After several listens through, the time has finally come for me to review the new Muse album, Drones. I'll start by describing and grading each and every song (also sharing a link to the songs) before providing my overall review of the album.
1. "Dead Inside" (8.25/10): This song, the first official single off the album, is definitely a grower. I had no idea what to think upon first hearing it. The first couple of seconds made me wonder if I was about to listen to a Backstreet Boys song, before it settles into a nice funky groove, juxtaposing a catchy, upbeat tempo with a dark theme. In the latter part of the song, Matt Bellamy sings with more soul than I've heard in quite some time, which is both quite powerful as well as refreshing. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTcJWhmdzpg)
2 and 3. "Drill Sergeant" + "Psycho" (8/10): While this song was not technically released as a single, it was the first song released from the album. It begins with a drill sergeant appearing to go Full Metal Jacket on a U.S. soldier, yelling, "Your ass belongs to me now!," before a nice, hard-rocking riff takes center stage - a riff the band has used live at the end of songs since 1999. The track may be a bit long and repetitive, but is still a great deal of fun, and is sure to be a smash hit live.
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UqLRqzTp6Rk)
4. "Mercy" (7.5/10): Like with "Dead Inside," the second single off Drones, "Mercy," is another grower. It begins with an introduction similar to the band's song "Starlight" from their 2006 album Black Holes and Revelations, but the similarities largely end there. Bellamy again sings with soul during the song's chorus, before it, like many Muse songs, gets magnified in its latter portion.
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5bjJzJ-T4c)
5. "Reapers" (9.75/10): The intro to this song sounds like a darker version of Van Halen's "Hot For Teacher," before going into head-banging riff mode. It's a prog rock fan's wet dream, as "Reapers" feels like three different songs combined into one, yet with all three songs nicely flowing into one another. Bellamy's guitar solo is arguably one of his best and the song's outro is the band's most head-bang worthy moment since the Origin of Symmetry and Absolution days, reminiscent of Rage Against the Machine's "Freedom," with an eerie edge to it. This is definitely one of my favorites off the album and quite possibly one of my all-time favorites from the band.
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gcNEC9NaJuE)
6. "The Handler" (10/10): "Reapers" leads right into "The Handler" with seeming ease, as it's an extremely heavy and dark track, reminiscent of the band's earlier efforts, and without question, my favorite off this album. The song has a similar feel to the title track off the band's debut album, Showbiz, albeit heavier and more polished. While I've liked a lot of the band's tracks from their previous couple of albums (The 2nd Law and The Resistance), this is the most goosebump-worthy track I've heard since Black Holes & Revelations. The guitar solo has been described by some as repetitive and overly long, but the differentiation and build-up of the percussion helps to offset that in my opinion. Bellamy then closes the song out singing with a great deal of soul, which only helps to spread the goosebumps further. I'd say this is my favorite song from the band since "Map of the Problematique" and "Knights of Cydonia" off their 2006 album, Black Holes & Revelations.
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BF1DQr5dKW8)
7 and 8. "JFK" + "Defector" (8.5/10): A portion of a JFK speech is then played, which leads nicely into "The Defector." I've read many people describe this song as the most Queen-sounding the band has ever been, but I strongly disagree (just listen to "United States of Eurasia"). The only Queen similarity I notice is in the back-up vocals during the chorus. Outside of that, the song has a '90s grunge feel to me, similar to the likes of Nirvana or Weezer. The riff is fairly repetitive, but catchy, and the solid solos toward the end help to diversify the song. While it probably won't go down in history as one of the best Muse songs of all-time, "The Defector" does end one of the best back-to-back-to-back series of songs in the band's history (excluding the "JFK" bit). From "Reapers" to "The Handler" to "The Defector," that right there has been enough to make most Muse fans, both old and new, quite happy with this record.
