THE 2ND LAW

Muse are probably the most famous contemporary Rock band coming from United Kingdom and they have perfectly managed to walk the thin path between musical innovation and commercial success in the past. The trio continues to walk on this path with the new release "The 2nd Law". On one side, the quite unique vocals of Matthew Bellamy, the diversified progressive song writing and the multiple influences from rock bands of the seventies and eighties such as Queen can still be found as trademarks on this record. On the other side, the band added a few calmer and introspective songs to their repertoire but also included a few more Electronic Rock and especially several popular Dubstep influences on the new album. One could perfectly describe this record by saying that Queen meets Skrillex with some Coldplay moments. The new album though definitely tries out some new elements but in its whole it's less innovating and especially surprising as the previous "The Resistance".

As highlights, I would first of all cite the vivid Dubstep single "Madness" where the title fulfills all its promises. Another potential hit is the upcoming single "Panic Station" that sounds like a Funk orientated mixture of Queen and Red Hot Chili Peppers. Of course, there also is the almost exaggeratedly bombastic "Survival" that has been very well chosen as song for the Olympic Games in London last summer. A different kind of highlight is the more laid back and danceable "Follow Me" that could have been a big hit in the eighties and coming from a band such as Pet Shop Boys. We also get the dark and bass guitar driven Alternative Rock song "Liquid State" which is one of two tracks featuring bassist Christopher Wolstenholme on the vocals. Finally, there are the two closing parts of "The 2nd Law" that mix atmospheric and dramatic orchestral parts with up-tempo Dubstep influences which gives the whole thing a weird science-fictional sound. It's an interesting experiment but is definitely less gripping than the "Exogenesis" trilogy on the last release.

This means that the new record is still diversified and entertaining and contains many strong potential singles. The only negative point I would cite out is the fact that there are a few too many calm tracks in the second part of the release and that the material is overall less gripping and surprising as it has already been in the past. There are also a few too many influences taken from the eighties that almost feel like plagiarism from time to time. But in the end, this record is neither a true step back nor a step forward but rather a step towards new directions and trends after the strong last output. Personally, I prefer the previous release but the new album is still better than about ninety percent coming from other popular Alternative Rock acts in the world.