The Rasmus - Hide from the Sun (2005)

The Rasmus is a Finnish quartet that started as a crossover act in the mid-nineties as it combined alternative rock, funk rock and rap elements. The group first got some international acclaim with its single ''F-F-F-Falling'' from its fourth studio record Into in the early years of the millennium as the song was included on several popular compilations. The band had its breakthrough thanks to a genre shift towards gothic rock on Dead Letters with its international hit single ''In the Shadows''. The band's best album however came along with Hide from the Sun two years later as the band was then firmly rooted in gothic rock without denying its alternative rock roots.

Dramatic opener ''Shot'' kicks the record off on a melodramatic, emotional and catchy note and sets the tone for the record straight right from the start. Hit single ''No Fear'' offers hope in darkness and convinces with sorrowful verses and a mystic chorus with uplifting background chants. The band however also offers some more light-hearted tunes such as the dreamy ballad ''Sail Away'' that works very well in the context of the rather gloomy album.

Hide from the Sun doesn't include any filler material and exemplifies commercially successful gothic rock music that struck a chord with teenagers from all around the world in the early years of the millennium. The alienation, despair and melancholy on this album portrays the ways many teenagers feel. Just like a teenager going through changes in transition from childhood to adulthood, The Rasmus also transitioned from crossover to gothic rock and are nowadays playing electronic rock and pop music. The record has aged rather well and still convinces with its emotional, gloomy and melodramatic appeal more than fourteen years later. This album tells you more about teenage culture back in its days than many documentaries actually could. Revisiting this album also feels like revisiting your own teenage years if you have grown up back in those days and had a weakness for contemporary rock music.