BLACK HOLES AND REVELATIONS

Muse has been a important band to form my musical taste of today. Their distinctive sound on "Origins of Symmetry" and "Absolution" fascinated me when I even had never heard of the term "progressive rock". Therefore it was out of question for me that i had to check, how these guys had developed since these mentioned releases.

In the last few years my musical interest has changed from more main orientated rock to the progressive genre, so ofcourse I judge bands like Muse in a different way now than before. Still I think that they can write very good and enjoyable music as they did on former records. Unfortunately, this is only true for a small portion of "Black Holes and Revelations". Yes, in fact, I have been heavily disappointed with their recent effort.

"Take a Bow": The intro consists of one single chord progression typical for Muse which lasts for the whole track (more than four! minutes). For the first few listenings it sounds interesting because of its spacey feel, but the lack of variety makes it very poor for its lenght. (2/5)

"Starlight": This pop song is catchy as few Muse songs are. However, for me its just too simple structured to stand out. It is just a standard rock ballad you could hear anytime on the radio (oh surprise, it was chosen as a single). It also contains the most annoying bass playing I have ever heard. (1.5/5)

"Supermassive Black Hole": It is the other single, and is therefore also kept mainstream-friendly. This song has even a bit of a techno-feel to it, mainly during its chorus. It really does nothing for me. (1.5/5)

"Map of the Problematique": The electronic sound continues in this song, but it is a bit more epic feel and a interesting break-down at 2:10. Other than that it is once again way too repitative. (3/5).

"Soldier's Poem": This is a short interlude, very dreamy, not good, not bad. (2.5/5)

"Invincible": The cheesiest song on the whole album. Atleast, at 3:30 it sounds like the song would get interesting, but it ends in a boring synthesizer part, followed with guitar-effects, totally out of place, and ends as bad as it begins. (1/5)

"Assassin": A very energetic and hectic number. It really gets going and it probably even better played live. Typical metal Muse song so nothing special. (3/5)

"Exo-Politics": It starts with a heavy but slower riff than in the last song. In the middle there is a short guitar melody part, but other than that I have to voice the same criticism as with "Assassin". (3/5)

"City of Delusion": Here finally is the song I have waited for: the best song on the album, and in my opinion a masterpiece. It starts with a nice guitar, in the second verse strings appear which then play a very important role during the whole track. The chorus sounds amazing, and even the next verse is shaped interestingly with synthesizers. Later, after a short guitar break: a trumpet solo! This is something which I had never expected Muse to include into one of their songs. All these little aspects bring "City of Delusion" to a whole new level. (5/5)

"Hoodoo": A short interlude follows, starting with spanish guitar riffing! Then it turns into a nice ballad which even becomes epic in the end. (3/5)

"Knights of Cydonia": Another very interesting track. Like "City", it makes great use of orchestra and especially of the brass section. Heavy riffs are alternating with epic and more melodic parts. In the end it is a bit repetative, but because it closes the album this does not strike attention negatively. (4.9/5).

The album starts horrible but ends perfectly. Sadly, most songs are better forgotten very soon but atleast there are two perles on it to save "Black Holes and Revelations" from its total demise. For everyone I can truly recommend the songs "City of Delusion" and "Knights of Cydonia", so try to get hold of them! The rest is just for die-hard Muse-fans but definitely not for average prog-listeners. (Average 2.7/5, but I can't give it more than two stars due to the vast amount of below- or just standard songs (35min of 45min) )