For the longest time, THE RASMUS depended on their winning formula. Critical success be damned – their seventh album, Black Roses, was given a one-out-of-five pan by Kerrang – their international fanbase has continued to lap up whatever the band are serving, which usually consists of slight variations on the goth pop formula that propelled 2003 banger In The Shadows to the stratosphere. For what it’s worth, their self-titled LP from 2012 remains the crown jewel in their catalogue, an underrated collection of perfectly judged tracks it seemed THE RASMUS had been working towards since forming almost twenty years earlier.
That formula is still in Weirdo’s DNA, but something is off. The hooks remain (buoyed by the assistance of mega-hitmaker Desmond Child, responsible for BON JOVI’s Livin’ On A Prayer and Alice Cooper’s Poison), and the rudimentary lyricism is as comfortingly familiar as ever. But, as like WITHIN TEMPTATION before them, THE RASMUS have ditched much of their gothic, melodramatic vibe for a cookie-cutter modern metal sound that strips away the band’s charm. Down-tuned guitars add extra crunch but result in no added punch; this is still THE RASMUS and anyone looking for something edgy ought to know better by now.
So songs like Rest In Pieces feel more indebted to the rise of mainstream American rockers BAD OMENS than the darker well that churns out banger after banger from the cold Nordics. It’s a decent composition, as most tracks here are; Bad Things is a timeless rock ’n’ roll stomper, expertly structured and inoffensively catchy with a deceptively sinister lyrical focus. But there is nothing all that RASMUS-y about it. Were it to be found in a streaming service’s playlist, it would pass by without note: agreeable, but forgettable.
Love them or hate them, the band have always played themselves well. As recently as the 2022 Eurovision song contest, which they entered with Jezebel, there was something of the Black Roses-era magic to be found in their fabric. Although it’s hard to put a finger on an artist’s essence, it goes beyond how they piece notes together and their musical competency: it’s a vibe, a presence, the font they choose to write with or the way they move their paintbrush. Weirdo feels like THE RASMUS in the wrong clothes.
But it isn’t a total identity crisis. The fact remains this is another tight batch of tunes. Creatures Of Chaos continues their trend of writing stadium-sized choruses, showing no signs of dulled ambition. The title-track has a mournful, classic texture the album could use more of (although the inclusion of THE FUNERAL PORTRAIT drags it back to the modern sheen afflicting the record). Banksy is a fun little rager that would have killed on GREEN DAY’s 21st Century Breakdown. Their updated sound even benefits a song like Dead Ringer, showcasing how suited the framework is for loud pop instead of metal.
So it would be wrong, inaccurate even, to consider Weirdo a bad album. There are too many hooks and too many displays of seasoned songwriting to dismiss the artistry behind it. But as an album by THE RASMUS it feels like they’ve turned down all the dials that make them who they are. A decent pop rock record then, but one on which its creators sound unfamiliar.
Rating: 5/10
Weirdo is out now via Better Noise Music
Like THE RASMUS on Facebook.
The post ALBUM REVIEW: Weirdo – The Rasmus appeared first on Distorted Sound Magazine.
