MUSE

Muse's fifth release is arguably their strongest. The music draws from an even wider array of influences than before, yet still with that very distinct Muse sound.

"Uprising" and "Resistance" are fantastic to open the album, "The United States of Eurasia" and "Guiding Light" reek of Queen (that's a compliment in my book), and they manages to fit in some true prog rock in "Unnatural Selection" and the closing "Exogenesis" symphony.

This is not strictly prog rock, but any prog fan who has an appreciation for good rock/pop music should get a kick out of this one. It's epic, bombastic stuff; and these guys have the talent to back it up and a strong sense of good melody. Miles ahead of most pop music being released these days.

4 ****

Showbiz is, IMO, very good for a debut album, and a good alternative rock album. I'm not sure why I liked it when I first heard it (before I heard any other Muse)- the reasons that I normally think of for liking Muse aren't really on this album (bombastic epicness, strong classical influence, big riffs, big bass prescence).

Yes, Muse really hadn't completely found their niche yet. While it was a fairly unique style, it did bear a similarity to early Radiohead (unlike later Muse work). And the album was more a compilation of the best songs they had written since their inception. But it is a great album, and there are some prog-ish moments.

Sunburn: A catchy piano riff leads into an angry, guitar-driven chorus. It kind've sets the lyrical tone for the rest of the album- more teen angst than Muse's later intellectual stuff. A big tremolo picked whammy solo leads the song out.

Muscle Museum: An excellent song, a laid back bass and drum style verse with a harmony guitar riff leads into a big, riffy chorus. In the ending breakdown, Bellamy's voice has been made to sound like a guitar.

Fillip: Quite an unusual song by alt rock standards, with a heavy, short verse and short chorus. A slow piano breakdown features Bellamy's amazing, quiet falsetto. It then speeds back up into the main theme.

Falling Down:A very bluesy song, guitar and piano.

Cave:One of the most aggressive songs on the album, both a good guitar and bass riff. A heavy, angry chorus, which includes heavy distorted guitar and piano as well (something unique to this album in Muse's discography). A piano breakdown and then return to guitar solo at end.

Showbiz:A great example of Muse song with a build-up. Conveys a lot of emotion in the growing intensity of the simple vocal riff and chords, with the addition of distorted guitar and Bellamy almost screaming. It's worth hearing this song just for the amazing endj- a vocal solo, where Bellamy's falsetto shows it's true stuff- so high it's unbelievable.

Unintended: A very typical ballad, acoustic guitar, with both verse and chorus having the same 4 bar chord progression. It's nice, but doesn't go far.

Uno: Another very aggressive song- but very interesting. It's essentially a rock tango, and alternates between heavy, scratching sections and very light sections, all with a tango rhythm.

Sober: A slightly punky rock song, but very catchy.

Escape: Begins with the feeling of a ballad, and then introduces an angry, guitar- driven chorus that doesn't return. Fantastic song.

Overdue: A short, repetitive, catchy rock song.

Hate This And I'll Love You: A good closer. Notice the sounds of crickets throughout the song. Another example of lighter verse with feeling of repressed anger, and the release of the anger during the chorus. Also another song with a slight change near the end, and a heavy return to the theme at the end. Great song.

I do recommend this album to those who like some of Muse's other work, like Radiohead's early albums or like alternative rock. Others should probably give Muse's later albums a listen first.

Wow, 2 amazing albums, the next one should be amazing...yea...no...

This album was a bit of a let down to be honest. After you make 2 great albums, you kind of expect the next one to be great as well. But it was just a massive let down. It was good i guess but it was not spectacular.

It almost felt like they were trying to become something they were not, using influences and making them sound way too much like the influences at times. It could have been a great album, but it was let down at times by weaker tracks.

1. Uprising - This song is infectously catchy. It was an obvious single choice and is a good song. The lyrics aren't great though.

2. Resistance - This song reminds me of HIM for some reason. It has a gothicy vocal melody. It is another great pop song on the album.

3. Undiclosed Desires - Another good pop song. The symphonic electronic main riff reminds me of the Sugababes. I would have been a little bit more experimental with the arrangement.

4. United States Of Eurasia (+Collateral Damage) - You could brand this song as a Queen rip off, but Iove this song. At times, the Queen We Are The Champions stolen vocal lines are noticable, but the song is quite epic. The orchestration harmonising with the piano riffs is amazing as well. The end part is quite good as well, Matt is an amazing piano player. I didn't really like the lyrics though, why would one want to write a song about the problems between Europe and Asia...there is none.

