VV ‘Gothica Fennica Vol.1’   

Lush, dark, enchanting, melancholic, melodic, and in places heavy, the heartagram is back. Or to be more precise, Ville Valo, former singer of Finnish goth rock legends, HIM, broke cover and to the delight of fans unexpectedly released a new EP online. In doing so, the launch was very low-key, but with a fanatical fan base, word spread very quickly.

Consisting of 3 tracks, the new EP ‘Gothica Fennica Vol. 1’ is both a taster and teaser of more to come. And simply attributed to VV, adds to the understated and enigmatic contents within.

Opening track ‘Salute the Sanguine’ is sweeping, lush, melodic, mid-paced and will feel very familiar to fans of early HIM and provides the perfect vehicle for Ville’s vocals. ‘Run Away from the Sun’ follows, opening with the chorus and is probably the most commercial track of the three, With a great mix the bass gently drives this gothic sing-along on it’s way, with yet more sweeping keyboards and vocals and understated, but very much present, guitars. Closing track ‘Saturnine Saturnalia’ is both the heaviest and longest track here (at 6 mins 41 seconds), and finds the band embracing their inner grunge while still producing something which remains hauntingly and broodingly beautiful. One for sitting back in your chair in the dark with the volume up high and getting lost in the sound streaming out of your speakers.

Trailed as Volume 1, we can only presume that further volumes follow, and hope that they do so very soon.