Reviews (page 8 of 15)
Great in parts, a bit boring and overly self-indulgent in others.
Sounds like U2 trying to sound like Queen.
Not that exciting
it's a bit much to sit through. really cool though.
Oh yeah.. Muse at the top of their game. A nice mix of progressive-rock and indie
Galactically decadent. I've listened to this album so many times with joy. Was absolutely delighted when it popped up this morning. It's a perfect example of being experimental while still delivering somethings that's crisp and catchy. Muse had a flair for the over dramatic and were one of the few bands at the time who could get a way with it. The space western you never new you needed. I challenge anyone to listen to Knights of Cydonia and not feel something.
I liked original recipe muse. Secret sauce aural explosion muse never interested me and still don’t.
I had this album from around when it came out but hadn't listened to it since. Great to revisit. The maximalist approach really suits Muse as a band. They've never been subtle so might as well chuck it all at the wall. The mixture of synths and guitar is great and the weird conspiracy vibe fits perfectly
5/5 Banger of an album! On my top 50 of all time. It's got some real head bangers.
Muse had a foundational sound on this album
Mind blown I love this
The older I get the less I like Muse. As a young teen I loved them, and by my late teens I found them to be cringe worthy. I always held onto my belief that this was their last good album, however when I saw this pop up I instantly feared that belief would be put to the test. It is pure dog shit. Absolute radio ready over polished conservative parent approved rock music. Every single lyric on this album is a vapid statement about "the man", though never going in depth enough to reveal which "man" they might be talking about. Guess Matt Bellend was smart enough to sell himself to both sides of the political spectrum and only complain when right wing people liked his music after the money was made. The synths are budget stock sounds with an absolute lack of interesting sound design, the instruments are quad-tracked and quantized beyond any semblance of human playing. Yeah this is just souless corpo rock. When Assassin started playing I thought "Oh I remember this, it gets kinda heavy right?" followed by a neat System of a Down riff and then straight back to average rock land. When we finally got the Knights of Cydonia I was relieved, the one song I thought was going to bring this album back for me, but after enduring the slog of shit proceeding it all the joy was gone and my love for that goofy prog rock banger turned into grating rage. It is bland. It is safe. It is boring. Thank fucking god we have Yank Crime next.
Mewthes?! What is Mewthes?! Right, I’ve never quite been able to out my finger on why I don’t like Muse but finally being forced to listen to a full album, I have some exact reasoning. Firstly, this album itself isn’t too bad, an of all of their work is the only album I’d actually have been happy to listen to. Strong performances from most of the instruments for most of the songs. The songwriting is pretty lacklustre at times; the first half of the album particularly just has so little in the way of dynamic shifts that the album feels so one-note and samey. Matt Bellamy’s droning voice almost never sounds like he can be arsed, every song is mid-tempo in pretty much the same key, and there’s always this shadow of a threat that they *might* kick into 4th or 5th gear - but they never do! Not until the end of Knights of Cydonia, which, while I do think is a great song with a series if catchy riffs and great lyrics, isn’t enough of a satisfying crescendo to make the rest of the album worthwhile. Muse just sound like ‘rock’ music that’s been made in a factory. It’s not ‘wrong’, it’s not ‘bad’, but it lacks emotion, drive, and purpose. If this is the best they’ve got to offer then fuck I hope there isn’t another of theirs in this list. Take a Bow (7/10) Starlight (8/10) Supermassive Black Hole (8/10) Map of the Problematique (6/10) Soldier’s Poem (5/10) Invincible (5/10) Assassin (7/10) Exo-Politics (7/10) City of Delusion (7/10) Hoodoo (6/10) Knights of Cydonia (9/10) Glorious (7/10) 6.8/10
Boring. Would’ve been a one-star album but it gains a star for Supermassive Black Hole being in Twilight
Who cares
Awful
Breathing over (mostly bad) 80s game music. 2.5
Alright, so I've recently stepped into the Muse domain, checking out Black Holes and Revelations, and let me tell you, I'm digging it. This album is a solid 4.5 stars in my book. These guys really rock hard. Matthew Bellamy, the lead singer, has an absolutely killer voice – it's powerful and just awesome. It's the kind of sound that makes you want to crank it up. I'm definitely going to be adding some Muse vinyl to my collection after hearing this. This album is a fantastic entry point into their world, and it's got me hooked. If you're looking for some serious, high-energy rock with incredible vocals, this is it.
supermassive black hole is good honestly better overall than I expected, good stuff generally couldn't help but think of twilight...
Black assholes
It's been a while since I listened to it and I think it still holds up. But I don't know if it is effortlessly relistenable. For that reason 4/5.
Took me half the album to put a finger on that it’s the same guy who sings Uprising. I like that song, and this album is pretty good. Solid 3
Last of the great Arena Rock™ bands. More Muse please. They pull from everywhere: Queen, Joe Meek, krautrock, even The Beach Boys (listen to "Soldier's Poem"). Muse masterfully navigate through a magnificent variety of tempo, sound, dynamic range. Also not the typical themes - I love the apocalyptic dystopian outlook, outside of themselves rather than the self-centered whininess of their contemporaries. Heavy, well constructed compositions. LOVE!
I'm sorry this is mostly just extra theatrical Radiohead. I know that's kind of a hated opinion, but it's true. My real rating is like a 3.5, but since you can't do that here, I'm going to always round down when the rating ends in .5.
An absolute banger ever since I heard it back in the days.
Muse is a big sound. It is so slick-the music equivalent of a Marvel movie. But just because it it crazy slick and hella produced doesn't mean it is bad. If I need to feel the motivation on the treadmill like I am running through a dystopian, evil-robot filled landscape, this is the music to get me there!
Adulthood
Honestly not bad. This is my first album I've ever listened to in full from the band. I do mostly enjoy what I'm hearing but I can definitely this album dragging a little bit. I think the instrumentation is fantastic though. The drums are absolutely killing it with some of these fills. And the vocals are super expressive in their deliveries of verses. Creatively this album goes all over the map I feel like. The lyrics are good but a little too vague at points for my taste but I'd have to go back to listen to them. Very theatrical.
I have loved Muse since Origin of Symmetry when I was a teenager. This album has some incredible songs on it that are already so fantastic: Starlight, Supermassive Black Hole, Knights of Cydonia. It still feels like magic when I listen to it. And recently I attached new memories of playing Starfield to it and it's such a good fit even though that game is eh really. Anyway, I love this.
Banger album. 9/10
A solid album with my favourite Muse track - ‘Supermassive Blackhole’. Great to see prog rock continuing, but a little can go a long way.
mostly lame
Black Holes and Revelations... Muse as a band had a rough start in America, after touring their first album (Showbiz) as the opener for RHCP/Foo Fighters, they decided that their creative freedom was more valuable to them and decided to not release their second album (Origin of Symmetry) in america with their original american music label (Madonna's Maverick Records) like the rest of the world in 2001. That made them tour for their follow up in colleges and small theatres for Absolution, which made them have a small but loyal fanbase in the US. https://www.youtube.com/shorts/fSURP7E6I7U The inclusion of Supermassive Black Hole in the twilight movie worked wonders for the popularity of the band. What do I feel about it 20 years after it was released? It still holds on, but it is not my favorite muse album 4/5 Knights of Cydonia as a epic still holds on, but it was fonzie jumps the shark moment for Muse, everything afterwards felt less epic than this. Not necessarily their fault, but its how I feel about the band, future albums could have great songs, but concepts or self impossed rules made them less good than they probably could have done. Favorites: Knights, Take a Bow, City of Delusion
don'tstopmenowcore. real main character feeling music. this would crush on an ipod touch with wired earbuds.
