Hmmm a good Muse album in 2026? What is this year? I've never been a huge fan of these guys. Not that they're bad, but I was first exposed to Radiohead and Muse back when there was the stupid fanbase rivalry, and came down firmly on Radiohead's side. But I'll set aside my stupid leftover teenage prejudice and give this a listen!

Album Rating: 4.0

@ins lmfao they had Tove Lo on "Get Up and Fight"

Album Rating: 4.0 | Sound Off

oh wow i didn’t even realize someone was featured on that abomination

Album Rating: 3.5

@Aerisavion

Dang digging through the ratings haha I've barely even given my thoughts on this album! xD

Idk about you but Simulation Theory is SO Muse when you look past the synthy coat of paint (which is also pretty characteristic for them in that point of their career if I recall, sans Drones?). Also not a bad album btw

A lot of this album does remind me of OoS with the amount of guitar-focused riffs and heaviness, so in that way maybe it is very "Muse." This is probably like a 3.5 or 4/5 based on first listen, quite enjoyed it

Album Rating: 4.5

Matt Bellamy is such a talented guitarist, so the fact that this is so guitar-focused is a huge factor in my enjoyment of the record. The only way this could be better, aside from maybe possessing another Knights of Cydonia level epic track, would be if he'd integrate more classical piano. Aside from that, this pretty much delivers anything I could want from Muse in 2026.

Feeling a 3.5 for this! Loving the return to form overall, no outright stinkers really. I feel a few tracks could do “more”, especially Hexagons. Feel like it starts really strong but doesn’t go anywhere

Album Rating: 3.5

I got too used to crapping on these guys for the last 20 years, and this shit bangs. Weird comeback year so far. Guitar tone and those riffs are yuge. Time to take a deep dive on the discog

just relistened to origin and absolution, they've have aged really well. was kind of worried i wouldn't dig them now but they're still great with some of the highest highs in alt rock.

Album Rating: 3.5

Yeah I might sit down and give these guys a serious listen. I’ve heard a bunch of their shit before but this is the first album by them I’ve listened to in full.



I could probably name like 20 songs off the dome but never once listened to a full record by them.

Album Rating: 3.5

Maybe I’ll put on whatever has the highest avg tonight

Origin of Symmetry is the one you need to do in full, easily.
And look at that it has the highest rating unsurprisingly, yeehaw, get on that shit.

And yeah this is the surprise of the year hands down. Strong 3.5-4 but the sheer hype of it not being dogshit and the bass alone because I'm a bass slut, elevates it.
And the hook on Hush jfc.

Album Rating: 3.5

Yeah said line cook told me to jam that and Absolution. I’ll give em a listen tomorrow.



And ya, the band has surprisingly great chemistry with Ellie. Amazing track.

wow! really! diggin!

Album Rating: 3.5

Oos / Absolution are the go-to albums with this band yeah (and Oos is their masterpiece, at least for me)



There's clear callbacks to Symmetry here, mixed with Black Holes rhytmics and synths. Not bad after two listens.

I don't know what this means in overall terms for me in 2026 but unbelievably this is indeed a good Muse album, I am shocked. It's at a minimum rousing my nostalgia (sometimes blatantly imo, but fine) for the bygone era when I loved this band. Once the realisation that a newly dropped Resistance was arguably the biggest disappointment of my musical life (lol) had worn off, none of their releases have given me that same feeling.

Apart from anything else there are cool guitar (and bass) parts and the production doesn't render them completely useless. Rejoice!

and why is a) Ellie Goulding on this and how b) is it arguably one of the better songs

Album Rating: 4.5

Knowing a little of the backstory behind the album makes songs like Shimmering Scars a lot better. Bellamy's divorce seemed to have caught him by surprise, a lot of sadness in these lyrics.

this time around everything certainly feels 'weightier' - it's still full of the overblown bombast we've come to expect and such silliness does threaten to overshadow this in a couple of places, yet it does feel like there's a comparatively dark edge to the the overall package here

I mean at the end of the day Muse is supposed to be silly, but there are levels and I can actually take this album seriously because the balance doesn't descend too far into laughable parody

the second song feels kinda exciting but also can't get the thought of "what the fuck is this is absolute garbage" out of my mind

Album Rating: 3.5

"why is a) Ellie Goulding on this"

Apparently she just happened to be in the studio on the same day as Muse and was already friendly with the band.

I was also surprised that she was on this, ngl.

Album Rating: 4.0

A good Muse album in 2026 is absolutely wild and something I didn't anticipate. Currently, it's sitting at a solid 3.75 for me.

After I purchased the CD from my local record store, I inserted the disc into my car's player, anticipating disappointment, but instead, I was instantly hooked. The galloping pattern throughout The Dark Forest is both familiar (Knights of Cydonia) to Muse fans and brilliantly executed. The Wow! Signal feels and sounds like a logical progression from Black Holes & Revelations. While it doesn't reach the same highs as other albums, it's more consistent and enjoyable front-to-back.

Also, while not my favorite track on the album, Hush is a complete jam. The intro guitar is similar to You Love Who You Love by Zara Larsson, and the remainder of the song draws inspiration from Bad Guy, by Billie Eilish. Ellie Goulding ties everything together surprisingly well. Needless to say, Hush is a fantastic pop song, masked by crunchy guitars and wrapped in ear pleasing synths.