5. Guiding Light - This song is national anthem like, but it is quite bland.

6. Unnatural Selection - This song is more upbeat but is still bland. The end part is quite intresting though.

7. MK Ultra - This song is a perfect example of how electronics and orchestras, do mix.

8. I Belong To You (+Mon C?ur S'Ouvre à Ta Voix) - This is probabbly my favourite song on this album, but does anyone notice that the bassline in this song, sounds a bit too much like Ruby by the Kaiser Chiefs. The french part was werid but interesting.

9. Exogenesis: Symphony: Part 1 (Overture) - I have a masisve bone to pick with this song. A symphony is a piece of music played by an orchestra where the orchestra plays through the whole thing. At times only piano and vocals are heard, and instead of focusing on the orchestra itself, this piece concentrates on solo instruments at times, which means that it is a concerto grosso. Another bone to pick with this piece, is that this section, which wrongly named Overture, should actually be an overture. There is only 1 theme being presented in this piece and you don't even hear it again. Rather than that, it is quite beautiful.

10. Exogenesis: Symphony: Part 2 (Cross-Pollination) - Again, piano is only heard, not a symohony. And if this was classically inspired, the basso continuo (i.e. the piano) wasn't used in classical music. God, Matt Belamy can pull the sheet over dumb peoples eyes, but not to those that know anything about classical music. Although, it is quite good.

11. Exogenesis: Symphony: Part 3 (Redemption) - The end of this mock symphony. Probabbly the best part though.

CONCLUSION - Like I said, this album could have been great but it wasn't. Don't buy this album if you want to find out about Muse, there are better albums. Although, it was quite good, not amazing, but good.

I know that I said that Absolution in Muse's career, but I got to say, this album is just as good. The songs are cathcy, the music is amazingly written, it doesn't get boring and it is quite experimental in places.

This album saw a more comfortable flirtation with electronics and even though that is not the norm in modern rock music, I believe it was pulled off really well.

1. Take A Bow - Like Apocalypse Please, this song is very climactic, leading up to a grand finale at the end. With more use of synths and even arrpegiated chords that were sped up to the max, this song is powerfull, catchy and amazing. I get chills just thinking of it.

2. Starlight - I have heard this song so many times, I could vomit it. This song recieved alot of airplay, due to the fact that it is a great song, and it gotta bit on my nerves. A bit like King's Of Leon's Sex On Fire did, but Starlight is a great song.

3. Supermassive Black Hole - I remember watching the premier of this video at 12 o'clock at night. I thought the video was a bit weird and the song sounded nothing like Muse. But, having listened to it, more than enough times, due to airplay on radio and t.v., I'm starting to see what they were tryring to achieve. Kind of like a hybrid between Prince & Gary Newman.

4. Map Of The Problematique - The electronics in this song are to die for. The mixing is amazing, the synths sound top quality, and this song just rules. Probabbly one of my all time favourite Muse songs.

5. Soldier's Poem - The Italian aria. Nothing more to say.

6. Invincible - This song was a weird choice for a single. It is incredibly catchy and eerie beautiful, but is a great song. The solo is amazing, i never really liked the idea of putting many effects into one guitar, but this is one exception.

7. Assassin - This song reminds me of Stockholme Syndrome, a kick ass riff and a great chorus.

8. Exo-Politics - This song has a pretty cool chorus. I think the song is about Scientology, but Muse weren't always the greatest lyric writers.

9. City Of Delusion - Great chorus, amazing harmonies, kick ass song.

10. Hoodoo - A more mellower feel to the album.

11. Knights Of Cydonia - Would I be right in saying that the riff in this song is one of the best riffs of all time. This song is a bit like Butterflies & Hurricanes, in the sense that it keeps on building up and becoming more epic than ever. The layered vocal harmonies in this song are absolutely amazing. I remember doing a radio show, and i decided to play this song, I just started grooving for no apparent reason to this song...that is how amazing this song is.

CONCLUSION - I'm finding hard to choose my favourite Muse album, it's definelty between Absolution and this one. This album continued on the great work Muse were doing and it even bettered Absolution at times. If you don't have either of the 2, buy them now.