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzbFxLNpguM)
9. "Revolt" (7.25/10): When first hearing this song, many die-hard Muse fans labeled it the worst song in the band's history. Slowly, but surely, however, the more they listened to it, the more they warmed up to it. I've found this to be fairly commonplace when it comes to Muse songs. With a lot of bands, one listen may be enough to cast it as awful. However, with many such Muse songs, it seems the odds are that the more one listens to it, the more they'll grow to like it. Upon first listening to "Revolt" myself, I honestly didn't understand why there was such hate for it. While I didn't think it was the band's greatest effort (not by a long shot), I didn't find it atrocious to the ears, and felt there was room for it to grow on me, and that it did. While I do feel "Revolt" is one of the weaker tracks off this album, it is quite catchy, and is bound to be a radio-friendly single at some point. It starts out sounding like The Killers, before transitioning to Queen in the pre-chorus, and I hear a slight resemblance to Journey in the chorus. Some may find this song to be chuckle-worthy at times, but it's nearly impossible not to tap one's finger to the beat and even sing along if no one's watching.
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tneePzkfSh8)
10. "Aftermath" (7/10): Like songs before it, "Aftermath" is also a grower. If Muse were to ever write a true rock ballad, this is it. It starts with a rather eerie-sounding solo, before Bellamy sings soulfully, a beat finally kicks in, and then he again works his magic with another solid and eerie guitar solo. The song closes with a "Heal the World" vibe, as several other voices surround Bellamy's in such a fashion, which I've read some describe as cheesy-sounding but I don't feel detracts from the quality of the song at all. While this song has grown on me some, it's still one of my least favorite songs off the album. In my opinion, the guitar work is this song's strong suit, and while it may change with additional listens, I've yet to feel a true connection to this song.
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFjhC0T7jXE)
11. "The Globalist" (9.5/10): Before reviewing the song at all, I have to say I think it was a mistake by the band to label this as a sequel to the fan-favorite "Citizen Erased" and I also think it was a mistake by the fans to expect a carbon copy of the before-mentioned song off the 2001 album, Origin of Symmetry. This song sounds nothing like "Citizen Erased," however, due to the drastically different elements combined in this 10-minute epic, I can understand why the initial comparison was made. It starts with a Western (film) type of feel to it through the 3-minute intro, before Bellamy sings his first word. A minute and a half later, the song reaches it's third chapter, and the guitars and drums come out a-blazing in possibly the hardest two minutes of rock the band has ever produced on record. It then closes with a three-and-a-half minute piano bit somewhat reminiscent of the one in "United States of Eurasia." Simply put, this is a trip of a song. The three drastically different songs in "The Globalist" could probably work as individual tracks, but crazily enough, they work in a combined effort in this one, and the end result is one of my three favorite tracks off the album. When listening to this track, my suggestion is, like with most Muse songs, don't go in with expectations, just go with the flow, and you may be quite pleasantly surprised with the result.
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73vhrnz9B4E&feature=iv&src_vid=-4Dx6mDfgEI&annotation_id=annotation_3706116665)
12. "Drones" (6.5/10): Like at other points in this album, "The Globalist" perfectly leads into "Drones," which is an a capella track, featuring many layers of Matt Bellamy's voice, before they all combine to sing "Amen." It's a pretty sounding song and is a fitting close to this concept album, but in all honesty, it's my least favorite track on the album, and unless I listen to the album from beginning to end, the chances are slim I'll be listening to this song at all.
