That Eric Alper

6x Platinum and 8x Gold-certified, record-breaking Finnish rock outfit THE RASMUS hold nothing back on their new track, the toxic love-themed “Break These Chains” ft. Niko Vilhelm of Blind Channel. It’s out via Better Noise Music and Playground Music. Driven by the band’s signature blend of dark atmospheres and anthemic melodies, the emotionally gripping song is taken from the album “WEIRDO“. It arrives September 12, marking their 11^th studio album and first for Better Noise Music. Pre-orders and limited edition merchandise bundles are available now HERE.

“‘Break These Chains’ is about a toxic relationship,” says singer Lauri Ylonen, 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. “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 Ylonen, Desmond Child (who contributed to the band’s BLACK ROSES and RISE albums and has worked with Bon Jovi, Joan Jett & The Blackhearts, Aerosmith, 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 Ylonen 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 521k 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 556k 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.”

Ylonen 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…”

With its uncompromising vision and unapologetic message, “WEIRDO“ is poised to be THE RASMUS’ most ambitious and impactful album yet.

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, GA. Tickets are on sale now for its European leg (9/12 – 12/6); see the full dates listed below.

“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 Ylönen. “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 Ylönen. We have a massive fan base in Ukraine and we’ve also previously done a joint song with the Ukrainian Eurovision winner Kalush Orchestra.”

THE RASMUS “WEIRDO TOUR” 2025 DATES IN EUROPE:
10/23 Limassol, CY – Monte Caputo
10/25 Athens, GR – Floyd
11/11 Hamburg, DE – Markthalle
11/12 Berlin, DE – Metropol
11/13 Warsaw, PL – Stodola
11/15 Budapest, HU – Barba Negra
11/16 Vienna, AT – Simm City
11/17 Munich, DE – Technikum
11/18 Milan, IT – Alcatraz
11/20 Zurich, CH – Komplex 457
11/21 Karlsruhe, DE – Substage
11/22 Saarbrucken, DE – Garage
11/23 Frankfurt, DE – Batschkapp
11/25 Cologne, DE – Live Music Hall
11/26 Utrecht, NL – Tivoli
11/27 Antwerp, BE – Trix
11/28 Paris, FR – La Cigale