Ah, Muse. Electro-prog-rock hybrids have never sounded as good as when manipulated by the cunning ears of the UK trio. Once again Matt Bellamy’s hypnotic croon washes over in the band’s usual global rock biography approach, but this time Muse lack the usual totalitarianism of their music domination. Muse attempt to step up their game in their eighth studio album, Simulation Theory, but their crown as last true rock band is wobbling on the edge.
Like a fine wine, Bellamy gets better with age. His voice sprawls out like a shadow over land as the album progresses – only he’s developed some weird rom-com-esque style to penning lyrics that is, at times, pretty odd. Traditional pulsating electronica is present in Simulation Theory – Muse’s fascination with creative electronics is a guaranteed element to prompt investigation in each release, even if releases like Simulation Theory contain often ridiculously strange lyrics and questionable melodic progressions.
Familiar elements are certainly present here as Muse throwback to earlier albums, but what keeps this fresh is the ever-changing landscape of socio-political hazards. Fuel for the creative fires, it seems.
7/10