Ok, this album seems too perfect. It reminds me of one of these albums that were not even created. You couldn't even imagine anybody in the studio playing or creating these songs. They seem almost biblical, they have always been here.

Yes, this is definelty the album were Muse found their sound. Origin's was a very raw sounding album, with songs that were creative and expanded while being experimental throughout. This album saw amazingly crafted pieces of music, or since they were shorter than they were in that later, songs. This album expresses alot of emotion and is probabbly their most successful and best album to date. Their isn't a bad song on it. In short.

1. Intro - A bunch of feet marching. This isn't the most ambigous start to an album, but it does raise the attention of the listener.

2. Apocalypse Please - Yes, this really does sum up an apocalyptic feel. With the marching piano riffs and the clashing od percussion, this sends chills up my spine everytime i hear it. Well crafted and amazingly presented vocal harmonies throughout, along with more arrpeggios from synths. A great start to the album.

3. Time Is Running Out - There isn't much I can say about this song. This song actually got me into Muse. They have always been able to write an amazing pop song, but with adding their own weird elements to the arrangement. Very cathcy and Matt shows off some powerfull vocals.

4. Sing For Absolution - Eerie and haunting, with weird piano riffs to lighten the mood. The one thing that attracted me to this song, was the incredibly extraordinary music video. Watch it if you can.

5. Stockholme Syndrome - A rocking riff that reminds me of The Smashing Pumpkins on speed. The chorus is absoultely amazing, pedal point after pedal point with synths, guitars and piano grabbing the attention of the listener. The video for this song I didn't like. I didnt think it summed up this amazing song as Sing For Absolution did.

6. Falling Away With You - Mellow and soft, an amazing way to calm the listener.

7. Interlude - It's an interlude, nothing much to say.

8. Hysteria - An amazing song with enough crazy to shoot up OJ Simpson. I never liked Muse lyrics, they always tried too hard, but this song actually sums up Hysteria quite well. An amazing rock song with a funnier guitar solo to match.

9. Blackout - As i said in the last review, a song inspired by Italian aria's. Amazing orchestration and a beautiful vocal performance.

10. Butterflies & Hurricanes - If Time Is Running Out made me a fan of Muse, Butterflies & Hurricanes proved them to be one of the greatest bands out at the time. An amazing journey with mellow,loud, symphonic stabs to the chest. My favourite part is the tocatta inspired piano middle section which displays Matt's dexeterity as an amazing pianist and composer. An epic.

11. The Small Print - To be honest, this song would be great, if the lyrics weren't so cringe worthy. "I'm a priest that God never paid"...what does that even mean. By a word change, this is a great rocking song.

12. Endlessly - A mellancollica chillout disco jazz song....basically. The chorus is great as well.

13. Thoughts Of A Dying Athiest - To be honest, being an athiest, this song does "scare the hell outa me." It's a great song and the lyrics are great as well. For some reason the riff at the start reminds me of Mastodon. I like the arabic trait at the end of the chorus.

14. Ruled By Secrecy - A very eerie ending to this album. Great nontheless.

CONCLUSION: An amazing album. If you don't have it...what is wrong with you. Go out and buy it now.

Muse have always been a kind of safety net for me. The only prog band that have been able to achieve as much sucess as a pop band in todays modern musical culture. To be honest, I wasn't the biggest fan of them when this album was released, For some reason they scared me a bit, expecially Matt Belamy's hair in the video for Bliss. I was a bit scared of them, they seemed to be from another planet. But I was brave enough to listen to Plug In Baby, there breakthrough single really.

This album was very experimental for Muse. They were starting to flirt with electronics and other keyboard instruments like pianos, mellotrons and organs. A lot of drone and noise was used as well, which gave the album a very rustic appeal.

Although this album isnt my favourite of theirs, I really respect what they were trying to achieve...finding their sound. They wouldnt have completed this quest until their next album was released, but this albumwas a great attempt. I didnt really like this album on my first listen, but it has grown on me.

1. New Born - This is a great opener for an album. I love the bassline flowing through the song. I can see why they get criticised for Matt sounding a bit like Jeff Buckley, but at least he can pull it off.

2. Bliss - God Muse love their arrpeggios, and they work really well, they give the song a new life. This is a really hauntingly beautiful song.

3. Space Dementia - I love the broken chord passages, it really gives the song a kick. There is alot of Space Rock influences in this song and another criticism that is quite common is another relation to another singer...Thom Yorke.

