Black Holes and Revelations

Muse have always struck me as the kind of band who dye their pubes in place of a personality. I've just dyed my pubes red and it looks like I've murdered an octopus in the bath. The music sounds like one of the non-Chris Martin ones in Coldplay had a wild weekend listening to Radiohead and tried to pass it off as an original idea. The result is terminal ear cancer.

I've never liked Muse. Too polished for me. It's okay, but it's rock for an IT consultant with a tribal tattoo under his shirt. Not remotely cool.

fairly unbearable this. its just so synthetic and soulless and those singles have been played to fucking death. 16 year old me copied origin of symetry onto a minidisc and loved listening to it on the bus to school so much that he went to see muse at the apollo. he put blue hair gel in because he was wacky and totally different. that sums up what muse is for. wacky 16 year olds with blue hair gel.

Muse was my first ever rock show. Muse was the first band I discovered on my own, and I recommended it to all my friends. I remember when I first heard "Darkshines" and went bizarre playing it, on repeat, showing it to everyone around. I still wonder why the metalhead girl who all the guys were into, for some reason, did not like its fuzz-driven riff... Well, whatever. The point is – Muse is a super important band to me that has largely introduced me to heavier music, and it's sad that 10+ years after I heard this album for the first time, I don't like it as much as I used to. Is it because this album foreshadowed what Muse was to become in a decade? Probably, and that's key to my relationship with the band: Muse music (sorry for the awful wordplay) appeals to teenage angst and frustration and high hopes I experienced on par with all the other 14-year olds who did not get the lyrics, but in retrospect, the songs appear... Pretty stupid? Naive? Overly pompous? Well, probably everything together, and I don't want to listen to it anymore. Sorry, Muse. Don't get me wrong, I'm still super grateful to Muse. I enjoy (my memories of) the cyber-machinegun fuzz-n-whammy guitar riffs, distorted basslines, insanely produced vocals, guitar-keyboard lines... You name it. Unfortunately, for me, this is the last great Muse album, and that's what makes it more bitter than sweet.

When Radiohead stopped making proper guitar albums after OK Computer, other bands moved into the space that had been abandoned. Coldplay took the softer end, and built a stadium sized career out of it, and Muse ditto with the louder end. It is no surprise that the bombastic end of Radiohead crossed with a healthy dose of Queen also turned out to be a stadium-filling beast. With magpie like references to other moments of bombastic excess (Soundgarden, Ennio Morricone, ELO), this is cleverly composed, schmickly produced, and expertly played, but really, at the end of the day, this is sound and fury, signifying nothing.

Muse’s BLACK HOLES AND REVELATIONS is an epic space rock album that plays like a soundtrack for encountering of the wonders of the deep space. The songs are unapologetically grandiose - like audio versions of Hubble Space Telescope images. It feels like It was created in some cosmic forge involving Radiohead, Yes, U2, Queen and Nine Inch Nails. The music is wildly and perfectly overblown. The vocals are off the hook soaring effortlessly through the maelstrom. A phenomenal album!

Deranged man records album at bottom of well

Big sounds on this one. I particularly enjoy sexy vamp baseball.

This album has been removed from the latest editions of the book. Enjoyed it a lot still. I used to not care about Muse much, feels quite strange I’m about to rate it 5*! 4.5/5

A very important album in my history. I think Supermassive Black Hole was a turning point in music for me. I realized that sexy pop songs are cool.

Give me Matt Belemey desperate vocals and I'm just gone. It is _possible_ the lyrics aren't quite as deep as 14 year old me thought they were, but sonically just so dramatic and in tune with the lyrical styling, and so much fun. Sure muse have a formula, but it's the formula for me.

Apparently this was removed from the most recent edition of the list - good call that.

One of the biggest sounding albums ever

uhm…supermassive black hole has that edgy corporate hard rock sound sorry.. the rest of the album is fine musically. soldier’s poem is great except the lyric is bad. can be said for a lot of songs. knights of cydonia was cool. a lot of these songs are just trying too hard to be deep. would be more enjoyable if i didn’t know english.

Pretentious and derivative. Not the worst album ever, but nothing I'll ever voluntarily listen to again. 2/5

Definitely a top played album on my iPod back in the day. Still holds up, a fantastic album

Five stars for how much I used to slay Knights of Cydonia on Guitar Hero

The last truly amazing Muse album. Knights of Cydonia is a GOAT stadium anthem. Starlight hasn't aged very well for me but apart from that this still holds up extremely well. Map of the Problematique is a severely underrated Muse track.

