Rating:
Genre:
Rock
Release Date: 07/11/2006
Naysayers listen up. Teignmouth, England's
Muse refuse to be the "next"
Radiohead. Since forming in 1997, this
alternative rock trio has continuously battled comparisons to the famed Oxford group while ambitiously creating a sound of their own. British fans have praised the group for years, despite Americans taking until
Absolution to discover
Muse and give them their props. Whether or not you championed the grand dramatics of
Absolution,
Muse is a solid band and
Black Holes and Revelations defines that with a passion.
Rich Costey joins
Muse in the co-production of this 11-song set; together, they create the band's most realized and meticulous album to date.
"Take a Bow" sets the scene immediately with mesmerizing full
rock orchestration layered in waves of synthesizers and percussion, building up to vocalist/guitarist
Matthew Bellamy's aching performance of a world torn apart by its own instability. Though frequently compared to
Queen's
Freddie Mercury and
Thom Yorke,
Bellamy comes into his own here. He, drummer
Dominic Howard, and bassist
Chris Wolstenholme appear completely in sync for the first time. Sure, their previous work showed promise, but they sound like a complete band on
Black Holes and Revelations. The sultry, swaggering
"Supermassive Black Hole" and the razor-edged paranoiac
"Assassin" are good examples of how adamant
Muse is about delivering the biggest
rock & roll package they possibly can.
Bellamy howls "You and I must fight for our rights/You and I must fight to survive" on the riotous
Rush-like megalomania of
"Knights of Cydonia," and it's true -- they've totally fought for their craft on this one. It may have taken four albums for Americans to get it, but with
Black Holes and Revelations, the whole world should be watching.
~MacKenzie Wilson, All Music Guide
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