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvX7lgrx47M&index=11&list=PLJhmviD_-i__2W6mS-Z8njXR05ZAV3YED)
Total: 82.25/100 = 82.25%
Grade: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Review: While I don't think this concept album reaches masterpiece status, if "Aftermath" and/or "Drones" grow on me any more, I may change my mind about that. The album is musically strong and diverse throughout. The lyrics may be a bit too heavy-handed for some, but as is typical, they're interesting and don't negate the exceptional musical element of the album. The main character in the story is an embattled, traumatized, brainwashed soldier, who has become numb of feeling, and in essence, has become drone-like, before revolting. The story appears to be multi-layered, as the main character of it is symbolic of the population at large - becoming increasingly dependent on machines, technology greatly expanding, and real human emotion and empathy have appeared to be progressively declining as a result (again, becoming drone-like). The album's conclusion is anything but definite, providing room for interpretation and debate, which I happen to like quite a bit. Drones is definitely the most cohesive album the band has released since 2006's Black Holes & Revelations. The songs flow together nicely and the altering moods are quite fitting. Drones starts with a rather dark feel to it before the main character is able to come to terms with his predicament, feel again, and decides to revolt. "The Defector" is where the album starts to significantly shift in mood, before "Revolt" and "Aftermath" go even further in that direction. "The Globalist" provides a different take on things, with pretty much every mood and sound from the previous ten tracks summed up in one 10-minute epic. "Drones" then provides the final touch on the album. While I think it may be too early to rightfully compare this album with Muse's other six, I think it's a fantastic record - borderline masterpiece, currently give it 4.5 stars out of 5, and at this time, would rank the band's seven albums in the following order:
1) Black Holes & Revelations (2006): 5 out of 5 stars
2) Drones (2015): 4.5 out of 5 stars
3) Absolution (2003): 4.5 out of 5 stars
4) Origin of Symmetry (2001): 4.5 out of 5 stars
5) The 2nd Law (2012): 4 out of 5 stars
6) The Resistance (2009): 3.5 out of 5 stars
7) Showbiz (1999): 3.5 out of 5 stars
1. "Dead Inside" (8.25/10): This song, the first official single off the album, is definitely a grower. I had no idea what to think upon first hearing it. The first couple of seconds made me wonder if I was about to listen to a Backstreet Boys song, before it settles into a nice funky groove, juxtaposing a catchy, upbeat tempo with a dark theme. In the latter part of the song, Matt Bellamy sings with more soul than I've heard in quite some time, which is both quite powerful as well as refreshing. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTcJWhmdzpg)
2 and 3. "Drill Sergeant" + "Psycho" (8/10): While this song was not technically released as a single, it was the first song released from the album. It begins with a drill sergeant appearing to go Full Metal Jacket on a U.S. soldier, yelling, "Your ass belongs to me now!," before a nice, hard-rocking riff takes center stage - a riff the band has used live at the end of songs since 1999. The track may be a bit long and repetitive, but is still a great deal of fun, and is sure to be a smash hit live.
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UqLRqzTp6Rk)
4. "Mercy" (7.5/10): Like with "Dead Inside," the second single off Drones, "Mercy," is another grower. It begins with an introduction similar to the band's song "Starlight" from their 2006 album Black Holes and Revelations, but the similarities largely end there. Bellamy again sings with soul during the song's chorus, before it, like many Muse songs, gets magnified in its latter portion.
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5bjJzJ-T4c)
5. "Reapers" (9.75/10): The intro to this song sounds like a darker version of Van Halen's "Hot For Teacher," before going into head-banging riff mode. It's a prog rock fan's wet dream, as "Reapers" feels like three different songs combined into one, yet with all three songs nicely flowing into one another. Bellamy's guitar solo is arguably one of his best and the song's outro is the band's most head-bang worthy moment since the Origin of Symmetry and Absolution days, reminiscent of Rage Against the Machine's "Freedom," with an eerie edge to it. This is definitely one of my favorites off the album and quite possibly one of my all-time favorites from the band.
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gcNEC9NaJuE)
6. "The Handler" (10/10): "Reapers" leads right into "The Handler" with seeming ease, as it's an extremely heavy and dark track, reminiscent of the band's earlier efforts, and without question, my favorite off this album. The song has a similar feel to the title track off the band's debut album, Showbiz, albeit heavier and more polished. While I've liked a lot of the band's tracks from their previous couple of albums (The 2nd Law and The Resistance), this is the most goosebump-worthy track I've heard since Black Holes & Revelations. The guitar solo has been described by some as repetitive and overly long, but the differentiation and build-up of the percussion helps to offset that in my opinion. Bellamy then closes the song out singing with a great deal of soul, which only helps to spread the goosebumps further. I'd say this is my favorite song from the band since "Map of the Problematique" and "Knights of Cydonia" off their 2006 album, Black Holes & Revelations.