Spectacular! A flawless album of otherworldly themes, it eschews all the heavy-handed snide emo bullshit that was prevalent at the time. It was a massive breath of fresh air then and it still is now. You can hear and feel the rock stardom yet to come for Bellamy. I love this wholeheartedly.

Epic as fuck, but forgettable

"The Bends" but 10 years later. Shame, I'd never heard this and was hoping for something weirder, actual proggy and/or dramatic; just got dull indie slop with histrionic vocals.

This album already sounds super dated. Not a fan of the discount Thom Yorke vocals or the poppy electro rock instrumentals. These guys are just kinda cheesy. Maybe their other records are better? So far, the critics who put this list together seem kinda sus.

No mamen no voy a oír esta mierda.

All Muse songs are mayonnaise sandwiches

How to be a successful British rock band in the early 2000’s: Step 1: Sound like Radiohead Step 2: Add Distorted Guitars and Arpeggiated Synths Step 3: Profit

Rubbish. Couldn’t give it 0

Radiohead for theatre kids

I don't like everything Muse has done, but I really like this album. There's such a cool mix of fun theatric songs mixed with more "serious" rock songs, often going back and forth in the same track. Just about every song has many nuanced layers; it's a real listener's album as Gina Gleason likes to say.

Muse are a guilty pleasure band for me, I know they aren't great (especially now), but I still have a soft spot for them since they were the first band me and my wife saw live together. I was a little surprised to see Muse on this list, and even more surprised that they picked this album over Absolution or Origin of Symmetry. That being said I think that this is a very good album and I enjoy every song on it. I wouldn't say this album is great though. This was the turning point for Muse where they started to become more campy and cheesy. 4.5

Confession: I was a huge Muse fan in high school, and that obsession started with this album. Nostalgia definitely plays a role here, but listening back today I'm still floored by how well this album mixes the ostentatious, proggish rock the band was already known for with a heavy dose of electronics + a little Western pastiche to make a Space-Cowboy rock opera that somehow doesn't crumble to bits under the weight of all its ideas. Is it a little corny in parts? Yeah. Do all of Bellamy's conspiratorial, lizard government ideas make for great song material? LOL. Is 'Demonocracy' perhaps the most high-school edgelord lyric of all time? Most certainly. But despite the obligatory trappings of being a Muse album, Black Holes is so much more than the sum of its odd and contradictory parts. The instrumentals here still wow to this day and represent perhaps the most experienced and tasteful performances of the band's career – I've been trying to mimic the simple-but-speedy drum fill in 'Assassin' for years now and still need some practice. Every bass line, guitar solo, and drum fill steals the show without detracting from the holistic impact of each track, and though somewhat indulgent at times the album manages to pull off a cohesive feel without sacrificing each song's wildly individual feel. Muse hadn't jumped the shark yet, but they were definitely on the ramp at this point. Bellamy's introduction to synths on this album may have cratered the band's already divisive career from then on out, but damn if it didn't perfectly gel together into one LP that had a huge impact on high-school me. While I've grown out of my outright fandom for the band, I will never forget or forsake the album that contains all the tracks that made me pay attention to instrumentation for the first time. 'Knights of Cydonia' rocks so damn hard it made me start playing the guitar, a musical touchstone in its own right that put me on the path to being the indiehead I am today. Cheesy, stupid, and over-the-top it may be, but I'll be damned if I don't say that I love this LP.

I loved it. I was sucked in from the first song. It was like a good movie, I couldn’t wait to hear what came next.

I was obsessed with this album as a teenager. Still slaps. Still remember the lyrics haha

This sounds like Radiohead decided they cared about what the music sounds like and made a space rock album that isn't actually about space. Weird in all the right ways. Best track: City of Delusion

Supermassive black hole will forever conjure the twilight baseball scene to my mind. But starlight and knights of Cydonia are also amazing. Enjoyed more than I thought. Had never really listened to muse before. But maybe I will again?

Holy 4 on the floor batman. I've tried to get into muse a couple times before and I just can't do it. There are a few fantastic tracks on this album and it is all expertly produced. Howevever I found myself skipping songs and getting bored with their popier songs.

