Review Summary: Although it is flawed and some of the creative decisions left me underwhelmed, Origin of Symmetry is a rewarding album with a great replay value.
Origin of Symmetry left me with very conflicted feelings. On one hand, the ambition was admirable and the rhythm section was consistently strong. On the other, I found Matt Bellamy to be incredibly grating as a singer and was unimpressed by some of the creative decisions on the album. Is any of this to say that
Origin of Symmetry is bad? No, it’s actually very good. It’s just not the masterpiece that I was led to believe it was.
As stated before, the biggest issue with
Origin of Symmetry is Matt Bellamy’s singing. Is it impassioned? Yes. Does it sound good? Unfortunately, it does not. It’s very unpleasant to listen to on the the album’s heavier songs, and the transitions he’ll make from grungy sneer to high-pitched crooning and vice-versa are incredibly jarring. “New Born” and “Micro Cuts” suffer the worst from this, with the latter’s quasi-operatic vocals making the song nearly unlistenable.
The lyrics that Matt wrote on the other hand are interesting on several songs, most notably “Megalomania” and “Citizen Erased.” The catch here though is that a number of songs are also about relationships and ex-girlfriends. Potentially interesting twists are put on them like using the concept of space dementia to describe how someone how a loved one makes you feel, but given the rich atmosphere and unique sound that a lot of these songs develop, constraining them to lyrics about love or relationships feels like a missed opportunity. “Space Dementia” suffers the most from this; the subject of space dementia and how it affects astronauts would’ve made for a more interesting song in my opinion and those lyrics would’ve matched the music much better.
Getting on to the music itself, I applaud the rhythm section for keeping up with Bellamy if not for stealing the show outright. Dominic Howard holds his own from behind the kit and gets some moments to shine on “Darkshines” and “Hyper Music,” while Christopher Wolstenholme’s highlights include the octave-bouncing bassline in the chorus of “Space Dementia” and a really well-integrated part in “Darkshines” (which is probably my favorite song on the album). The two of them together work best when their parts are front-and-center and they’re given the chance to hold their own with Bellamy’s lead parts.
The keyboards are another positive aspect, giving songs like “Bliss” and “Space Dementia” an appropriate space-rock feel. The piano parts do become fairly predictable as
Origin of Symmetry wears on, but as an added flavor to the band’s sound, it’s still welcome.
One of the more annoying aspects of the music is the way Matt Bellamy uses guitar feedback to open several songs. Three in a row begin with ugly, distorted guitar feedback, and as far as first impressions go, they’re each jarring and without any real purpose. Thankfully, they no longer pose a problem after “Citizen Erased,” which is great because the end of “Citizen Erased” marks the beginning of the album’s stronger, softer second-half.
Overall, a lot of the songwriting here is very good. More importantly though, it’s ambitious, and one gets the impression that Muse really wanted to push the boundaries of the genre. While they don't hit the mark every time and I still believe that some of their songwriting gimmicks are obvious, I can still recommend
Origin of Symmetry to people who want a deeper investment in their music.
