better feel for what’s going on musically (that’s my advice for this album as a whole, there’s a lot in the mix to dig into)
“Baby lacrimarium” (a bottle the Romans used in tombs for mourners tears) is where we move into territory less explored by Ville’s old band.. the happy sounding song, at least musically. It’s a very catchy song that sounds at once like nothing he’s done before and yet still fits with his style.
“Solute the sanguine” is another one of the three tracks that were on the EP, this song is another great mid-tempo melodic rocker that would fit in well with Valo’s early output.
“In Trenodia” is another one that stands apart as a much happier sounding track, a glistening rocker. One thing that needs to be said is how Ville’s voice sounds better than ever and the range of notes he hits on this song is spectacular.
“Heartful of ghosts” is a gorgeously atmospheric goth song and sounds nothing like anything he’s done before, I get a slight disintegration era The Cure influence on this track. The progression in this song from soft to powerful is a joy to experience.
“Saturnine Saturnalia” is the third song that was on the EP, with its slow, heavier riffs in the mix this song could easily have been on H.I.M’s Venus Doom album. The musical elements at play in this song are incredible to immerse yourself in, there’s a lot going on here from heavy and clean guitars, layers of keys, it’s just brilliant.
When it comes to instrumentals a lot of factors matter for me as a listener, one of those things is placement in the sequence of an album, In my opinion “Zener solitaire” should’ve opened the album, it comes across as a lead in track and a great one at that. But I feel that it doesn’t work as well being placed next to the last track on the album.
“Vertigo Eyes” starts out with a keyboard melody that sounds straight out of Depeche Mode’s Violator album, that’s definitely a strong influence on this song to the point that I can practically hear Dave Gahan singing this track even if Ville’s vocal melody is higher than Dave’s traditional range. It still sounds very much like a Ville Valo song, But the Depeche Mode influence provides the bones of this excellent song. The way this song progresses as it goes along is fantastic! it’s always a real treat when a song takes you on a musical journey and dares to not be so formulaic, The fade out on this track is really cool and a great end to a great album.
I positively love this album and the fact that Ville didn’t abandon the music he’s known for, Neon Noir is another excellent addition to his catalog that fits perfectly with all he’s done over the years while also showing some artistic growth as well.
9/10