7/10 vampire baseball
Starlight Supermassive Black Hole Invincible Knights of Cydonia
Revisiting Black Holes and Revelations was an interesting experience. It was an album I listened to a lot of as a teen, and was the era where I saw Muse live. But it also represents the last album of theirs that I liked. I'd maintained that they fell off after this record, but now I'm not so sure. The big, high energy tracks like Map of the Problematique, Knights of Cydonia and Supermassive Black Hole were what stuck in my memory the most. Meanwhile I sort of held up Starlight as the rare weakspot on this record - unfortunately there's a lot more here in the vein of Starlight that I'd forgotten about (or more likely skipped over when adding the better tracks to playlists).
Matt Bellamy can't seem to stop ascending the harmonic minor scale
Starlight is unbearably whiny. Supermassive Black Hole is boring. Giving up on this album, def not my thing.
I enjoyed it less, I didn't listen to it all because of how the day panned out, but I wasn't really bothered not to be able to hear more. The first track I could tell it was well made and that and there were fun elements but it definitely wasn't my thing
Supermassive black hole. Yep. Soldier’s Poem is a nice breakup in the album. Assassin is alright Hoodoo’s different Back half of Knights of Cydonia goes fairly hard Glorious isn’t bad Not the biggest fan of the lead singers voice, but album tries out some cool different stuff
Ok
On paper I probably should have been a Muse fan. I can’t really tell you why I’m not, except that something about them just didn't work for me... too fake, maybe? Or too pretentious? This isn’t their debut album, and it shows. This feels like a band very comfortable weaving together an extremely complex sound, or one with enough label money to hire a really slick producer. Having never heard their earlier albums, I have little doubt I’d enjoy them more than this one and then complain that BH&R was the beginning of their big sellout. Nevertheless, this is a very solid, if soulless, commercial-minded rock’n’roll record with all the cinematic flourishes you need for a big stadium tour (plus countless commercials and TV soundtracks). I can practically hear the pyrotechnics and the flutter of A&R professionals. Muse feels like what would happen if Coldplay took amphetamines instead of opioids. It's music for junior finance bros to do cocaine to.
Great album 👌
Som bäst är detta 5/5 alla dar i veckan med Map of the problematique som är en av mina favoritlåtar. Tyvärr håller inte deras försök till variation måttet dock. :(
Fan vad bra Knights of Cydonia är! Guitar Hero-klassiker. Resten av albumet också riktigt bra!
Awesome album
Lots of good here, a few misses but that's ok. Starlight is always a great track
Well put together by talented musicians. Not quite my cup of tea
Enjoyed. More songs on here that I recognized than I had originally thought I would.
Listened to this when it first came out. I was much, much more naive then.
Not my favorite.
shit
Sorry officer, I know I was speeding but Knights of Cydonia was playing. Most Glorious!
Not really my thing, but there were some good parts.
Radiohead for theater kids. At the time, this was the album I felt signified Muse selling out. Some of the songs are still kind of fun though.
My first time listening to Muse. First track comes on, Take A Bow, and I'm thinking this is going to be painful to listen to. Second track, Starlight, was fairly better. Then Supermassive Black Hole just rocks it. A few more decent tracks on the rest of the album, with Invincible, Exo-Politics, and City Of Delusion standing out. Solid album. Best song: Supermassive Black Hole
I hate everything about this. I just finished "invincible" and am questioning the logic of riding this wave to the shore.
Not their best but here they still Made alright music
84/100. Great album to run to, only knew Knights of Cydonia before listening. Not something for every day but would like to see them live, great bass and drums
Boring
Great musicians and there is absolutely nothing wrong with the songs here. However, it just doesn't move me enough. I remember seeing them on the tour promoting this album and while the show was meticulously performed it left me a bit cold. Lots of songs sound like pastiches of other artists such as U2, Radiohead, King Crimson etc. I can see why people love this band and they're worth lending an ear to.
FRED: its time to find out who this so-called "muse" really is! (Everyone gasped as the mask is removed, to reveal...) SHAGGY: U2?!
Better than I thought, but they are darker and more intense than I like
This album was certainly interesting. I’ve listened to one of Muse’s previous albums, and these two are both similar, and way different. This album goes a lot more down the electronic rabbit hole than Absolution, the other Muse album I listened to. This works in some cases, but in other cases, like Supermassive Black Hole(which I don’t see why it became a hit) it weighs down the song and makes it feel too dense. Matt Bellamy’s guitar playing on songs like Knights of Cydonia, which is the standout track on the album, is epic, but more often than not, the songs stick to similar guitar riffs throughout the songs. The lyrics are pretty good, not much to say there, and there are some good songs, like Soldier’s Poem and Starlight, but too much do the songs stick to a similar formula that doesn’t really go anywhere. I’d check out Knights of Cydonia, that song rocks, but if you want to start with Muse, I would start with another album.
I remember liking this waaay more.
Drama, baby! Drama!
Already forgotten
Good album good songs mix of style
Good
This is such a great album from beginning to end. 5 stars for sure
Muse sometimes sounds like Queen under steroids...indulgent at times
Some of the tracks are pleasant to listen to, but some are too rocky for my ears.
Muse is a paradox that both attracts and repels me.I admire their epic ambition, the way they brought the urgency and intensity of metal into pop music, and their image. At the same time, I can’t stand their grandiloquence or Tom York style’s voice for too long. As often with Muse, this album is too dense and overwhelming, a sonic and overproduced deluge that ends up working against them. Few nice tracks.
Had a couple solid tunes and it was overall ok - But I just never totally bought into it.
Flashes of something but mostly barely average.
Comparisons to Radiohead are tempting, but not all that appropriate.
Love this album. Really, all of Muse's work is amazing.
Maybe it's odd, but I had never listened to an album of Muse. In the nineties I was totally into this kind of music, but in 1999/2000 I turned my attention to jazz and no longer payed attention to alternative rock. So we just missed each other;-) And that's a pity. I think this is a very strong album. Yes, it's very like the early albums of Radiohead, especially because of Matt Bellamy's voice that resembles Thom Yorke's voice extremely. Kudo's to Muse: they succeed in what Radiohead didn't manage. On this album electronics are introduced as an element in the music, but they add something in stead of destroy everything. 'City of delusion' is my favourite track.
Well, I made it this far without listening to a Muse album, so begins a new era for me. There's something compelling about the singer's voice, but it really doesn't work for me. It sounds like Blue Man Group, which isn't a bad thing. Soldiers Poem feels like a Queen sound-a-like song. Glorious sounds like it wants to be a radiohead song, its not a bad attempt.
War am Anfang bei fünf Sternen, wiederholte sich dann aber doch zu oft und zu lange. Trotzdem geniale Songs drauf.
The debut album from Muse was good. Everything after that was parodying glam rock. This album received so much air play in the year of release, which indicates the quality of music that year. Overall, this is quite shit.
Bloody hell it must be at least a decade since I last listened to this. I LOVED this when it originally came out. I used to be a massive Muse fan until, I have no idea why, I seemed to just stop listening to them. I really enjoyed revisiting this and I am 100% going on a Muse binge tonight. Top Track - City Of Delusion Hopefully Absolution is on this list cause it’s even better.
Too Radiohead-esque for me, Knights of Cydonia saved it though
Wanted to skip a few songs but some of them were solid. I think I’d enjoy this album more if I was in a different mood.
There were some cool instrumental parts but the vocals were pretty grating. It seems as though you need to compare Muse to Radiohead so here is mine: Muse is what I imagine Radiohead sounds like to people who don't like Radiohead very much
This would be a nostalgic 4 for me. I remember blaring this while playing Halo 2 split screen with my brother and his friend Mikey who brought a ripped version of this over on a CD. They could have cut a couple of tracks and this would be amazing.