4. Hyper Music - A really kick ass song with an amazing disjunct riff. Reminds me of Led Zeppelin.

5. Plug In Baby - Their breakthrough into popular music really. An amazin classicaly inspired main riff and an amazing vocal performance from Matt.

6. Citizen Erased - The first riff of this song is another one that will kick you in the face. It's very groove orientated and reminds me of Clucth. An amazing break down with some spacy feelings. This song reminds me of Paranoid Android. Long, epic and weird.

7. Micro Cuts - This is a normal appearance on a Muse album. For those that wouldn't be aware of Arias, especially Italian Arias, then this is Muse' attempt. There is usually one of these on every Muse album. It is a low fi piece of music where Matt is able to show of his amazing vocal skills. I liked the idea of singing in falsetto. It was pulled of really well because Matt has an amazing vocal range.

8. Screenager - Everytime I see this title, it reminds me of Therapy?. Yes a very avante garde song which reminds me of Sleepytime Gorilla Musuem.

9. Darkshines - Not the best song on the album. Probabbly the weakest, more of a filler.

10. Feeling Good - One of the best covers in my opinion. It is the perfect example of how a cover can be arranged to meet the bands needs. The original Jazz elements are also kept in tact.

11. Megalomania - This is a very eerie song that reminds me of something from The Wall. A great ending.

CONCLUSION: Although not my favourtie Muse album, still a great album. Buy it f you already have all of Muse's albums, or if you like a little something different.

When I purchased this CD from the local record chain, the guy at the counter looked at me and said, "That's a really good album."

"Good," I said, although I had my reservations. Could he understand my musical taste, which these days involves ordering more and more music online because what I want can't be found among stores such as the one he was working in?

But that had been the trend of late. Whenever I bought a new album this year at the record shop, I would always be told how good it was by the people behind the counter. And while, I haven't purchased anything from them this year that was really amazing yet, they've always told me that I had picked a good album. And so far, this year, I've bought almost exclusively prog or prog- related music from them. I suppose that they are music lovers, just like me, and that they recognise creativity in music. Perhaps they, too, shop for music primarily on the internet where the selection is vast, but know that among the music they sell, the likes of Dream Theater, The Mars Volta, Porcupine Tree, and Muse are more likely to lead listeners down the road of wanting that music.

With that in mind, I decided to take his words at face value, and listened to "The Resistance" with expectations of good music.

The first few tracks, from Uprising to Unnatural Selection, are great rocking tracks. Listening to them with the volume turned up, I can't help but move my body around to the catchiness in the music. Unfortunately, they have already, for the most part, faded in awesomeness over multiple listens, which is a bit of a disappointment.

One thing I'd like to point out is that in United States of Eurasia, Muse really manages to sound like Queen at points, mostly with the multi-part vocals. It is a nice, epic track, and one of my favorite of the first half.

As a further side note, I found the keyboards in Uprising sounded very familiar, as though they actually came from another Muse song. I was concerned that I'd be hearing a lot of echoes like that throughout the album, but thankfully that was the only place where I got that feeling.

I Belong To You is a bit of a quieter, more romantic piece that even have some french added in that is actually part of the opera Samson and Delilah. While it's not quite the same as writing their own classical-themed music, like many Prog rock acts do, you have to give Muse props for integrating opera into their music, and it works quite well. I must admit that this is one of my favorite tracks on the album so far and the one that has held up best over multiple listens (other than their epic, that is).

The gears really shift with Exogenesis, the 12+ minute epic at the end of the album. We are treated with some strongly classically-influenced music with a lot of piano and string instruments tossed in, and it is less based on the vocals than the rest of the album, more on the music. I really appreciate it. One part even reminded me a bit of "Rhapsody in Blue".

The way that Muse displays the track shows some of the difference in aesthetics between them and a "real" prog rock band; if a band such as Yes, Flower Kings, etc. had done this track, it would have been called: Exogensis Symphony: Overture/Cross-Pollination/Redemption.

This album doesn't quite bear up over multiple listens but it is a great combination of hard rocking material that really pumps you up in the front, and some more gentle, classical-oriented music at the end. Overall, a great 3 star album.

