Finnish rock outfit THE RASMUS holds nothing back on its new track, the toxic love-themed “Break These Chains” featuring Niko Vilhelm of BLIND CHANNEL. It’s out today (May 16) via Better Noise Music and Playground Music. Driven by THE RASMUS‘s signature blend of dark atmospheres and anthemic melodies, the emotionally gripping song is taken from the band’s upcoming album “Weirdo”, which arrives on September 12, marking THE RASMUS‘s 11th studio album and first for Better Noise Music.
The video for “Break These Chains”, which was directed by Aleksei Kulikov, can be seen below.
“‘Break These Chains’ is about a toxic relationship,” says singer Lauri Ylönen, who digs his teeth into such lethal lyrics as “You made me believe/That true passion makes you bleed/So I stayed too long/To play your twisted games.” Lauri wrote the song with revered hit songwriters/producers Marti Frederiksen and Desmond Child. “It’s about letting go of something that you know is bad for you, but you’re obsessed with.”
For “Break These Chains”, THE RASMUS called on Niko Vilhelm (of the Finnish nu metal band BLIND CHANNEL) to make a special guest vocal appearance.
Vilhelm says: “THE RASMUS are heroes of mine, so obviously I was excited when Lauri called me and asked me to be a part of this song. Even more so when I heard the track. The heavier sound suits them soooo well. I’m so hyped about where they’re headed and what’s to come.”
Most of the songs on “Weirdo” were written by Lauri Ylönen, Desmond Child (who contributed to the band’s “Black Roses” and “Rise” albums and has worked with BON JOVI, JOAN JETT & THE BLACKHEARTS, AEROSMITH and Alice Cooper, among countless others) and Marti Fredriksen (AEROSMITH, OZZY OSBOURNE, BLACK VEIL BRIDES) in Folegandros, Greece. That’s where Lauri and Desmond met up to work on material that Lauri brought. THE RASMUS then did full band demos of all the tracks in Finland in July 2023, with production led by Frederiksen and Child. Later, they finalized the songs and recorded the album with the whole band in Marti Fredriksen‘s Sienna Studios in Nashville. Some of the tracks were mixed by Fredriksen in Nashville, assisted by Evan Fredriksen, while other mixes were done by Chris Baseford (NICKELBACK, SHINEDOWN, DAUGHTRY) in Vancouver, Canada and by Claudius Mittendorfer (PANIC! AT THE DISCO, WE ARE SCIENTISTS) in London, and Joseph McQueen (BAD WOLVES, AS I LAY DYING, FROM ASHES TO NEW) in Los Angeles. Additional production by McQueen injects a fresh intensity into tracks like “Creatures Of Chaos” and “Break These Chains”, while Ylönen himself takes the helm on “Rest In Pieces” alongside Alex Mattson.
The album’s second single, “Creatures Of Chaos”, arrived March 28, with the video racking up over 521,000 views. It followed the album’s first single “Rest In Pieces”, released October 25, 2024, paired with a lyric video which now has amassed over 556,000 views.
“I find it comforting that our 11th album, ‘Weirdo’, has pretty much the same message as on our first album released in 1996,” says Lauri. “It is to defend and praise the ones who are different from the masses and proudly being themselves as they are. It has been our philosophy from the very beginning.”
Ylönen explains the power behind being a “weirdo.” “In this society I’ve always felt that I’ve had to prove myself for being the way I am or doing the things I do. I’ve always felt like an outsider not fitting the norm. I’ve been called a weirdo, misfit and a freak. That used to make me angry — but not anymore. It’s become my source of strength and confidence. I’ve realized the power of it. All the people I find exciting and inspiring are somehow strange. We, the Weirdos, unite and feed off people’s judging attitudes. The fact is they’re just afraid of us. Afraid of our capability to create new and change the future. Are you a Weirdo? Join us…”
THE RASMUS will bring their unforgettable stage show to audiences worldwide in 2025 on the “Weirdo Tour”. They recently concluded a month-long U.S. trek with THE FUNERAL PORTRAIT, and are now in the midst of their own North American headlining tour, which kicked off May 3 in Atlanta, Georgia.
“It’s been a while since we went on tour, so we’re really excited to be heading out all over the world in 2025,” exclaims Lauri. “It’s shaping up to be a massive tour and there’s more dates to come. We can’t wait to hang out with our fans. It’s going to be fun to see them again, we’re like family.”
Meanwhile, THE RASMUS will play a charity concert in Ukraine on July 19 as the headliner of the Atlas Festival, as the only foreign artist at the event. The band wants to do their part to help Ukraine. Over 60,000 people are expected to be in attendance, and there will be a comprehensive security system and evacuation plan for the audience and performers in just a few minutes if necessary. Last year, the festival raised over two million euros for charity. The artists can choose to direct their charitable funds to any Ukraine-related cause, such as supporting children’s hospitals, purchasing ambulances, or helping combat medical personnel.
“It’s scary to play in the middle of war, but we want to show our support for the Ukrainian people,” says Lauri. “We have a massive fan base in Ukraine and we’ve also previously done a joint song with the Ukrainian Eurovision winner KALUSH ORCHESTRA.”
“Weirdo” track listing:
01. Creatures Of Chaos
02. Break These Chains
03. Rest In Pieces
04. Dead Ringer
05. Weirdo
06. Banksy
07. Love Is A Bitch
08. You Want It All
09. Bad Things
10. I’m Coming For You
In their native Finland, where they are the reigning No. 1 rock band, THE RASMUS stands at No. 1 on Spotify, YouTube, Instagram and Deezer as far as followers, views, likes and streams.
Photo credit: Venla Shalin
Content shared from blabbermouth.net.