4.5
Muse makes some great music. Some of their albums can be a bit of a struggle. This album is good but not great and they have better ones. The hits are excellent
This wasn't a mid-'00s emo album, but it sure benefitted from its proximity to it. Instead of using punk-inspired theatrics for the the overwrought drama and bludgeoning sense of self-importance, Muse taps into a weird mix of glam rock, pseudo-prog and other pretense. It's never particularly good at any of it, and even almost 20 years later, seems just like a bunch of nerds trying to come off as something more meaningful than they are.
All in all, quite great! Difficult to decide whether Starlight or Knights of Cydonia was my fav track. You do get the feeling that there's something missing, though - it all starts to sound samey in the end.
It is odd that this album got removed in later versions of this list, at least four of these songs were radio hits I knew before I listened. Fuzzy sound and politically conscious lyrics feature prominently, while also filled to the brim with bombastic electronic production. The revolution never sounded so dramatic.
i thought it was a pretty enjoyable album. Nothing too special.
5/5
A bit boring, few hooks much atmosphere.
I LIKE THE MUSE BUT FEEL LIKE i NEED TO BE IN A SPECIFIC MOOD FOR THEM.
Its good. Muse reminds me of Kids Bob for Tool. I like the hits, but as an album most sounds the same. And the songs that don't sound similar, arent as good.
2.5
twilight soundtrack mentioned!!! enjoyed this. a lot, actually. thought about giving this a 5, but 4 stars is probably more accurate.
Possibly their best album.
I thought I liked Muse once… I probably did. Which is why I’m loathe to say bad things about this album. Not because of me, in the narrow sense, but rather because it’s a reminder that lots of music can be competent, even quality, without necessarily speaking to everyone. This doesn’t talk to me at all, but that don’t mean nowt. In case it isn’t clear: this rating is all me.
1. "Take a Bow" 4:35 - A nice intro. A nice blend of electronica. Grand. Dynamics are excellent. 5* 2. "Starlight" 3:59 - Great bass intro. Lovely piano. A super pop tune. The album title is taken from this song. 5* 3. "Supermassive Black Hole" 3:29 - A funky rocker and one hell of an riff and then bang and explosion. Great falsetto vocals. Super pre-chorus before the chorus comes in a lower register. Probably my favourite track on the album. Probably! 5* 4. "Map of the Problematique" 4:18 - Great harmonies. driving electronica rhythms. 5* 5. "Soldier's Poem" 2:03 - Slower paced. A lullaby like melody. Vocally the Queen influence comes through here in the harmonies. 5* 6. "Invincible" 5:00 - Love the military percussion for the intro. 4* 7. "Assassin" 3:31 - And we're rocking again. Great rhythm section again. The harmonies are back. Wonderful riff. 5* 8. "Exo-Politics" 3:53 - Mid tempo. Excellent 'pop' tune. Works in the context of the album. 4* 9. "City of Delusion" 4:48 - Acoustic guitar intro. A nice change from the electronica and guitar riffage. Wonderful rhythms. And then the guitars crash in. Brilliant orchestration and then trumpet! This song is nuts. 5* 10. "Hoodoo" 3:43 - A nice Spanish guitar intro, crooning vocals, evoking a smoky, Jazz night club and then it switches. To have carried on in the vein of the intro would have been wonderful but this is Muse, so the dynamics kick in. Wonderful stuff. 5* 11. "Knights of Cydonia" - Epic. Brilliant. Boy does it rock, it positively gallops. Nice nod to the Tornados and Telstar. Nice horns, evoking the Sergio Leone western films. At 3.21 the vocal interlude leading into the epic guitar solo at 4.13, with the boogie riff. Gives me goosebumps. They opened with this when I saw them on this tour! 5* 53/55 A 5 star album Would I listen again - Yes! Would I buy this album - I did! when it came out. Saw them on the tour as well. They played the whole album but in reverse! Overblown? I would say grandiose. Near perfect. Their last great album? Weird artwork! A brilliant blend of electronica and rock, with a strong pop sensibility. The first four tracks really hit you between the eyes. The rhythm section is brilliant throughout. Hooks galore.
Unexpected banger of an album
I'm surprised I never got into this album when it was first release. The singles were all over the radio and I loved them. This album is perfect from start to finish. Great pacing and each song stands out from one another. Never felt like skipping a track.
This got better as it went on.
Banger
Knights of Cydonia was and will ever be the absolute banger on this album.
3 out of 5. Aside from the singles Assassin and Exo-Politics stood out to me.
I don't think I've listened to Muse outside of their performance during the London Olympics closing ceremony in 2012, so I don't have much to go off of going in. Coming out on the other side I'm not certain how to feel on it fully. Every song out of the gate comes off as a banger, the type you hear when the credits roll after a cliffhanger ending in an action film or going into a boss battle. But then somewhere in the middle it just kinda muddles as everything happening comes to a head and competes with each other. Nothing about it made me stop and go "where have they been for the past 20+ years" but everything about it was still good. Great prog rock elements throughout but at times it felt too much or too little. Perhaps if the songs were longer it wouldn't feel like they're rushing to get everything in like Disney making a Star Wars film. Needless to say, I don't really know how to review music.
Amazing album, except for Mother.
3.5/5, Great album, but not their best.
A little bit of Thom Yorke, a little bit of Rufus Wainwright, a bit more Thom Yorke/Radiohead, and a lot of 2006-era production. Anthemic songs full of the angst of the new millennium.
supermassive black hole carries a lot it‘s not the right muse album
Dobrze się przy tymśpi. 3/5
It's a wild ride. Some tracks are catchy and fun, while others feel like they’re trying a bit too hard. It’s like they threw a bunch of ideas in a blender and hoped for the best. It’s decent, but I’m not rushing to play it on repeat anytime soon!
Well, I liked this better than expected, but in the end it is still a three star album for me. It is too late and I’m too tired to say more.
altern. rock, electr., 2006 -> 2
Too many guys singing in high pitched voices. Could not complete.
Sometimes epic, cheesy, surprising, mediocre, decent.
I don’t understand Muse. Three guys all immensely talented at their instruments, can write really nice chord progressions, and yet their songs are absolutely meh. I don’t get it. 2 stars.
If I could give half stars I would give this 3.5 stars
I feel like you don’t normally use the word penultimate when reviewing an album, but Knights of Cydonia is the best penultimate song of all time.
Super enjoyed this and not just the two songs I recognized.
I liked this at the time of release but don’t feel it’s aged that well.
