Review: The Rasmus — Hide From The Sun (2005)
A dramatic plunge into the shadows of dark rock where heavy riffs blend with pure northern melancholy
Hide from the Sun became the sixth full-length album by The Rasmus, continuing the musical direction the band had chosen for their previous breakthrough release, Dead Letters. It achieved platinum status in Finland in just three days and later solidified the popularity of The Rasmus outside their homeland.
The band Apocalyptica participated in the recording of the album, contributing cellos and an arrangement that can be heard in the song “Dead Promises”. Furthermore, a line from this track, urging to hide from the sun, was subsequently used as the title for the record.
Band vocalist Lauri Ylönen explained in an interview with Kerrang that the album title reflected their feelings after the tour in support of Dead Letters, which had served as their source of inspiration. He noted that while the album was quite dramatic and featured beautiful melodies, they had wanted to refine it a bit and give it a sharper edge.
The album artwork was drawn by the band's guitarist, Pauli Rantasalmi.
The band Apocalyptica participated in the recording of the album, contributing cellos and an arrangement that can be heard in the song “Dead Promises”. Furthermore, a line from this track, urging to hide from the sun, was subsequently used as the title for the record.
Band vocalist Lauri Ylönen explained in an interview with Kerrang that the album title reflected their feelings after the tour in support of Dead Letters, which had served as their source of inspiration. He noted that while the album was quite dramatic and featured beautiful melodies, they had wanted to refine it a bit and give it a sharper edge.
The album artwork was drawn by the band's guitarist, Pauli Rantasalmi.
Four songs were chosen as singles: “No Fear”, “Sail Away”, “Shot”, and “Keep Your Heart Broken”, three of which were accompanied by music videos. A fourth music video was filmed for the song “Immortal”, despite it never being released as a single. The album was reissued in four different versions for the UK, Japan, the US, and Mexico, with each reissue including new tracks or variations of old ones. For instance, the US version of the album included the song “Dancer in the Dark”, which was inspired by the 2000 film of the same name starring Icelandic singer Björk. The film tells the story of an Eastern European immigrant in the US who loves musicals, struggles with progressive vision loss, and saves money for a surgery so that her young son will not suffer the same fate. At the time, Björk was a significant figure and an idol for Lauri Ylönen.
Subsequently, the band openly stated that this album had been very difficult for them to make. They were affected by external pressure following the success of the single “In the Shadows”, an intense touring schedule that kept them away from home, and a lack of time, which ultimately forced them to write songs for the upcoming release directly while on tour.
Lauri Ylönen mentioned in an interview with CrimsonCrown that Hide from the Sun had turned out a bit angry. He admitted that certain personal issues had influenced the lyrics and the overall sound. He added that every time he recorded an album, he tried to reflect his current feelings, comparing the process to keeping a diary.
Subsequently, the band openly stated that this album had been very difficult for them to make. They were affected by external pressure following the success of the single “In the Shadows”, an intense touring schedule that kept them away from home, and a lack of time, which ultimately forced them to write songs for the upcoming release directly while on tour.
Lauri Ylönen mentioned in an interview with CrimsonCrown that Hide from the Sun had turned out a bit angry. He admitted that certain personal issues had influenced the lyrics and the overall sound. He added that every time he recorded an album, he tried to reflect his current feelings, comparing the process to keeping a diary.
Rating: 10/10
- Tuuli TalvinenFounder & Editor-in-ChiefInterviewer