Vile Valo - Neon Noir (2023)

Just in time to kick off 2023, Vile Valo (ex-H.I.M) is ready to drop his debut solo release titled “Neon Noir”. This unique singer is ready to get back on the Heartagram train and delivers twelve extremely characteristic tracks filled with soaring vocal arrangements and unrivaled melancholy. If you are a fan of HIM you will certainly love this release as it is full of superbly catchy and intoxicating songs that will leave you listening to it on repeat for days on end.

The release starts with the dreamy “Echolocate Your Love” and its playful synths flanking Vile’s gifted vocals. The song has his signature dark and yet lively mood, with a catchy chorus and nice distorted guitars. Quickly, the power ballad “Run Away from the Sun” leads to soaring vocal arrangements and a very intoxicating serenading mood. With a nice Amorphis-esque acoustic guitar intro, “Neon Noir” is yet another excellent track in this release with lush arrangements and well crafted tempo changes.

By now you probably have figured out that as songs like “Loveletting”, “The Foreverlost”, and “Baby Lacrimarium” roll around, you get the signature HIM sound, but it is completely unavoidable as Vile’s vocals were the center of it. However, pieces like “Salute the Sanguine” and “In Trenodia” do show some differences as they have a more powerful edge with subtle differences amongst signature elements. We particularly love tracks like “Heartful of Ghosts” and “Saturnine Saturnalia” and their more Gothic/Doomier edge.

Closing with the cinematic “Vertigo Eyes”, the release comes full circle with a very powerful and emotional ballad. As a whole, “Neon Noir” is one hell of an intoxicating release. Don’t get us wrong, there are definitely tons of HIM elements and familiarities, but there are also plenty of new and different elements which keep songs fresh and engaging, other than their superb catchiness. It is early in the year, but we are sure this album will certainly be on our top releases of 2023 as we can’t stop listening to it!

Label: Spinefarm

Release: January 13th, 2023

Genre: Alternative/Gothic Rock/Metal

Country: Finland