(Music) Muse: "Black Holes and Revelations"

If I were to say I’ve been a Muse fan for as long as I can remember, I’d be lying. Mostly because I’ve liked Muse since Summer 2004 when a friend of mine first showed me “Hysteria” from the album “Absolution,” and I can vividly remember 2003, 2002, and so forth. Clever introductions aside, I am really a Muse fan! Absolution and Origin of Symmetry are, in my opinion two of the greatest rock albums of all time and feature some of my favorite songs ever! Needless to say, I was really excited when I heard that the band was finally going to release a new album, titled “Black Holes and Revelations.”

“Black Holes and Revelations” is a much different album as their previous efforts. For Muse fans, it’s about the same as the difference between “Showbiz” and “Absolution.” In other words, very different. The biggest change for this album over their past works is that “Black Holes and Revelations” is more of a politically-charged, straightforward rock album than the epic, orchestra-laden nature of “Absolution” or the catchy, power rock of “Symmetry.” In that light, it could be viewed as a bit of a disappointment to many Muse fans, but it is undoubtedly sure to capture new fans along the way.

The first song on the album, “Take a Bow,” is also probably the most politically-charged song, just as “Apocalypse Please” was for “Absolution”. This time around, though, it’s much more intense and angry than its predecessor and it doesn’t take a genius to figure out who Matthew is speaking of when he belts out “Cast a spell on the country you run. You will risk all their lives and their souls.” At the same time, one can’t help but agree when he proclaims “Our freedom's consuming itself. What we've become, it's contrary to what we want.” It’s a very powerful song, and poignant for those who share his views.

The next notable song on the album is the first single, “Supermassive Black Hole,” which superbly showcases Muse’s range of ability. Being a danceable, rock-pop song, the track is far different from every other song on the album. That being said, it’s also my favorite and I’ve been listening to it regularly for over a month. For Muse fans, it might be a tough sell, based off of the falsetto vocals and poppy guitar riffs, but it is by far the most accessible song on the album and is sure to win the band some new listeners. “Map of the Problamatique” seems pretty accessible as well. Though I didn’t really enjoy it too much, the lingering piano in the background for some reason remind me of really cool 80s music, and that makes it somewhat bearable.

“Soldier’s Poem” is another politically-themed song, but this time written from the perspective of a soldier at war (which I’m sure Matthew knows so much about!). The song really harkens back to 50s rock ballads. The Flamingos especially come to mind here, especially when Matthew sings, “There’s no justice in the world and there never was.” It really is a beautiful song and serves as a very nice intermission, or a break from the rock music.

“Invincible” is also a powerful song, whose military-style drum cadence helps build the song to its dramatic climax when Matthew declares “Tonight we can truly say ‘Together we’re invincible’”. The last or so of this song is beautiful, shocking, and amazing and really must be experienced to understand. My only complaint about the song is that Mathew seems to be over-singing throughout most of its 5-minutes. Despite this, it still manages to be a standout track on the album.

“Assassin” is a pretty driving rock song at the beginning, sounding surprisingly like Pantera for a while, but it eventually becomes pretty repetitive and, as a result, boring. Still, if there was a song on the album that “Origin of Symmetry” fans would enjoy, it would probably be this one, even though “Oppose and disagree. Destroy demonocracy!” is an actual lyric in the song.

The next notable track is “City of Delusion,” and is arguably the most impressive song on the album in terms of musicality. Matthew pulls no stops on this song and the rest of the band follows, even adding in the string-orchestration that made “Absolution” such a fresh album. There’s even an incredibly impressive trumpet solo about 3/4s of the way in that makes the song even better. “Knights of Cydonia” is the last track on the album, and it features one of the coolest choruses in recent memory; a heavily vocodorized harmonic declaration of “No one’s gonna take me alive! Time has come to make things right! You and I must fight for our rights! You and I must fight to survive!” Honestly, it’s really a very cool way to end the album and the guitars and drums that accompany it are also incredible.

When I first listened to “Black Holes and Revelations,” I was a bit disappointed. As a hardcore Muse fan, I have to say that I was expecting something much different than what I got. In a sense, I was expecting more of the same from one of my favorite bands. What I got, however, was the next evolutionary stage from a band that has evolved consistently since their inception. I should have known better, but I’m glad I gave it a few more listens. “Black Holes and Revelations” truly has some amazing songs on it, songs that could undoubtedly be considered some of the best of the year, thus far. If you’re a Muse fan who can’t decide whether or not to buy it, I say go for it! There’s really not a whole lot to lose by purchasing this album. It is breathtaking!

Recommended for fans of Muse, Bush-hating, Blair-bashing liberals, and anyone who really wants to be rocked!

Key Tracks:
1. "Take a Bow"
2. "Supermassive Black Hole"
3. "Soldier's Poem"
4. "Invincible"
5. "City of Delusion"

4 out of 5 Stars
Buy It!