## In-Depth Review of Muse’s *Black Holes and Revelations* Muse’s fourth studio album, *Black Holes and Revelations* (2006), is a defining moment in the band’s career—a sprawling, ambitious work that fuses dystopian politics, science fiction, and personal introspection with a bold musical palette. This review will dissect the album’s lyrics, music, production, themes, and influence, concluding with a balanced assessment of its strengths and weaknesses. --- ## Lyrics **Political Dystopia and Sci-Fi Imagery** Lyrically, *Black Holes and Revelations* is steeped in political anxiety, apocalyptic warnings, and conspiratorial undertones. Matthew Bellamy’s writing draws on themes of government corruption, revolution, and existential dread, often filtered through the lens of science fiction and historical cycles. Songs like “Take a Bow” and “Exo-Politics” are direct in their criticism of political leaders and the threat of authoritarianism, echoing the paranoia and tension of the Cold War era[4][6]. Bellamy himself described the album as exploring “cycles of history where the tension builds up and then it’s released, whether it’s catastrophic like a nuclear war, or aliens come down and it’s brilliant”[4]. **Personal and Romantic Interludes** Amidst the grandiose themes, the album also contains more intimate moments. “Starlight” is a straightforward love song, while “Soldier’s Poem” offers a rare, understated ballad about resignation and lost ideals[6]. The lyrics are less cryptic than previous Muse records, favoring directness over abstraction, which can make the album feel both more accessible and, at times, less mysterious. **Pros:** - Bold, imaginative themes rarely tackled in mainstream rock. - Effective blend of the personal and the political. **Cons:** - Occasional lapses into melodrama or cliché. - Some listeners may find the political messaging heavy-handed. --- ## Music **Genre Fusion and Experimentation** Musically, *Black Holes and Revelations* is a genre-bending tour de force. Muse draw from a wide array of influences, including funk, electronica, symphonic rock, and even spaghetti western soundtracks[4][3]. The album is less classically oriented than *Origin of Symmetry* or *Absolution*, incorporating jazz, soul, and R&B elements, alongside their signature bombastic rock[4][1]. - “Supermassive Black Hole” is a funk-infused, dance-rock track with a slinky groove and falsetto vocals, reminiscent of Depeche Mode and Prince[3][6]. - “Knights of Cydonia” is a six-minute epic that channels Queen, surf rock, and Ennio Morricone, complete with galloping rhythms and mariachi trumpets[3][5]. - “Map of the Problematique” layers electronic beats and synths over driving rock, evoking late-’80s Depeche Mode[1][2]. - “City of Delusion” and “Hoodoo” introduce Mediterranean and Latin flavors, with acoustic guitars and trumpet flourishes, expanding the band’s sonic palette[5]. **Musicianship** The band’s technical prowess is on full display. Bellamy’s virtuosic guitar and piano work, Chris Wolstenholme’s melodic basslines, and Dominic Howard’s dynamic drumming create a dense, cinematic soundscape. The musicianship is complemented by inventive arrangements, shifting time signatures, and dramatic dynamic shifts. **Pros:** - Fearless genre-mashing keeps the album unpredictable and exciting. - High-level musicianship and creative arrangements. **Cons:** - The eclecticism can make the album feel disjointed or overwhelming to some listeners[2]. - Some tracks (“Invincible,” “Starlight”) are perceived as weaker or less adventurous[2]. --- ## Production **Sonic Ambition and the “Loudness War”** Produced by Rich Costey, the album was recorded in studios across France, New York, London, and Milan[6]. The production is polished and expansive, aiming for stadium-sized impact. Layers of guitars, synths, and orchestration are meticulously balanced, creating a sense of grandeur and immediacy. However, the album is not immune to the era’s “loudness war”—some fans and critics have noted clipping and brickwalling, leading to a compressed dynamic range[5]. While this gives the album a punchy, in-your-face sound, it can also cause listener fatigue over its 45-minute runtime. **Pros:** - Massive, cinematic production values. - Every instrument and effect is given space to shine. **Cons:** - Occasional over-compression and loss of dynamic nuance[5]. - The bombast may overshadow subtler moments. --- ## Themes **Cycles of History and Apocalyptic Tension** Thematically, *Black Holes and Revelations* is unified by a sense of impending crisis and the cyclical nature of history. The album explores the tension between hope and despair, revolution and resignation, the personal and the cosmic[4]. Bellamy’s fascination with conspiracy theories, alien invasion, and the “New World Order” is woven throughout, but the album never loses sight of human emotion, making the grand concepts relatable[6]. **Personal Struggle and Resilience** Despite its dystopian leanings, the album is not without hope. Tracks like “Invincible” and “Starlight” offer messages of perseverance and love amidst chaos. The juxtaposition of the epic and the intimate is a hallmark of Muse’s songwriting on this record. --- ## Influence **Critical and Commercial Impact** *Black Holes and Revelations* was met with critical acclaim, earning a Mercury Prize nomination and a spot in *1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die*[6]. It topped charts in multiple countries and sold over 4.5 million copies worldwide by 2018, cementing Muse’s status as arena rock heavyweights. The album’s audacious blend of rock, electronic, and cinematic elements influenced a wave of bands seeking to combine spectacle with substance. It also marked a turning point for Muse, bridging their earlier, more prog-oriented work with the pop and electronic experimentation of later albums like *The Resistance* and *The 2nd Law*[5][3]. **Pros:** - Helped redefine the boundaries of mainstream rock in the 2000s. - Inspired a new generation of bands to embrace ambition and genre fusion. **Cons:** - Some longtime fans felt alienated by the shift away from the rawness of earlier albums. - The album’s maximalism set a template that Muse themselves would struggle to top or meaningfully evolve from in subsequent releases. --- ## Pros and Cons Summary | Pros | Cons | |------|------| | Fearless genre experimentation and fusion | Occasional lack of cohesion due to eclecticism | | Ambitious, cinematic production | Over-compression and “loudness war” artifacts | | Politically charged, imaginative lyrics | Some lyrics verge on melodrama or cliché | | High-level musicianship and arrangements | A few tracks feel weaker or less inspired | | Influential and commercially successful | Maximalism can be exhausting over full runtime | --- ## Conclusion *Black Holes and Revelations* stands as a landmark in 21st-century rock—a record that marries political paranoia, sci-fi spectacle, and personal yearning with musical bravado. Its willingness to experiment with genre and form, combined with stadium-sized hooks and virtuoso performances, make it an exhilarating, if sometimes overwhelming, listen. While not every experiment lands and the production can be fatiguing, the album’s highlights—“Knights of Cydonia,” “Supermassive Black Hole,” “Map of the Problematique”—remain some of the most thrilling moments in modern rock. For both longtime fans and newcomers, it is an essential listen that captures Muse at the height of their creative ambition.
If all your ideas suck, it doesn’t matter how hard you practice. Radiohead: No more rock music. Muse: *makes this* Everyone: Right, no more rock music.
Ive always been tenuous about Must, mostly because I find the singers voice to be a little grating. Upon listen though, I actually found myself enjoying this a lot. The drama and emotion they bring to the rock / pop-rock genre is captivating, and I liked a lot of the "non-hits" Overall- very solid album
Wow. A great example of good music
Good alternative music
I liked this one, felt like a mix of a lot of bands, also sounded familiar 6.5/10 had some misses and some hits
It’s solid I like absolution by them better but it’s better than origin of symmetry imo
4/10 I guess the instrumentals are okay, somewhat fun compositions, but I fucking HATE the vocals, they remind me of Bono, who annoys the shit out of me also, it’s so fake-deep Muse is like Roger Waters with twice the ego and half the talent
The bombast of this album still works for me. The band’s tight - the bass lines are always moving like a storm at the edge of breaking. I feel like the band isn’t taking itself too seriously on this one, and that definitely helps to swallow the excesses.
The theatre kids, taking themselves too seriously, went through a “what if trans Siberian orchestra was into sci fi instead of Christmas?” phase. Nope
They’re trying to show off just a little too much for me. A few good songs, but wouldn’t seek it out.
Another album I haven’t listened to in a while that will be back in my rotation
Solid banger!
Great album from the 1st decade of the 2000’s. ‘Hoodoo’ I probably could have done without but bangers like Starlight, Assassin and Knights of Cyndonia more than make up for it.
Awesome album but Matt Bellamy’s operatic style of vocals do not resonate with me.
V pohode album Muse, neni ale lepsi nez 2001 album
Really good album, though a bit front-heavy when it comes to the best songs. Ending on Glorious was an odd choice, considering this is an album full of bangers. Favorite song is Map of the Problematique. Sad that Muses legacy feels a bit tarnished, I guess because of the type of bands they inspired. They deserve better.
Already know I love this album! It's great to see old friends as I make my way through this big list. An easy five star, with some old favourites and some deeper cuts that I didn't know well at the time
A band solidly in the pocket of 3/5. Either insanely overrated or hated, it’s a true mirror of hyperbole. You can hear sometimes the band they are using to mid success within the album. It’s fine.
