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Being a pretty big Eurovision fan, seeing The Rasmus performing new material in their slot at the final was fantastic. It helped that the song they used – ‘Jezebel’ was also a great choice, upbeat, fun, and just a little bit sorrowful. The only real problem is that it was short enough to fit into Eurovision metrics, though I’m glad it’s been included on this album too.
The album’s opener ‘Live And Never Die’ is also fun and very punchy. It carries a lot of energy with it right off the bat, and it’s a perfect choice to get you in the mood for the rest of the music on ‘Rise’. New guitarist Emilia “Emppu” Suhonen really fits into her role with ease and provides a catchy riff that brilliantly complements the enthusiasm for life construed in the lyrics. The song is followed immediately by a slightly heavier riff that serves as the introduction to ‘Rise’, the title track of the album and its only single barring their Eurovision entry. Once again, we get a song that darts between slower and more energetic with ease, balancing a lamentation of life’s difficulties with a call for community. There’s also something to be said for frontman Lauri Ylönen’s vocal power on this one.
Picking a favourite is pretty difficult, given every song on the album is to the well-practiced tune of something to dance to, but ‘Endless Horizon’ has to be up there. It’s one of the more balladic tracks, with softer vocals and a chorus that only opens up a little more when it gets there, but the effort results in something genuinely meaningful and touching. Closing track ‘Evil’ is the longest on the album, as if they can’t bear to let you go, and it serves its purpose fantastically as a statement piece. It’s once again at an easy pace, but once again packed full to the brim with a great drumline and vocals, as well as appropriately atmospheric lyricism. It slows even further towards the end, marking the final moments of the album with discordant strings and feedback, and bringing it to a neat close.
I’m not going to pretend like they’re doing anything super innovative with this album – but they don’t need to. They provide many a touching, haunting lyric regardless, and plenty of music to get you jumping, it’s an album worth the five-year wait and one I will be putting on repeat.
Available September 23rd via Playground Music, more information here.
Review – El Vipond
Photo credit: Venla Shalin
THE RASMUS TOUR 2022
October
Sun 30 – Nottingham, Rock City
Mon 31 – Manchester, O2 Ritz
November
Tue 01 – Glasgow, Garage
Wed 02 – Bristol, O2 Academy
Thu 03 – London, O2 Forum Kentish Town
THE RASMUS are:
Lauri Ylönen – vocals
Eero Heinonen – bass
Emppu Suhonen – guitars
Aki Hakala – drums
THE RASMUS online:
https://www.facebook.com/
https://www.instagram.com/
https://www.youtube.com/user/
http://therasmus.com/
