I know there are probably only a very small contingency of people here that remember or still like The Rasmus but I thought I'd post this thread anyway in preparation for their new album, Dark Matters, which is out in October. The Rasmus are my 2nd favourite band behind Linkin Park, I know that may sound strange to a lot of people but it's true. I remember back in 2004, the albums I were mainly blasting were Hybrid Theory, Reanimation Meteora, Collision Course by Linkin Park and Dead Letters by The Rasmus. I remember when I first heard In The Shadows on Kerrang in 2004, it was constantly on repeat that day but when I heard it for the first time, I was at the computer and my sister had it on, she left it on the Kerrang channel and I heard the catchy beeping noise with the strumming notes of the guitar and I looked over to see this colourful music video with the lead singer wearing feathers in his hair, all in black and playing this sort of goth-rock-pop music. I was instantly hooked on the track though (as was my sister), it was a real banger and I remember within a few days I downloaded the song and then went and purchased the album from Tesco's. That album took me back to a year prior when I first heard Meteora and Hybrid Theory for the first time, it made me feel exactly how I felt with those 2 albums, it captivated me, I loved pretty much every track on the album, I loved that Scandinavian rock/pop sound with the dark, moody sound effects and lyrics and the concept and meaning of the album was intriguing and engaging. The album just flowed so nicely and had so many catchy tracks like In The Shadows, Guilty, Still Standing, In My Life, Back In The Picture, etc. It also had their longest track on the album, which also stood out in Not Like The Other Girls, the sombre but powerful closing track Funeral Song as well as bonus tracks, with the newly revamped and re-recorded F-F-Falling. It was bittersweet during 2004, The Rasmus exploded onto the music scene with Dead Letters with the album and the single, In The Shadows selling really well. However, with new fans and their popularity expanding things quickly went downhill as well as a lot of people really started bashing the band, saying they were "one hit wonders", calling them fake, throwing bottles and mud at them at the rock festivals (obviously they were booked due to their growing popularity). I was really disappointed with this especially from the UK festivals as people thought Dead Letters was their first album when in fact it was their 5th, it was the first that became a commercial success. It was like they started getting recognition after years of hard work and evolving their sound and people just didn't give them a chance (although maybe they shouldn't have been booked so quickly and should have concentrated on the smaller festivals in the UK first and they may have avoided the backlash). Anyway, after getting Dead Letters I then went and purchased their earlier albums, enjoying them also but not as much as Dead Letters. I did find some gems though with songs like Ice, Bullet, Frog, Madness, Chill, Last Waltz, Funky Jam, etc as well as their cover of the Ghostbusters theme which was awesome and funny due to Lauri (lead vocalist) being unable to pronounce his 'v's' at the time. It is such a stark contrast, comparing their earlier more funky rock albums to their more up-to-date alternative rock sound. Their follow-up albums were solid, Hide From The Sun made the band go in a more hard rock/alternative metal direction and didn't sell well and was considered a flop and Black Roses went more electronic rock and also didn't sell that well. They didn't seem to get much promotion or exposure during these album cycles, so that wasn't really surprising. I still thoroughly enjoyed both albums and found them to be underrated. Their last self-titled album (album #8) went in a more soft-rock direction and although I found the lyrics to be a bit more mature I just wasn't a big fan of the album. The songs felt all the same to me with a few exceptions. I can listen to it but it's not one that sticks in my head or that I had on constant repeat like their other albums. Now, they have their 9th album due out called Dark Matters and it's due out in a couple of months. I've pre-ordered one of the signed CD/t-shirt bundles and they've already released two tracks. Their first being Paradise which sounds like modern rock/pop now, with their own twist/style implemented into the track. It's a pretty good song, my girlfriend (who doesn't really like the band) really enjoyed the song. You can check the music video out below: Their second released track has been released today, entitled Silver Night and sounds even better! I like the lyrics, the catchy guitar hook in the bridge, the way Lauri sings the bridge and chorus and the little instrumental/guitar solo towards the end is nice. It's a catchy song and makes my anticipation for the new album grow more and more. So then, any The Rasmus fans (I know of one here, haha!) and anyone interested in the new album? Let me know your thoughts.