A bit cheesy and the voice is whiney. Some interesting riffs and moments but not worth relistening for me.
This is a great album. The way the first 3 songs lead the album off gets this album rolling like a freight train. Highly recommend.
I forgot how much i liked this album. Been a while i last listened to it
Best track: super massive black hole
Temu Radiohead
Great album, their last good one! Still no Origin of Symmetry tho
Muse has always been a weird band for me. I enjoyed their more rock focused earlier stuff when they were clearly still trying to find their feet. But this album forward felt too polished, shiny and soulless
⭐️⭐️ 1001 ALBUMS- # 47 An absolute revelation that a big black hole is where this album belongs 🕳️ I always thought Muse was an apt name for a band that blatantly (and poorly) ripped off their fellow UK counterparts- how very disappointed Radiohead must be that this if the influence they have had on such lesser bands… The production on this album is so sanitized that you can literally hear that squeaky clean shine ✨ There is very little intrigue behind these songs and I find Matt Bellamy’s vocals to be as palatable as nails on a chalkboard with his over the top attempt to mimic Thom Yorke (‘Invincible’ is particularly egregious). 🎧 Classic Track: Starlight 🎧 Deep Cut Gem: Assassin 🚫 Skip Track: Hoodoo How in the hell did this overwrought record produce 5 singles?!? Unoriginal, saturated in gloss, aimless, superficial, pretentious and overstays it’s welcome…well, perhaps a perfect fit for those mainstream kids! 🖼️ Album Artwork: Contemporary art fail Muse never gave me a reason to dig deeper into what they were doing and this release confirmed why. ‘Starlight’ is a banger, inspire of Bellamy’s Bono-esque delivery. Hit the Thumbs Up icon below if you enjoyed my hot take 🔥
Ook echt geen zin in. Misschien wel mijn meest gehate band. Laat maar zitten.
Amazing album, I honestly feel dumb for not listening to it all the way through before. Of course I’ve heard nights of Cydonia from guitar hero, even assassin was on one of them before, but never did a deep dice to hear the rest of the album. I’m actually excited to start listening to the rest of their stuff, even if the albums fell off in quality after this one. But this one was a real treat, five stars.
So fuckin awesome. Enjoyed every track! I had known a couple Muse songs before this but this solidified my fan-girlishness
It was fine. Good for the time, get the appeal. Won't be listening to it again.
Starts off hot and Knights of Cydonia is an all-time rock song, but I ended up finding the album just okay as a whole. I probably did it a disservice not listening on the loudest possible speakers. Shout out to Chris Wolstenholme for absolutely ripping on the bass.
Being the Twilight baseball song boosts an average album to above average.
Killer song to open the album Starlight: I love this Regrettably, I haven't ever listened to this entire album before. I have missed a lot of time that I could have been listening to more than the 3 or 4 singles on it. The deeper cuts are fantastic as well. Map of the Problematic has a a really cool feel. Great vocal pairings between the lead and accompanying voices. The choir effect is very befitting of the song Invincible reminds me a lot of a U2 song Assassin has a great fast-paced opening, leading into Muse's signature style, which I quite like In City of Delusion, the transition to a sort of Middle Eastern/ mariachi interlude was a really cool contrast with the rest of the song The intro to Hoodoo is very reminiscent of Jeff Buckley, and after reading Bellamy's Wikipedia page, that seems to track pretty well Knights of Cydonia is awesome. If you're not banging your head and tapping your feet to this song, I don't think you liked anything on this album. This is such a cool surf guitar/western movie-themed song. There's even some Daft Punk/Tron sounding stuff in there It's albums like this that make me glad I'm going through this list. I liked Muse. I knew a few tracks on this album. Now, having heard the entire thing, I'm going to intentionally listen to these guys a lot more, and I'm going to look for shows of theirs I can attend. This album made me a Muse fan, rather than someone who had heard a few of their songs .
This is not a band I've really invested any time into before, so much so that I wouldn't have been able to name a single song of theirs, or name a member of the band. Track 1 (Take A Bow) was decent. Track 2 (Starlight) I'd heard before, but wouldn't have known it was one of their songs. I like it though. Track 3 (Supermassive Black Hole) is an absolute banger, don't think I'd ever heard it previously. Fuck me, this album is starting to excite me. Track 4 (Map Of The Problematique) is decent, certainly listenable, a bit of a comedown from the previous track but still ok. Track 5 (Soldier's Poem) reminds me of Queen, completely different sound from the previous tracks but really enjoyable and it somehow fits. Track 6 (Invincible) was another "decent" track. Track 7 (Assassin) was my least liked track so far, but still ok. Track 8 (Exo-Politics) is back on target, another good track. Track 9 (City Of Delusion) pretty good. Track 10 (Hoodoo) listenable, not the best track though. Track 11 (Knights Of Cydonia) talk about save the best 'til last, an absolute belter to round the album off. It was so much better than I was expecting. If I could give 4.5 stars I would. I think it's close to being 5 stars, but I'm going with 4.
Really quite listenable despite the general pretentiousness and self-importance of its lyrics.
The high points (Map of the Problematique, Knights of Cydonia, Starlight etc) are really high, some of the best music Muse has written. However there’s just too much filler in my opinion, and the album suffers when compared to Absolution, which is miles better I think.
The more I know about Outer Space, the more terrifying it becomes.
9/10. I do not understand why this album was taken off of later versions of "1,001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die". I love its proggy vibes!!! :)
People like to draw similarities between Muse and Radiohead but for me Muse has always reminded me of U2. A band that has an undeniable talent for writing incredible massive sounding arena rock anthems but struggles to fit them into the context of an album and often surrounds them with significantly weaker songs. Of the handful of Muse albums I’ve hear over the years this is one of the better ones but still struggles to maintain or effectively contrast the highs of epic songs like Super Massive Black Hole and Knight’s of Cydonia the latter being in my opinion the bands best song. Starlight is a tricky one for me because it is an enjoyable feel good track but it is very cheesy and I think you need to be in the right mood or setting to really get into it. On the song Assassin whoever’s idea to add an intermittent knocking sound in the back of the mix can go fuck themselves, I must have checked my front door 3 times listening to this song, otherwise it’s one of the better songs on the album. Overall 3/5 high highs, boring uninspiring lows. As a side note if you get the chance go and see the band live. I saw them at a festival I was at and although not being a massive fan they were easily the best live act of the weekend and one of the best I’ve seen.
Supermassive banger
4/5. I liked it better than I expected to being I don’t know much Muse. I liked the electronica, the epic sound. Great vocals, great harmonies. Would listen to again.
Solid album. A lot of it does sound the same though. 3.5
I think this is a great album. It had everything. The guitar talent and skill both amazing.
Really cool sound
I was never really a fan of Muse - theoretically I should like them, it's space rock with a bit of prog rock, they are from the UK...yet, they play too loud, too bombastic, too much, and overall just too superficial music to me.
2 sterne
No ha envejecido muy bien. Hay temas buenos, sí, pero hoy lo escucho y es muy recargado, muy barroco, y quizá mi disfrute venga solo de la nostalgia, o del reconocimiento, o del automatismo de que me gusten canciones porque en su día me gustaron.
8.5/10 Another one I know well and like. Would have loved to give it 5 but it’s not quite there. Poppy hard rock with proggy edges. It is undoubtedly silly, and the Muse conspiracy theory stuff is weird, but at least it is self-aware. That makes the sillier stuff fun. They definitely like Queen and Radiohead, but the inspirations are very wide. It starts off sounding like Glass! Best: Map of the Problematique
Mye bedre enn ventet
I don't think i know any Muse songs, I've heard good things. This was fine, a lot of it was way more synthy, and like digital drums sounding then I expected, but it wasn't bad. There wasn't really anything that grabbed me either though
The radio songs are still good. There wasn’t anything else that really stood out but also it feels embarrassing for some reason to like Muse?
