Absolution

Muse is definitely one of those bands I'm looking forward to getting into more. This review actually was unplanned, as I had originally thought I would go through Muse's discography just like any other artist later on. But Absolution was played by a friend, so I guess I'm reviewing it now. The end result was a decent album. Definitely not something I'd call mindblowing or like that. I can see why the fans of this band think that, and even though I consider myself a fan, I just can't really say that this album did something special to me. But it wasn't bad, had some awesome moments, so I'll get right into them!

Intro is an intro, very straightforward. Apocalypse Please, the first main song of the album is very piano dominated, and it's pretty much something I expected from the band. Didn't really surprise me. Time Is Running Out was more enjoyable, although the chorus wasn't anything special, the verses and instrumental were great. Sing For Absolution once again just seemed casual to me. Nothing bad about it. I like how heavy Stockholm Syndrome's opening riffs are, and the cool alternative rock vibes definitely boosted the song for me. The next song, Falling Away With You, is the one which managed to really capture my interest, though. I especially like the chill verses there, that's uncharacteristic for Muse and this album, so nice job on that one. Interlude is an interlude. Hysteria absolutely deserves the success it has. I bet countless people have talked about the epic bass line and the sweet alternative rock sound it has, so I'm just gonna leave it as the best song on the album. Blackout is dominated by strings, which is pretty much the only interesting thing about this track. Otherwise it was rather predictable. Butterflies And Hurricanes kind of felt a bit over the place. The structure of the song really was kind of messy, so it didn't really caught on with me. Luckily, some of the last songs are really entertaining, so the end of this album wasn't a boring one like I originally thought it would be. The Small Print has some nice energy, and the heaviness is on quite a level here. Endlessly has some nice jazz rhythms, and the keyboard background is really nice. Kind of a relaxing song in a way. Thoughts Of A Dying Atheist really seems like a very punk influenced track, so that stood out to me. And finally, Ruled By Secrecy is a pretty cool way to end this album. It gave me major Radiohead vibes there in a good way.

I might not praise the album as much as a lot of the fans out there, but I definitely can appreciate the good work and the sparks of greatness that appeared in this album. But the style felt a bit too repetitive here, Matt Bellamy is a good vocalist, however nearly all of his choruses in this album and the vocal delivery felt like it was the same thing over and over again. Anyway, who knows, maybe I'm just a Black Holes & Revelations type of guy. I guess we'll find out when we get to Muse's discography.

Playlist percentage: 14%
Notable tracks: Time Is Running Out, Stockholm Syndrome, Falling Away With You, Hysteria, Endlessly, Ruled By Secrecy
Rating: 7/10

Edit: Okay, just listened to this album for the second time as part of my Muse discography dive and it really has grown on me, especially that kickass middle section from Sing For Absolution to Blackout. A lot of songs have grown on me significantly, including those two which I have mentioned. I feel like the album should have been a tad been shorter, because the pace notably slows down towards the end and the songs there, while high quality, don't really match up that well with the previous vibe that Absolution gives earlier on. Also, that transition between Falling Away With You, Interlude and Hysteria is god-like, the album really is much better put together than I previously thought. The longer and messier tracks from the previous album are taken away, so that's good, and pretty much the pacing issues towards the end are the main reason why I didn't rate this higher. And it still could grow on me more, awesome and impactful album!

Playlist percentage: 36%
Notable tracks: Sing For Absolution, Stockholm Syndrome, Falling Away With You, Hysteria, Blackout, Butterflies And Hurricanes
Rating: 8,5/10

Edit #2: Had to relisten once again to adjust the rating to my new system, and the end result was still a round number, so that's great. I still believe that all of my previously loved tracks are still awesome, plus, Butterflies And Hurricanes grew on me even more, so notable tracks didn't have to change. Still a great album which managed to get an improved sound and an improved balance from Origin Of Symmetry.

Playlist percentage: 43%
Rating: 8/10