Sing For Absolution

About

On 2001’s <i>Origin of Symmetry</i>, Muse established themselves as one of the world’s most forward-thinking and ambitious rock band. On this follow-up, the trio set out to be one of its biggest. <i>Absolution</i> was the record that sent Matt Bellamy, Chris Wolstenholme, and Dom Howard’s band supernova. This was Muse perfecting the art of the spectacular, a record of skyscraping ambition that pushed the limits for what rock music could be, the sound of an epic musical vision executed to perfection. Muse had had their first taste of headlining arenas on the tour to support <i>Origin of Symmetry</i>, a natural stage for such an explosive, grandiose band, and everything about <i>Absolution</i> felt precision-tooled to make it the norm. Here, heavy rock riff, powerhouse rhythmic, epic balladry, electronic prog, anthemic pop hook, and classical interludes all met in perfect, dystopic harmony. But <i>Absolution</i> was an album made in a period of unease, both within the group and for the world at large. A legal battle with their former management and production company only seemed to refine the band’s focus on their music, while watching rolling news of the Iraq War seeped into the album’s lyrical theme. On <i>Origin…</i>, Bellamy pondered the universe and beyond but here his concerns were closer to home, peering into the rabbit hole and emerging with songs about global power structure, conspiracy theorie, secret societie, and the small matter of the end of day. They found a sound fit to match the subject, producer Rich Costey helping Muse to craft an intricately layered, dynamic rock record that blurred the line between old-school virtuoso playing and digital massaging. The monumental thump that begins opener “Apocalypse Please” could not have set the tone any better, a song about the end of the world armed with a big bang to match the one that started it. From there, <i>Absolution</i> was a record that strapped you in front and center, lurching into Queen-style euphoria (“Time Is Running Out,” “Hysteria,” “Butterflies & Hurricanes”), furious riffing (“Stockholm Syndrome”), and the odd swoop into airy orchestral histrionics (“Blackout” and “Butterflies & Hurricane,” again). It was the sound of a band asking themselves if they were going too far and then going further. .

via Apple Music

The Clerk says

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