I have mixed feelings about this album. 4 ⭐️ stars for the band. I really dug their sound, but only 1 ⭐️ for the singer who sounds like he’s struggling to squeeze out a huge uncooperative shit.
The only Muse I really knew was 'Knights of Cydonia' from my Guitar Hero days. This album was better than I expected. Chalk up another interesting Wikipedia music genre "Space Rock."
It's very spotty; like most Muse fans. It has plenty of bad Depeche mode and queen pastiches. Some moments are likeable but not loveable. Exo-politics onwards is forgettable as. Knights of Cydonia brings it back around a bit.
I know you shouldn't judge a book/album by its cover, but this one has always put me off - it's very 'yep, that's right, we're the new Pink Floyd'. As other reviews have stated, it's probably more Radiohead meets Queen, and while there are some decent tunes here, it's all a bit overblown for me.
Spanish dad
Almost a guilty pleasure but too dramatic for my tastes. A lot to like, but honestly feels a bit cringey.
Clean production and a very big sound that's meant to envelope you in the music.
Bel rock, potente ed espressivo. Mi ha gasato un botto, da prendere.
classic
Muse is kind of a guilty pleasure for me. At times, I give in to it, but then I wake up feeling dirty.
This was good, but some of the songs were samey and I also don't realize the album was over until nirvana started playing a few songs after it had actually finished so take that as you want...
Overall: 7/10 I went on a date with a woman I matched on with on tinder years ago who had absolutely monstrous sized breasts and she showed up to our date wearing a Muse shirt which I thought was so awesome and after the date she messaged me to tell me she didn't want to go on another date with me cause I was a huge pervert who couldn't stop staring at her boobs and I spent the next half an hour convincing her that I just really loved her Muse shirt and we ended up going on a few more dates after that cause she didn't know I was such a huge Muse fan but sadly it didn't work out. God, she had great tits. For real though, this is a pretty good album but I've listened to it so much that it kind of became background noise for me. I think they have better albums but I love the stadium rock/Queen feel that they have going for themselves. Knights of Cydonia is an incredibly epic song that I used to absolutely smash on Guitar Hero and Supermassive Black Hole could have been a Prince song honestly. Fav Song: Knights of Cydonia Least Fav Song: Hoodoo
Groupe connu. J'avais apprécié l'album 'Origin of symmetry' à l'époque de sa sortie, mais j'ai perdu le groupe de vue ensuite. De 'Black Holes and Revelations' je connais 'Starlight' (+++) que je joue régulièrement. Et j'ai découvert 'Map of the problematique' et ses riffs (++), 'Invincible' avec un chorus original (++), 'Assassin' et son rythme très enlevé (++), City of Delusion (+++) et sa ligne de basse, 'Knights of Cydonia' et ses plages instrumentales (++), mais aussi le plutôt raté 'Soldier's Poem' (--). Il rejoindra probablement ma collection. =>4/5
Very, very good. Dynamic album with lots of different sounds and distinct songs. The techno sounds work well with the guitar work (which was fantastic this album), and the Muse singing style. Obsessed obsessed obsessed with the end of Map of the Problematique, definitely my favourite 45 seconds of the whole album. Did I love every song on the album? No, but there was enough in there for me to really enjoy myself. 4/5 stars.
6/10 Operatic and super modern rhythm is awesome. there is only one queen. 5-8-2025
Rating: 4.85 Notable songs: Knights of Cydonia, Supermassive Black Hole, Starlight, Map of the Problematique About as good as it gets album wise. Think of the best points of 80s synth, through to grunge, nu-metal and into emo.
Really enjoyed this!! Some of it felt a biiit similar to Ok Computer, but it wasn’t too much an issue, I’ll definitely check out more by these guys!
Twilight! its good, i enjoyed the listen but i dont think i would put it on over Radiohead when i want to hear a grown man cry
Had friends of mine who loved Muse back when this album dropped and I could not be bothered then. Listening to it now, it ain't half bad
I like it when they do more interesting musical stuff with less singing, like Knights of Cydonia, but otherwise Muse just gives me flashbacks to my youth spent being an outcast for not really liking them.
mediocre
Meh
Spectacular, this music sounded very cinematic and punchy which is something I enjoy a lot, the songwriting and album concept were very solid too. My only complaint is I got a little bored in the middle but it picked right back up at at the end. Favorite Tracks: Take A Bow, Starlight, Knights Of Cydonia, and Hoodoo.
I can’t explain why but I’ve never really liked Muse even though it should be something I like because it has all the right elements. Maybe if I had to pinpoint something it’s the fact that the singers voice doesn’t really match the music. Too operatic.
This album is from alternative English band Muse; I listened to the original release. I thought the first half of the album was above average (four stars), but there are a few duds in there. Sometimes they sound like Queen, sometimes there’s a little classical music in there, and a bit of Telstar from the Tornadoes (homage to singer’s father). Overall I give it 3.5 stars, not quite good enough for four stars.
Oh, hooray! This is like the Californication album cover but with some dudes sitting there. It doesn't scream "Muse". But the album is great. Peak college listening. Come to find out this too is considered "space rock"!? I mean, I guess several of the song titles suggest space, but who knew that was my secret favorite genre? Although they don't shy away from an electric guitar, Matt Bellamy has both a unique voice and a 2000s-rock-countdown-coded voice. One thing I like about Muse is that their sound is very 'thick' -- no empty spaces at all. The orange juice of music. Also, the mashup 'Teardrop Madness' is one of my all-time favorites (although 'Madness' is not on this album). Highlights: 'Starlight' (very good), 'Supermassive Black Hole' (ruined and revitalized by Twilight the Movie and college acapella, not necessarily in that order), 'Invincible' (cringey lyrics, but I appreciate the positivity, plus it reminds me of silly MCR)
I knew Supermassive Black Hole before listening to the whole album. Thought the album was fun and solid. I’m a bit torn because some of these songs are so awesome, but not quite enough to reach a 5 for me. Maybe at a later date, but definitely an album to return to.
Musen tunnistaa kun sen kuulee. Makee levy ja tätä pitäisi kuunnella enemmänkin
Soaring vocals, electronic tracks underneath. There are a few bangers on the album. Overall it's enjoyable but I wouldn't listen to the whole thing again. I'd pick the singles and listen to them.
Enjoyed for the most part. The highs were great. I’ll revisit.
First half was great second was lackluster
Voice is beautiful, music also. Everything works. Starlight and Invincible are best songs.
Gargantuan tunes from the band that is the Queen of the 2000's Era. The first song. "Take a Bow," is eerily on target for the times we are living in. A very enjoyable album that, while completely overwrought and over the top, still hits.
Black Holes and Revelations is an epic yet exhausting listening experience, made for grand gestures. Muse's mix of rock with classical and electronic elements gives them a distinct sound, and on this album they fully embrace the bombast. The production is slick, theatrical, and takes itself very seriously—which suits the apocalyptic tone of the music and album, but at times also feels a bit over the top. Tracks like “Map of the Problematique” and “Knights of Cydonia” are definite favourites—MotP reminds me a bit of Depeche Mode, while KoC is so excessive that it circles back around to being impressive.
Last two songs: Knights of Cydonia, and Glorious, are pretty great. Otherwise fine
Millennial magic. Great album, great songs.
Eh it was alright, started off a bit iffy but ended fine. I think the favourite of this album was Invincible.
I think muses biggest problem is how overly earnest they are with some fairly over the top ridiculous lyrics and music. Could do with more of a sense of fun, but I just can't see this as being as horrendous as some people some to think. Still entertaining 3.5*
Muse has some pretty good songs, My favorite of which isn't on this album. However, Supermassive Black Hole is a banger as well. The record overall is pretty good. About 3.7 stars from me.