The black hole is Radiohead, and this record has passed the event horizon. On the other side sits God and Stephen Hawking. God’s hand stretches forth, rummages, and pulls out a latte. He hands it to Hawking. I wanted an espresso, not this beige shit, says Hawking.

Mid-90s Radiohead called, seeking royalties.

Duff stadium-rock in love with the smell of its own farts

should not be on this list

Promising first track leads into edgecore underwhelmed hipster pop, sprinkled with tech forward synth and basic chord progressions. Don’t forget “soaring vocals” that really cherry top this flourless cake. Probably a victim of my collegiate years being peppered by an inundation of pedestrian level indie inspired hodgepodge with few redeeming qualities. As if Bono was born into a vacuum knowing only Good Charlotte and 30 seconds to Mars. I wouldn’t choose to listen to this, but as an album, for people who like it, I could see this being likable. They’re not entirely talentless but I wonder if this could exist without other references to create the touchstone. And we can’t forget the emotion that really makes me feel like I’m listening to Thom Yorke on a too-high dosage of Paxil. 1/5 Least favorite album on this list so far.

Automatic 1 star for the ultimate wanker band - by wankers for wankers. He's a classical musician playing at being Radiohead, and his acolytes go on about his skills rather than the quality of his song writing

Aburridísimo. Mejor me voy a escuchar Radiohead

One of my favorite albums, every piece is so technically sound. Massive bass, amazing vocal range, solid drums without being too flashy, and incredible guitar and keys. Such a great band.

It's like fake grass. SILVER fake grass, just like the grass in planet K-69420. It feels artificial. But it's undeniably fun to play on once in a while.

This album is a masterpiece. Thanks for including it this week.

Not the best Muse album but still a 9/10

it was better than i expected!!!!! almost perfect album fr. favs from the album: map of the problematique(real), city of delusion (SOSOSOSOOOO GOOD), hoodoo(also real), starlight, sbh

All killer no filler

Arguably their best album with OOS. certified bangers, multiple hits and not a miss on the album. IMO their best mix of music and lyrics. 5/5

Very enjoyable, not sure what genre I would put them in. Great first album.

Любимки

actual bueno

Muse claramente tem influências de Bach, isso ninguém pode negar ! Hahah

A big dumb bombastic space western of an album. And it's great. Peak Muse with the perfect amount of silliness. Also, the drums on Starlight spell out 'TITS' in morse code. It's a lot of fun. Rating: 4.5/5 Playlist track: Starlight Date listened: 11/02/23

At first I was going to rate this 4, but after thinking about it there isn’t a single notable song. I think it’s merely tolerable which gives the impression of it being good, but in reality it’s just Fine.

My first impression is if Queen grew up listening to Radiohead.

Day 65 - Forgot when this album was generated lmao Supermassive shit hole. 2/5 (Only because I liked Supermassive Black Hole and Knights of Cydonia)

I think that Supermassive Black Hole being used so prominently in the first Twilight movie has tainted that song for me... and Knights of Cydonia was mega hard on Guitar Hero 3! Overall, I'd prefer to listen to one of Muse's other albums. 2.5

From the moment I saw the douchey cover art of the album, I had a feeling this wasn’t going to be for me. This album reminded me of the Coldplay album with the way it had too much of a clean mainstream feel with its production, mixed with them really trying to capture Radiohead vibes with the music. Album felt like it was going through the motions and never stood out. It’s not a bad album, just not good either.

Some hits, but can handle only 2 muse songs at a time

I quite liked Absolution when it came out, but that was the only Muse album that I'd listened to. In hindsight Absolution has the same issue Black Holes and Revelations does - it's fun enough, but at the end of the day (much like Coldplay) it's just Radiohead with more radio-friendly polish and less depth and talent.

All these songs sound the same. And they sound the same as the songs on their first album (the only other one I've heard), which is to say they sound like throwaway Radiohead songs. And that one that sounds like it wants to be a Queens of the Stone Age song.

Mid

The songs vary from somewhat interesting sounds to really generic arena rock type shit. Thom Yorke and Bono only pull off the whiny vocals because the songwriting's not so vapid. There are a couple solid tracks, starlight and supermassive black hole, but overall really mediocre.

Bored. Ambitious without substance

Ik ben nooit een grote fan geweest van Muse. Maar als je je eenmaal niet meer stoort aan de ademstoten van Matthew Bellamy, kun je gewoon genieten van de bombastische gitaarpartijen en elektronica. Een van de weinige platen waarop alleen maar goede nummers staan. Moderne Queen. Ik moet het toch weer vaker opzetten. 5 sterren zeker waard

Absolute fucking bangers front to back

I loved this album. Muse is great!