And endless red tape to keep the truth confined

As you might have known through my reviews on Muse so far, I am actually not into the kind of its music even though it does not mean I don't like it. It's just a matter of longevity ... a test by which until how long I can keep the music in the future. The longevity tests that I have made for albums like Yes 'Relayer', Genesis 'The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway', King Crimson 'In the Court of Crimson King', ELP 'Tarkus', Gentle Giant 'The Power and The Glory' and many other legendary albums have succeeded in fact more than thirty (30) years and I still can enjoy them with no boringness at all. But I don't know with Muse, really. But, to say that the music is a mundane one, I don't think it's a wise standpoint, in my view. That's why when I got this UK pressing CD that was given to me by my sister Didy last week when she returned back from UK, I kept thinking how long can I survive listening the kind of music like this. I know that Muse is now a BIG thing in rock music industry where their albums as well as concerts were attended by thousands crowd. So I admire them on this.

As I am a prog reviewer, I have tried my best to view this album from a musical composition using five dimensions: melody, harmonies, complexities, change of style and structural integrity. This album ranks quite high on melody and harmonies, as well as structural integrity. I don't think you would challenge me on this because all songs contained here are basically melodious in nature. And I salute Muse on this skill. The harmonies resulting from the interaction among instruments, programming as well as vocals are also excellent. While the album moves the music in similar style from start to end with various melodies among songs, the album seems like cohesive as a whole. Therefore the album passes the test on structural integrity. The album scores medium on changes of style between one segment to another as some songs have good changes of style with smooth transition like 'Unnatural Selection'.

For some reason I enjoy this album very much despite there is very little complexity with the composition, but I enjoy it ...Well, sometime I need something easy and upbeat like this one. The opening track 'Uprising' is a simple composition with great grooves and interesting lyrics. The power of the album is basically on the solid message they convey to the world on various issues. The title track is also a nice composition. On 'United States of Eurasia' I can sense a heavy influence from Queen and eastern music. The melody on the eastern music is really nice and innovative. It's an excellent track and one of my favorites. Another fave is 'Unnatural Selection' which basically an excellent rocker with sudden change into an ambient bluesy styles in the middle of the track. It's really nice. 'MK Ultra' is also an excellent composition especially on combining guitar and keyboard, moving the vocal in energetic way with some musical riffs. The album contains an epic on 'Exogenesis' that comprises three movements with heavy influence of classical music.

Overall, it's hard to deny that this is an excellent album from Muse. Keep on proggin' ..!!

Peace on earth and mercy mild - GW

Muse- The Resistance (2009) Adored by their throng of fans for their pomp and circumstance, and for Matt Bellamy's guitar and vocal histrionics; hated by their detractors for precisely the same reasons, Muse are certainly one of the more unique rock bands in recent memory. Radiohead meets Queen, as I have heard them described. And that is not too far an assessment from the truth. Bellamy has a very unique falsetto voice, which indeed sounds like Thom Yorke having a baby with Freddy Mercury.

Their new release 'The Resistance' is their most challenging and distinct work yet. Very few modern rock acts will dare to reference classical music, and work with an orchestra. Dream Theater are one such act, Muse are another. Bellamy proudly credits composers Frederic Chopin and Camille Saints-Saen on the liner notes. His arrangement of one of Chopin's nocturnes on the standout track 'The United States of Eurasia' is very moving and effective, not to mention quite unexpected. People focus on Bellamy's vocals all too often, and do not give enough credit to the fact that he is a great guitar and piano player, as well as a fine composer and arranger. 'Eurasia' is definitely one of the best numbers here. Muse go all out, and deliver one of the most epic tracks of their career.

This is a very different record, even by Muse standards. Opening track 'Uprising' has a beat reminiscent of a football hooligan anthem; mixed somehow with the soundtrack of a science fiction movie. All Muse albums could be the soundtrack to a sci-fi epic. Over the top is the order of the day; and I would not have it any other way! My personal favourite track is 'Unnatural Selection', a straight up, instantly recognisable as Muse, rocker, with a similarity to 'New Born' on the 'Origin Of Symmetry' album. That is not to say that there are few surprises on the disc. 'Undisclosed Desires' is the first Muse song with no guitar or piano. It's a very synth heavy piece, kind of like 80s Depeche Mode.

Try the closing three part epic 'Exogenesis'. Epic stuff indeed. If you are a fan of Muse, this disc will suit you to a tee. If not, this will probably not convert you. They vary the pomp-rock-version-of-Radiohead formula enough here, so maybe newcomers will find this one the most digestible.

