The Rasmus

Helsinki's melodically hard rocking the Rasmus were formed in 1995 while the four bandmembers were still in high school, and their debut, Peep, rapidly went gold in Finland. The teenagers quickly recorded and released follow-up album Playboys, which also achieved gold status, earning the group an Emma Award. Their third album, Hell of a Tester, included "Liquid," voted Best Single of the Year by Finland's music critics. Released in 2001, Into went double platinum in its native country, with debut single "F-F-F-Falling" hitting the top of the charts. Two years later, Dead Letters climbed to number one in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. As they continued to grow in popularity during the 2000s, the Rasmus shifted from a punky to a more goth-influenced sound. ~ David Jeffries