Top

Una maravilla

Superb album. Muse have a certain sound to them, very distinct and this was when it all came together. Stylised sounds and subject matter that turns a lot of people off but well like by others. Driving rock anthems although it seems they have fallen prey to the 'not trendy to like Muse' brigade. These are the same people that used to like them but have now convinced themselves they should wear flat caps and sunglasses and listen to cult performers no-one else has heard of.

Muse is cool as hell. Got to get more into this band for sure.

What are these sounds and why do I like them so much?! It’s space age and grungey at the same time and beautiful something emerges from the chaos. Very engaging start to finish

Muse was my favorite band some years ago, and then I suddenly changed to listening to other stuff. I'm back to this album again. I think it's longer than it should be, but it's still a precious release. I don't know exactly how, but these songs leave me in another state. Nostalgia perhaps? Maybe, but it's still worth it a lot.

it was good

While Radiohead is still my male manipulator music of choice, this is a good entry into that genre. I still love supermassive black hole and knights of cydonia but the rest of the album also goes hard, especially the first two songs. Overall, right up my alley and it’s getting an objective 4 but subjective 5

Fantasticly done

блин блин блин ооооочень походе на air cather - 21 pilots (2007/2009??) прикольно )) и и и обложка прикольная (какие у них костюмы)

A great albums. I’ve never heard any of their music until now. Really enjoyed it

Hef notað nokkur lög af þessari í líkamsræktarplaylista. Gæðarokk frá þeim tíma hljómsveitar þegar hún er búin að finna sinn hljóm og er enn fersk, frumleg og með fullt af hugmyndum sem þurfa ekki mikla pródúksjón til að virka.

jahas innoissani menen katsomaan arvosteluja suosikki bändin albumista.. hyvä albumi, yhtä hyvä mitä muistin aikoinaan.. huoh.. mitä näkyy e.. HAISA VITTU1111 MIKS KAIKKI VIHAAA.... KIRJOTTAA SAMAA MITÄ MÄ KIRJOTAN... MUISTA BÄNDEISTÄ--- PAITSI EPÄHAUSKEMIN... EI OLE TEINI TYTÖILLE!! ON MULLE!!!! ON VITTU MULLE!!! POJILLE!!!! OLEN POIKA!!!!!!EN OLE V*RJÄNNYT HIUSKIA!!!! map of the problematique

One thing you can't be after listening to a Muse album is not pumped, I may have to see the fuse box because I've just been amped. Muse take you through all the feelings as you go from soft and delicate to hard drums that make your legs hurt from trying to copy the drum fills, they venture from classical to latin horns to a synth Queen rock hybrid baby's that make you phase out of time and space and drift back down for more. Will always come back for more. Favourite tracks Starlight, Assassin, Knights of Cydonia.