Muse's new release is at first listen quite difficult to get into. I found it the most diverse release thus far of the group and as a result it can be an alienating experience. However, it actually grows on you and, like a form of osmosis, you become immersed in this new approach and quite accepting if you allow it. The magnetic aura that Muse exudes is still present but none of the bombastic material of previous works. There is a more distinct symphonic approach, evident and blatant in than the last 3 tracks. A track by track analysis may be helpful if you are considering owning this album.

The album begins quite well with Uprising, a track that captures the familiar Muse sound, if there is such a thing. The guitar work is as accomplished as ever and the vocals soar over the top.

In Resistance there is the immediate feeling that this is a very different Muse album and there is nothing wrong with that as long as the music is engaging. Thankfully for the most part the album delivers and is as compelling as other albums from this great band.

Undisclosed Desires confirms the suspicion that this is a very different sound, in fact it perhaps takes some getting used to. There is a distinct U2 type of sound particularly with the guitars. The track is more R & B than anything else but is well executed.

Unites State of Eurasia is another loud, guitar heavy track that is okay. Immediately one is reminded of the trademark sound of Queen, 'I Want It All' or 'We are the Champions' would have fitted in well with this track. Guiding Light is a melodic, soft ballad that is pleasant to the ears. It is reminiscent on many of the other softer tracks from previous Muse albums.

Unnatural Selection absolutely terrific. Now this is more like it. There is a very good beat that hooks the listener in from the outset and continues to move the song along at an incessant pace. The song structure is innovative with some wonderful guitar work and an incredible bassline. The multi layered instruments are overshadowed by a very emotive vocal performance. The lyrics are interesting but difficult to hear without the lyric sheet. The massive sound is merged with somnambulistic sections that mellow right out, in particular 3:26 where there is hardly any music at all. At almost 7 minutes, the track is a definite standout on the album and would sound great in concert. The end section is heavy and caps off the best track on the album.

MK Ultra, despite the title, is not a song about Mortal Kombat, it is actually a pleasant track with very good guitar throughout. Nothing special but still not a throwaway either.

I Belong to you etc etc takes us into different territory where Muse have never sounded so diverse. There is, dare I say it, almost a hip hop feel and it is not exactly a welcome change. The song is kind of catchy if you let it grab you. The piano sounds excellent on each track of the album and in this case it enhances the sound, saving the track. There is more of a progressive feel to the track as a result as far as time signatures are concerned. It takes a few listens but eventually I accepted this approach. At 2:09 it stops and moves into a somber, melancholy section. The woodwind section at 4:40 enhances the atmosphere and adds another dimension.

Exogenesis: Symphony Part 1 (Overture) begins the massive multi movement suite with an orchestra section that is unexpected but very uplifting. The high pitched vocals exude an angelic, majestic quality and the result is a compelling piece of music.

Exogenesis: Symphony Part 2 (Cross-Pollination) begins with an accomplished piano interlude played with precision. The dramatic scene is set for part 2 of the epic. Once again it is unfamiliar territory for this band but pleasant enough. This bold musical diversion may alienate many fans but hook in many others at the same time. There is no doubt that the musicianship is virtuoso in these instrumental sections. It is a much more refined, gentle, patient approach, without the urgency of previous tracks. At 1:50 the wall of sound thankfully locks in with huge guitars and drums prominent. The structure at times defies logic but it is certainly never dull as you are never sure which direction the music will take. It takes us on a journey with many detours. I love that piece at 2:58 when the sublime violin sounds pad out the sound.

Exogenesis: Symphony Part 3 (Redemption) climaxes the epic on a high note. It begins with minimalist piano that is slow, meandering but intriguing to the ear. This would appeal to the average piano music connoisseur. The track concludes with a very patient, array of sweeping chords and soaring vocals. I would have preferred that all 3 tracks had been merged into one track at about 13 minutes rather than split like this.

This could well be Muse's most ambitious, most emotional album to date and as a result may not appeal to everyone. It becomes difficult to digest at first but there are so many highlights and great instrumental sections that it is still a very accomplished album, though by no means to the standard of excellence of such Muse albums as 'Absolution' or 'Origin of Symmetry'. Perhaps it is unfair to judge this on the merits of these albums as Muse have decided to move into a new AOR direction, but it is difficult not to compare as we Muse fans have come to expect so much from this innovative power trio. However, despite the flaws, the journey you embark on with this album is enjoyable and quite a pleasant experience.