Points for Starlight which is an exception song.
Arena Rock
I didn't hear it whole but I really enjoyed some of the songs
It's funny that people always compare Muse to Radiohead, because my more immediate comparison is Coldplay (specifically because of Starlight). I've heard parts of this record previously, and it's pretty alright. Great cover, first 4 tracks are good, and Knights of Cydonia is pretty classic. The rest didn't blow me away, but it was enjoyable enough. Certainly stronger than what little material I've heard from them after this album.
Not for me at all
This album has very interesting moments The riff and vibe of "Super Massive black hole" are top, I really enjoyed that song. I love songs from Muse from other records, Plug in Baby or Victorious.. They are super-talented absolutely, but I have some issues with the voice, for some reason I don't relate to it. Objectively I think it is a solid record and band.
12 yr old me thought that this is what cool ppl listen to, and she may have been right
I understand the mixed reviews on this one but I genuinely found it enjoyable. Muse was my first concert and seeing Starlight, Knights of Cydonia, and Take A Bow live were mind blowing. Many of the lyrics are shallower than I previously thought (at 16) but the thematic and musical elements of the album still hold up for me.
Good background for what I was going. No idea what the lyrics were
I dig the sound quite a bit here. I didn't read the lyrics much... but the ones I did read were kinda eh. Voice is also kinda eh. I would love an instrumental of this album. Yeah. The more I think about it... an instrumental would be sick
did not like, agree with the top reviews that this is a smarmy and overdone piece of work, the vocals are like bad Radiohead, the tracklist is disjointed, maybe if I had heard it at age 13 I would feel different but it just feels so pretentious
Sick production. I feel hyped. Futuristic and powerful. I like the resonant, strong vocals. A solid, cohesive album. Enjoyed this more than I thought I would.
I’ll be honest—I've never been a fan of Muse. This album was always going to be a tough listen for me. I remember Black Holes and Revelations being everywhere when it was released—praised to the skies by the music press. At the time, I just didn’t get it. To me, it sounded overproduced, overblown, and unnecessarily theatrical. Revisiting it now, almost 20 years later, those feelings still hold up. There are a couple of standout tracks—Supermassive Black Hole and Knights of Cydonia still hit hard with their bold, dramatic sound. But much of the rest feels like filler: overly polished, lyrically weak, and lacking real storytelling. The band leans heavily on loud, cinematic bombast to carry the songs, which often ends up feeling more like a wall of noise than meaningful music. Favourite track: Supermassive Black Hole and Knights of Cydonia – they’re solid, memorable tunes. Least favourite: Assassin – sounds like polished noise with whiny vocals and no real substance but I could have picked 6 other songs as the worst. Album artwork: I’ll give credit where it’s due—very cool cover.
It was really good. It was pleasant while also being interesting. I will definitely listen again.
Yeyeye
Inte det bästa Muse-albumet (det är Origin of Symmetry) så det får bara tre stjärnor. Origin of Symmetry hade fått fyra eller kanske till och med fem. Fast det är svårt att inte ge detta albumet fyra. Fem stjärnor är för lite för att ge bra och rättvisande betyg. Det kanske får fyra stjärnor ändå. Det är ett bra album för att komma igång på morgonen. Och det är så roligt att sjunga med till i bilen. Men fyra stjärnor skulle egentligen vara reserverat för album jag själv sätter på och jag sätter ju alltid på Origin of Symmetry istället. Knights of Cydonia och Starlight är de bästa låtarna.
Some iconic class songs but I thought the rest of the album was too one paced 7/10
I don't love Muse. They've always sounded like entry level, radio friendly alt-prog rock. This album is ok. Knights of Cydonia is a pretty great song 6/10 Favourite: Knights of Cydonia Least Favourite: Supermassive Black Hole
There's some interesting music throughout here. I heard a few instances of direct influence from Queen. I find the vocals irritating at times though, which is keeping me from liking it any better. Overall, not bad but not my taste.
4.0 - Very Good
I’ve seen Muse live a couple of times and I always left a bit underwhelmed. Listening to this again in full, I find this even weirder, because this album rocks. The songs are great, some are really modern classics, it’s big and booming, but somehow that doesn’t translate in their live performance. Still really great though.
Actually not bad
It's still really good, but I'm not sure it's as good as I thought it was growing up, and it's definitely not as good as Matt Bellamy thinks it is. Some excellent musicianship on display, though, but my long-standing point remains that Take A Bow is an absolutely garbage track to open on.
It's all very Musey.
This is one of those albums I've grown up with, and let's face it - if you're of a certain age in the UK, you have a reaction to Knights of Cydonia basically identical to a baby boomer hearing Bohemian Rhapsody, it's just the anthem of a generation. I won't deny the album has a couple of missteps (not a huge fan of Soldiers Poem), but when I'm having this much fun they're easy to overlook!
5/5 lemez
Sick intros and endings, however, I find some of the middle repetitive and lacking. There were a few songs I really loved but most didn't leave much of an impression. Ok kind of crazy side note is that, as I listen to this album, I thought that a main theme was almost reflecting on/observing earth, almost as an outsider. And then I look on the album cover and the picture is almost exactly that. So the message they were trying to say worked. Also the drums were on point 💯
Rock progresivo de principios siglo, lo mejor de Muse no es este álbum sino Origin of Symmetry 2001 y Absolution 2003, pero este no queda lejos, y su tema Knights Of Cydonia está en el podio sin duda. Podríamos decir que forma parte de lo mejor de su carrera. 5 singles nada menos: "Supermassive Black Hole", "Starlight", "Knights of Cydonia", "Invincible" y "Map of the Problematique". Fue bastante criticado, e incluso despreciado por el propio grupo en su momento pero luego ha ganado mucha consideración. Una apertura de miras que le dio nuevos aires sin perder calidad y evitó la repetición de sonidos. La portada, horrible como de costumbre (salvo The 2nd law, son todas muy malas). La apertura, canónica con Take a bow. Starlight ya suena más a Coldplay o Keane... pero no es una crítica. Invincible también. El resto caminan por sonidos pesados, electrónicos y demás parámetros de Muse. No son en absoluto de los que más disfruto pero no se hacen pesados, los hay mucho peores.
I preferred the first half over the second but overall a pretty cool album.
never really cared for muse ngl. i felt really bored by this record.
Good album of modern prog. Rated 3 stars because the overarching concepts were done first and better by Radiohead.
Rating: 4/5 | Favorite Track: Supermassive Black Hole --- This album is just pure fun and energetic alternative rock. I love the sci-fi theme that permeates the tracklist. Great listen!
first album is way better
GREEEEEEEEAT
Decent album. Will have to listen to again... Assuming I ever find myself in a situation where I would choose to listen to The Muse...
Listened before?: Partially Oh boy, I have really disliked Muse on previous listens (though admittedly it's been over a decade since I gave them a go). Still not loving them. I've always found the singer's voice irritating, and that's still true. It comes off as primarily whiny to me, which I don't universally dislike in a vocalist. But Muse just doesn't do it for me.
I have fond memories of seeing this album cover as a kid and assuming this must be the most boring shit ever. I take it back now — they somehow make prog rock catchy. If anything it could actually benefit from being a little more toned down.
Njaä. Nån bra låt.
I listened to some of it. I thought it was cool maybe one day I’ll finish it
Wowowow hate hate hate
I'd only heard small bits of this lot before, and from what people had said about them there must be something I'm missing. I was ready to hear something fantastic. What I got was the kaiser chefs and the killers with more whiney keyboards and vocals. I really couldn't have been more underwhelmed. There is something I'm missing, an hour of my life. The phrase that has been used on several occasions on here is "I'll give it a 1 because there isn't a zero." This is NOT true for this. They have fully earnt their 1.
