Review Summary: A new direction. Not the best song choices; notable B-Sides Glorious, Easily and the GOB edit of Assassin would all fit in well here.
Black Holes is the most accessable album to those who are new to the band but also one of the most experimental. There are less Piano driven songs than usual on this album but this made up for by a wonderful development in their use of electronics and also Bellamy's diversity in songwriting.
Both these things are made evident in the opener, Take A Bow, that takes a while to grow on you but sounds almost flawless once you do. Moody and dark it is but also full of uncharacteristic synths which even at one point repeat the word Bow to extreme lengths. After such a menacing opening it is a bit of a disappointment to hear the keyboard melody of Starlight coming in but new fans to the band will welcome their poppier side. It certainly has a catchy hook and has plenty of moments that'll leave you clapping along live.
Supermassive Black Hole takes you a bit by surprise however. Edgy guitar is accompanied by funky bass while Howard whacks the crash symbal for the main beat. It is almost unrecognisable as Muse until Bellamy's falsetto comes running over the top. In some ways, however, it is very Muse-ish from the spacy title to Wolstenholme's harmony of "Ray shields melting in the dead of night."
So, already 3 major shocks to the system for Muse fans but the shock turns into wonder when Map of the Problematique turns it's head. Simple rhythmic drumming, Depeche Mode-like synths and keyboard are present here with a crunchy guitar riff to match. The chorus is very angst-ridden and wonderfully built into a zipping finale. Certainly a highlight on the album.
Perhaps some people will be disappointed that the band chose to choose such a Jazzy number in the middle of such an experimental album and it certainly lets down the pace a bit but Soldier's Poem is still a nice track. Bellamy opened the song at Wembley as for all "Our unsung heroes" and the theme is mainly set in a war somewhere with a very early 20th century feel to the orchestration. It's a short track and should be welcomed by those looking for something a bit different.
The let down of the album comes in the form of Invincible unfortunately and this almost dragged the album's rating down if I'm honest. Apart from a clever guitar solo in the thick of it, this song never really gets going. The chorus is very boring with an apalling song structure and not the type of thing you'd want Muse to continue doing. Luckily Assassin gets the album back on track with a Rage Against The Machine style riff and it is definitely one of the heaviest tracks they've done. Howard proves his worth on drums while the bass line wouldn't sound of place on a KoRn album. Exo-Politics isn't as compelling with the chorus somewhere in between Citizen Erased and Invincible but City of Delusion makes up for it with a superb instrumental that will surely become a fans' favourite.
Hoodoo opens with the touch of Middle Eastern guitar but eventually turns into a piano ballad. It works but in the end is merely a set up for best ending the album could possibly have. Knights of Cydonia is a space-epic, bone crunching, horn blowing masterpiece. It's great as a single, great on an album, great live and easily one of the best songs of the 21st century. The track opens with spacy synths (of course) before Bellamy and Wolstenhome take the tone down with some vague wails. A quick guitar roll and it's on its way bursting into trumpets, a stunning guitar riff and very fast drumming (without resorting to double time) from Howard. The chorus turns out to be a precursor for a Queen-style singalong bridge before flying into a sensational guitar riff to close the album on.
It's a welcome finale to an album that could have been more but even falling short comes up across the line of excellence. Not all the songs are of the class that Muse fans might expect but the ones that are exceed expectations. People new to the band will enjoy their introduction through this while older fans will appreciate the new direction the band have taken. Perhaps they could do a few more Piano tracks though eh?