21/08/2022 Muse – Black Holes and Revelations 5/5 Muse is one of my favourite bands, at least their early period including The Resistance. It is one of those that you need to go to one of their concerts before you die just because how incredible the experience would be. Matt Bellamy’s voice is also, in my opinion, one of the best male voices of all the time, and I love his vocal range and use of falsetto in songs like Supermassive Black Hole or Micro Cuts (of Origin of Symmetry). Black Holes and Revelations is, maybe nor their best, but their most regular album, with great singles like Supermassive Black Hole or Knights of Cydonia; and incredible not so well-known songs like Take a Bow. I think I’m biased and probably my review won’t be objective, but I can’t leave aside how much I like them. Take a Bow – 5/5 I think this is the hidden gem of the album (and we are just at the beginning). Take a Bow is a great crescendo song that is perfect for introducing the listeners to the sounds and feelings of the album. Probably my second favourite song of the album, the initial synth arpeggio, the transition, and the rocking end are fantastic. All of that ornated with the fantastic Matt Bellamy voice. Starlight – 4/5 One of the weak legs of the album, not because the song is not great, but because it clashes a bit against the album and maybe even Muse’s previous sound. Apart from that, it is a fantastic pop song with a touch of rock. Supermassive Black Hole – 5/5 If I remember correctly, this is the song that introduced me to Muse (maybe from one of early 2000's FIFA’s games?). Again, maybe a little bit more pop-rock that usual, but the right amount to not become too different. Again, absolutely great falsetto vocals, and the core of the song. Map of the Problematique – 4.5/5 Another great song, but this one needs a little bit more to be perfect for me. Maybe it needs a bit of uniqueness compared to what we have listened previously in the album. Love the guitar riff and piano that the song is built around. Soldier’s Poem – 4/5 Another weak leg of the album. It is the type of ballad Muse normally composes and it should have needed to stand out from the rest to be better. Invincible – 4.5/5 Another slow song, but this one has the things to make itself unique. The marching band drums and the build up to the guitar solo and the end of the song are great. It is also a very good middle point to the album and transition to the “B-side”. Assassin – 5/5 Turning towards the more “heavy-rock” sound of the band, it is quite powerful and successful in what it tries to achieve. Exo-Politics – 4/5 A bit generic and flat-sounding, but not bad. Very recognizable Muse sound. City of Delusion – 4.5/5 Great at creating a very exotic atmosphere (“Wild-west” with the guitar riff and trumpet, more “oriental-inspired” with its strings). Good and different rock song. Hoodoo – 5/5 Following the lead of City of Delusion, this track starts as a ballad that continues the atmosphere of the last song, but evolves into a more dramatic and grandiloquent sound, very similar to Space Dementia of Origin of Symmetry. That makes it very interesting. Knights of Cydonia – 5/5 My favourite Muse song, and the strongest of the album. What a 6-minute masterpiece. It is great developing a story, not only in the little lyrics it has (and the context behind them), but also through the evolution of its sound as it progresses. It is also great at gathering energy thorough until it all explodes at the end. Glorious – 4.5/5 I am one of those who believes that Knights of Cydonia could have been the best closure song to this album, ending it with a great clash of energy. This song is not bad at all, nonetheless. Another space-rock inspired track that follows Muse most knowledgeable structure and sound.

Black Holes and Revelations is the 4th Muse studio album. It was released on 3 July 2006 and described as featuring progressive rock and space rock. Like their previous albums, it features political and dystopian undertones, with lyrics covering topics such as political corruption, alien invasion, revolution and New World Order conspiracies, as well as more conventional love songs. Have listened a few songs in my teenage years. Didn't enjoyed then. But enjoyed the full album now (14/02/2023).

So glorious 😱

It's really hard to argue against this one. It's just a masterful album. The production is out of this world, of course. But the songwriting and performances are also stellar. Does every track slap? No. But the ones that do? They bang hard enough to more than cover the few that don't. Just a great album.

Beetje duister, electro-deuntjes, maar toch rock. Ik heb altijd een verkeerde indruk van Muse gehad (verward met Mumford and Sons). Dit is toch wel heel gave muziek. Leuk album ook met een paar heel goede nummers. Mijn favorieten: Starlight, Supermassive Black Hole, Assassin en Knights of Cydonia. *****

Listened to this album a lot through high school. Still a hit today for me! Starlight is my favorite song by a lot. Hearing Assassin again was a nice surprise, forgot about that song

One of my favourite albums of my youth! Starlight and Supermassive Black Hole sounded absolutely incredible live. Always loved the bass tones of this band. Phat.

superb

Excellent

An epic rock smashed operatic intensive experience.

Knights of Cydonia. Magnificent. Rest of it’s not bad either.

Hell yes! So many hits and hard hitting album cuts like Assassin. Probably my favorite album of a band I really love. Knights of Cydonia is an all-timer! One of my favorite running songs ever...

Great album which started my love for Muse. 5

Muse is a band I was only vaguely familiar with and for some reason just assumed I didn’t like. But fuck this thing rocks so hard. It owns bones.

Gorgeous futuristic and nice lyrics

IJzersterk album dat al heel lang 1 van favorieten is. Qua lyrics heel goed, en zowel piano, gitaar, bas en drums komen afwisselend eens fantastisch tot hun recht

Extraordinary album, from Take a bow to Glorious. I got to know Muse for The Resistance. Nowadays, I dont which one is my favourite. The artistic concepts generated by Bellamy's band are perfectly executed in this album.

i love muse, and i knew the headliners of this album starlight, supermassive blackhole and knights of cydonia but the other songs are also great, special mention of map of the problematique. Only critique is that since hearing the live version of knights i cannot hear that one anymore without the once upon a time in the west intro