† NillaMora †

H.I.M. frontman Ville Valo told Spinner.com that the band's upcoming album, "Venus Doom", is a darker and heavier effort than its previous CD, 2005's "Dark Light". Valo explained, "There's...a lot of SABBATH and old-school METALLICA (in there). I wanted the album to be more aggressive, heavier and more out there."

The new direction also allowed Valo to switch up vocally. "I wanted to sing lower — use my baritone a lot more," he said. "When all those influences come together, it's like, 'I wanna do that [Mark] Lanegan, Leonard Cohen-y type of vibe.'"

Valo added that the disc's tentative first single, "Kiss of Dawn", was inspired by the suicide of one of his best friends. Valo said, "The whole song is a tribute to him. It's also a love song. I love that dude. He was a…