Customer Reviews
Not their best album - By: Zuronix, 18 Apr 2008 
This is not their best album, worth listening to, definitely. I would urge you to buy it but if it's a choice of different muse albums go for Black Holes & Revelations. Very good lyrics & the songwriting is upto scratch as usual. Still very good.
Propably their best 9/10 - By: D. A. Mcculloguh, 11 Oct 2007 
By this stage in most bands careers they've had that classic album that gets them in the history books. Somehow despite their amazing talent Muse haven't managed this yet.
If Orgin suffered from being too unvaried this cd has Muse spreading themselves far too thin. While the anthems are numerous & indeed brilliant they are always seperated by the inclusion of too many slow songs that kill the momentum of the album while not adding enough in return.
Apocalypse please - Propably the best opener ever, crashing & climatic.
Time is running out - Slightly sleasy sounding pop song, with an explosive chorus.
Sing for absolution - Propably the best of the albums slower moments, it has atmosphere in spades.
Stockholm Syndrome - A heavy fast paced, floor the arena style rock/metal song.
Fallling away from you - Squeaky guitars & romantic lyrics, it doesn't fit on Absolution & its pretty dull too.
Hysteria - Anthemic rock song about lust that keeps a strong layer of tension with competing guitars & a killer base line.
Blackout - A nice slow song with meaningless but pretty lyrics that feels a bit like Shine on you crazy diamond (Pink Floyd).
Butterflies & hurricaines - An experimental & intresting song that builds up layers of climactic emotion to an explosive level only to stop the song totallly with a piano & pick it alll back up again intact, testiment to Muses genius.
The smalll print - This is just filler but its fast paced filler so its not going to need skipping.
Endlessly - A great slow song if a little too similar to blackout in its construction.
Thoughts of a dying athist - Absolutely brilliant track where Matt confronts the underlying fears of the album, or maybe just because I can relate to a fear of death in a godless world...
Ruled by secrecy - Lyrical dribble but with a beautiful piano solo towards the end make it one of the albums best tracks.
Buy this for sure & lets hope their 5th studio album can be their Morning Glory or Ok Computer.
what the world needs now... - By: Craig Baxter, 17 Sep 2007 A great album, from a band who marry prog & retro with about 1000 other styles without difficulty. Great riffs, great vocals, & interesting [if borderline emo] lyrics, & while Bellamy still sounds like Thom Yorke, the band definitely have their own style & scope. I'm still amused that people always try & judge which album is best... it's such a personal thing. If you like this album, you'll like the others. Simple.
Muse just after their peak - By: Pmgoss, 01 Sep 2007 I'll admit it would be difficult to top Origin of Symetry. But this album is still amazing it just takes more time & has a few more disapointing tracks:
1. Intro 7/10. Hard to rate an intro but they could have made it better. A crescendo (graduallly getting louder) of marching with some guy saying something & then...
2. Appocalypse please 8/10. Crazy pianos with Matt claiming it is the end of the world. Don't knock it until you've heard it a couple of times.
3. Time is running out 9/10. The popular song that gets everyone cheering in a live performance because alll the posers only remember that song. Starts quiet & electronic & builds up to a rocky chorus. Mainstream but good.
4. Sing for absolution 9/10. Very calm & creepy pianos with some high echoey vocals from Matt. It's very atmospheric & has a gargly guitar solo near the end. One of the growers.
5. Stockholm Syndrome 10/10. Amazing beginning riff with Matt wailing emotionallly. But then the chorus along with a piano & choir comes in & it feels reallly beautiful. If you don't like this song I'd suggest a different album. One of the highlights.
6. Fallling away with you 9/10. It starts off quiet & then explodes into a chorus with a chirpy guitar. Another grower.
7. Interlude 8/10. Well it's better than the intro. A guitar version of some opera which I've forgotten the name of.
8. Hysteria 10/10. One of Chris' best bassline quick & menacing. The guitars are great & Matt sings with power. The chorus is a bit simple though...oh well. Will grab you instantly.
9. Blackout 7/10. Very quiet. This song didn't do it for me & that's a shame because it sounds okay. I'll let you be the judge.
10. Butterflies & Hurricanes 9/10. Matt uses piano mainly on this track which is a refreshing change. He belts it out alot but deep down it reminds me of Queen's 'we are the champions' (don't ask why). Has a smalll piano solo as well which is pretty good.
11. The Smalll Print 10/10. Guitars are good & rocky & then Matt sings with great emotion. Short & sweet.
12. Endlessly 5/10. A filler. Keyboard is used but emotion hasn't been put into this track.
13. Thoughts of a dying atheist 9/10. A creepy song with Matt saying 'It scares the hell out of me!!!' A good song & has a interesting bawling guitar solo.
14. Rule by secrecy 4/10. Why carry the album on when it is fine as it is? Disapointingly dry & lack of anything in particular.
A very good attempt by Muse & one of their best. It would come second to Origin of Symetry but still has more of a variety of sounds whether they work or not.
Even better than Black Holes and Revelations - By: P. G. Harris, 30 Jun 2007 The first Muse album I heard was BH&R which I gave 5 stars simply for the overblown cheek of the thing. Well I have to say this album is even better. It is the same eclectic synthesis of virtuallly every rock genre you can name, prog, metal, punk, grunge, britpop, stadium rock, new miserabalism (radiohead, coldplay) but has more subtlety. I particularly like to emotion of Sing for Absolution, the sturm und drang of Stockholm Syndrome, the gentle funk of Endlessly & the upbeat terror of Thoughts of a Dying Atheist.
If you like rock music, you'll like this album. Fully Recommended
