HIM’s Ville Valo recalls “hairy” first meeting with Dave Grohl: “I kind of felt special for a moment”

HIM frontman Ville Valo certainly had a unique experience when he met Dave Grohl.

Speaking with Metal Hammer, Valo recalls getting introduced to the Foo Fighters frontman around the time HIM’s 2003 album, Love Metal, was released.

“All of a sudden I felt this hairy tongue on my face,” Valo shares. “I looked around and it was Dave Grohl. I’d never even met him before, so that’s how we got introduced.”

“Now, I’m not sure if Dave Grohl does that to everybody the first time he meets them, but I kind of felt special for a moment,” Valo continues. “Love Metal might not be the biggest metal album ever, or even the biggest album we ever made, but that was a moment that made me realize we weren’t just another band anymore.”

HIM followed Love Metal with 2005’s Dark Light, which spawned their single “Wings of a Butterfly.” The group eventually broke up in 2017.

Valo has since launched his solo project VV and will kick off a U.S. tour with Black Veil Brides on September 10 in Louisville, Kentucky.

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