Nope. There’s something completely robotic and completely unauthentic about Muse. I’ve just never been able to connect with whatever it is they are trying to achieve.
In some ways Muse should be a band I really like, great guitar work, baselines galore, quality tunes. Then there reasons why I should hate them, that grandiose Queen style over the topness of it all. Basically, I don't hate it like them that much, but I do own several of their albums and can take them or leave them. That said this album is one of their best, so it deserves a 3.
They're still just shit Radiohead and I want to fight Matt Belemy but Knights of Cydonia is a pretty good song so...
5/10 better than I expected but still noughties crap
Boring. Every song sounds the same.
A bit cock rock
Muse rocks and I'm tired of pretending like they don't. Yea, this would definitely feel annoying on the third or fourth listen in a short time period - but every once in awhile throwing on a Muse album kicks ass Best Song: Starlight Rating: 7/10 (Solid) Stars: 4/5
Pretentious to the extreme. Extravaganza in production, a lot to admire here technically. Muse are just the cold dead end of musical artistry, soulless self-indulgent wan*g. Never a band with souch potential sacrificed for clicheed bombast. You get what I mean. Still, sometimes I start listening, just to get even more infuriated.
This album explores the parts of living that are essential to the human experience- life love death and politics and does so with a mix of grungy discord and catchy grooves
Oof, this is tough. Never heard them before. The music sounds great, I love the soundscapes and build and some tracks just go. The soaring whiny vocals distract for me, and some songs seem to go on too long. I’d happily re-listen though.
I like the synth stuff and some of the riffs but it's too over the top while still being completely conventional.
Excellent album!
I was assigned this album on a Friday. I'm not set up for weekend albums because I typically have too much going on, which usually means the Friday album gets a few spins, and maybe more attention than the ones from the rest of the week. I knew a guy in around 2009-2010, who was obsessed with Muse, and I never gave them a chance, so I figured that I owed this one to Cody to go more in depth. My first time through, I really enjoyed. The music was spacy, synthy, heavy, soft, all sorts of things. It's a cool album. Muse was definitely doing their own thing with this one. I was prepared to give this album 4 stars, but then I listened to it again. On the second time through, I couldn't stop thinking that this guy must have been obsessed with Radiohead, because I can hear A LOT of Radiohead influence in this album. Not a bad thing, not a bad album, but kinda ruined the magic for me.
Forever a banger, I miss their story albums 🥲
Brings back old memories also listened too it like a month ago
It's interesting but not exceptional.
A little campy but I love supermassive black hole
4/5
Album reminds me of the period of my life immediately after college when I was trying to navigate complete upheaval in my life. This was one of those albums that was always just on in the background. Good stuff then, and good stuff now.
Muse helps capture the imagination of the revolutionary-minded with the cliff notes version of how it can be accomplished with Black Holes and Revelations. While no one can expect molotov cocktails to be thrown around to the sounds of this album any time soon, it does capture the three-piece at its creative peak. Favorites: Take a Bow, Starlight, Supermassive Black Hole, Map of the Problematique, Invincible, Exo-Politics, Knights of Cydonia.
"Hey guys - what if we mixed the pretentiousness of Radiohead with the blandness of Coldplay?" "Yeah that sounds good but let's change it just a little so we don't get in trouble..." Pretty sure that's how Muse got started. I mean the songs are decent I guess. I don't really have any complaints but I also don't have any praise to give. Supermassive Black Hole was sooo overplayed and I can't really stand it now. And to me, that's the mark of a bad song. And I don't like the way Matt Bellamy sings. Not like the tone of his voice but they way he sings the words is irritating. Like he stretches out the sounds in a way that is off putting. Hard to explain. Well, 2.5/5 on this one and I fail to see why it is on this list. Gonna round down.
Welcome back to another episode of “Bands I first heard on Guitar Hero”. I thought about just copy and pasting the lyrics to “Supermassive Black Hole” as my review, but then I remembered this album also has “Knights of Cydonia” on it. I guarantee at some point on this long journey I’ll end up doing that, likely at least a few times. Yeah, it’s perfect from start to finish. The voice, unique and impressive. The beats, all bangers. I love this album. I genuinely can’t find anything to criticize here. Every song is great. If you don’t vibe with his voice or the style of music, I get it. That’s valid, but I personally LOVE this. I seriously don’t know if I’m ever going to rate an album less than 5 stars again… Is that normal or am I just easily impressed? Time will surely tell.
Another childhood favorite. Some great songs on here (starlight, assassin, knights of cydonia) but too often overwrought/forgettable/both to make this more than 3 stars
Abby choreographed a dance to Map of the Problematique
Enjoyed it - a good rock vand
Canada's U2. Yawn.
Okay maybe closer to 4.5 but I’ll give it a 5 cause it’s my favorite album I’ve gotten so far. I definitely like Muse at their ROCKIEST - so I already loved starlight and supermassive black hole. But found exo-politics a good track and I think Knights of Cydonia is a forgotten gem. So overall this was a good one for me.
Mid
Music sort of ok but the whining voice gets on my wick.
Good, it was rock but kind of different, it sounded like there were some aspects of electrical music but I’m not sure if that’s just what I heard .
Pretty good. Nothing crazy. Couple songs still played today, so it has some staying power.
I came across Muse at some point via Radiohead and Placebo. I was quickly very thrilled. I haven't listened to this album in its entirety yet, although it contains one of my top favorites, Supermassive Black Hole. I am very enthusiastic about the album. 5/5
Great mix of rock, electronic, and pop. Great transitions throughout the songs and the album as a whole. Solid album even though it isn’t something I normally go for.
I was looking forward to Walter White but never heard him
The first track on the album should be the last track on the album, or just not on the album. The ballad should be deleted. Some sneaky tracks changing genres 2 mins in. Call me crazy but I really enjoyed it minus the bad ones. The good tracks were great. The bad tracks are annoying. I loved the guitar; don't know what any lyrics were only because I was more engrossed in the music not the singing.
Perfectly at the cross-section of prog, pop, rock, and electronica. Pulls off the almost impossible task of being both catchy and creative. 4.5/5.0: Excellent
I had heard quite a few of these tracks. I always thought the instrumentals were cool, but never liked his singing. Still a pretty good album overall
music gets less inspired at the end and sort of feels like it’s trying to replicate the first half of the album would give it 3.5/5 if i could but because it starts off very strongly i’ll round up
Solid Muse album and entry on this 1001 list, yet it still isn't as good as their previous release - "Absolution." I've always viewed Muse through the lens of "What if Radiohead and Queen had a baby?" Maybe that's a little too broad, but I still think it fits their sound and their first 3-4 albums. Once they shifted towards more electronica in the 2010s, I wasn't as interested. But this one is a solid 4 for me.
I enjoyed this album. I particularly like the back half more than the front. I had heard several songs off the first half, but it wasn't until Assassin hit that I really started paying attention
++: Take a Bow +: Supermassive Black Hole, Hoodoo +-: Map of the Problematique, Soldier's Poem, Knights of Cydonia -: Invincible, Assassin, City of Delusion --: Starlight, Exo-Politics 3,2/10
If Coldplay are the "sell-out" Radiohead, then Muse are the "metal" Radiohead and, given my sensibilities, it makes sense that I hate the former but have a soft spot for the latter. They are a bit of a guilty pleasure - often bombastic and silly, and I think you have to be in the right mood AND pick and choose the songs, but there are fair few good ones on this album. Enough to give it a better than average score.
Solid Queen, Metallica, Rage against the Machine, Radiohead mash up covers band…. What’s not to like…. I love it!
Not big fan of Muse but I really enjoyed the album on a whole.