BLACK HOLES AND REVELATIONS

What can be said about BHaR in comparison to their previous albums? Well for starters there's obviously a trance-ish feel to it... When I first listened to this album all I could picture was replacing the guitar with some computer made sound and you would have had yourself a cd you could dance to at a party, strobe lights, alcohol etc. However, on listening to it over and over you can also see that there is also Muse of old in there.. Old Muse meets Franz Ferdinand meets a Computer is my judgement on it.

Take A Bow - Some good lyrics as usual it just doesn't sound very progressive or imspired to me - 3/5

Starlight - Funky with the clapping in the background and a good piano riff to go with. This one maintains its capture on you all the way through - 3/5

Supermassive Black Hole - Definately a song I should have listened to in the context of the album instead of downloading. SBH seems to be trying to appeal to the commercial audience and capture their attention. Good guitar riff though and again, some nice lyrics. - 3/5

Map of the Problematique - It's with this song that the album really starts to shine. The intro is very mysterious, almost as if you're looking forward to something but can't see it yet. This one will go up there with the likes of Stockholm Syndrome and Butterflies & Hurricanes though still some obvious dance elements - 4/5

Soldiers Poem - I'm sure if I were into this song I would absolutely love it. But I just can't right now. It just doesn't flow right for me but an interesting subject to write about and some effectively "sad" sounds throughout - 3/5

Invincible - A mellow and laid back beginning to a ballad I think will appeal to many on a few levels (love and times of war etc) A good song. Nothing great but a good song. - 3/5

Assassin - WHOA BUTTERFLY is what I said when I first heard this song. The riff starts off small then the song just explodes. Old Muse is in the house. This along with the next 2 and MotP are the shining points on this album - 3.5/5

Exo-Politics - A nice opening riff to get you into it and some good lyrics to go with it before building up typical Muse style. A nice song - 3/5

All through the album I noticed that the style from the first few songs was now not as evident during this second half (Invincible - Knights of Cydonia) and it seemed to me that maybe Bellamy wanted to give something for both new fans and old.

City of Delusion - Definately a great piece. Progressive from the start and builds up all throughout. The second part of this song is especially awesome. Lyrics and vocals, as usual, Bellamy doesnt have many dark days - 4/5

Hoodoo - Sounds like a Mexican stand off then starting down into a line dancing beat before stopping again and sinking into a beautiful ballad and like Muse usually does delivers a great one. - 4/5

Knights of Cydonia - The opening is a great work and sets the scene for a battle or the adventures of such travellers as the title suggests. I believe this is probably the best song Muse has ever made. If not then it is definately in the same league as Citizen Erased. "You and I must fight for our rights you can I must fight to survive" - 5/5

Overall I believe though it is not all out prog, there are obvious intentions that Muse is set to entertain for a while to come yet and still bring their Prog Related material to the world. Overall i'd say this album is 3.5/5. I don't believe it is essential but if you're a Muse fan or searching for something a little different then this is an excellent addition to your collection.