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BF1DQr5dKW8)
7 and 8. "JFK" + "Defector" (8.5/10): A portion of a JFK speech is then played, which leads nicely into "The Defector." I've read many people describe this song as the most Queen-sounding the band has ever been, but I strongly disagree (just listen to "United States of Eurasia"). The only Queen similarity I notice is in the back-up vocals during the chorus. Outside of that, the song has a '90s grunge feel to me, similar to the likes of Nirvana or Weezer. The riff is fairly repetitive, but catchy, and the solid solos toward the end help to diversify the song. While it probably won't go down in history as one of the best Muse songs of all-time, "The Defector" does end one of the best back-to-back-to-back series of songs in the band's history (excluding the "JFK" bit). From "Reapers" to "The Handler" to "The Defector," that right there has been enough to make most Muse fans, both old and new, quite happy with this record.
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzbFxLNpguM)
9. "Revolt" (7.25/10): When first hearing this song, many die-hard Muse fans labeled it the worst song in the band's history. Slowly, but surely, however, the more they listened to it, the more they warmed up to it. I've found this to be fairly commonplace when it comes to Muse songs. With a lot of bands, one listen may be enough to cast it as awful. However, with many such Muse songs, it seems the odds are that the more one listens to it, the more they'll grow to like it. Upon first listening to "Revolt" myself, I honestly didn't understand why there was such hate for it. While I didn't think it was the band's greatest effort (not by a long shot), I didn't find it atrocious to the ears, and felt there was room for it to grow on me, and that it did. While I do feel "Revolt" is one of the weaker tracks off this album, it is quite catchy, and is bound to be a radio-friendly single at some point. It starts out sounding like The Killers, before transitioning to Queen in the pre-chorus, and I hear a slight resemblance to Journey in the chorus. Some may find this song to be chuckle-worthy at times, but it's nearly impossible not to tap one's finger to the beat and even sing along if no one's watching.
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tneePzkfSh8)
10. "Aftermath" (7/10): Like songs before it, "Aftermath" is also a grower. If Muse were to ever write a true rock ballad, this is it. It starts with a rather eerie-sounding solo, before Bellamy sings soulfully, a beat finally kicks in, and then he again works his magic with another solid and eerie guitar solo. The song closes with a "Heal the World" vibe, as several other voices surround Bellamy's in such a fashion, which I've read some describe as cheesy-sounding but I don't feel detracts from the quality of the song at all. While this song has grown on me some, it's still one of my least favorite songs off the album. In my opinion, the guitar work is this song's strong suit, and while it may change with additional listens, I've yet to feel a true connection to this song.
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFjhC0T7jXE)
11. "The Globalist" (9.5/10): Before reviewing the song at all, I have to say I think it was a mistake by the band to label this as a sequel to the fan-favorite "Citizen Erased" and I also think it was a mistake by the fans to expect a carbon copy of the before-mentioned song off the 2001 album, Origin of Symmetry. This song sounds nothing like "Citizen Erased," however, due to the drastically different elements combined in this 10-minute epic, I can understand why the initial comparison was made. It starts with a Western (film) type of feel to it through the 3-minute intro, before Bellamy sings his first word. A minute and a half later, the song reaches it's third chapter, and the guitars and drums come out a-blazing in possibly the hardest two minutes of rock the band has ever produced on record. It then closes with a three-and-a-half minute piano bit somewhat reminiscent of the one in "United States of Eurasia." Simply put, this is a trip of a song. The three drastically different songs in "The Globalist" could probably work as individual tracks, but crazily enough, they work in a combined effort in this one, and the end result is one of my three favorite tracks off the album. When listening to this track, my suggestion is, like with most Muse songs, don't go in with expectations, just go with the flow, and you may be quite pleasantly surprised with the result.
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73vhrnz9B4E&feature=iv&src_vid=-4Dx6mDfgEI&annotation_id=annotation_3706116665)
12. "Drones" (6.5/10): Like at other points in this album, "The Globalist" perfectly leads into "Drones," which is an a capella track, featuring many layers of Matt Bellamy's voice, before they all combine to sing "Amen." It's a pretty sounding song and is a fitting close to this concept album, but in all honesty, it's my least favorite track on the album, and unless I listen to the album from beginning to end, the chances are slim I'll be listening to this song at all.
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvX7lgrx47M&index=11&list=PLJhmviD_-i__2W6mS-Z8njXR05ZAV3YED)
Total: 82.25/100 = 82.25%
Grade: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Review: While I don't think this concept album reaches masterpiece status, if "Aftermath" and/or "Drones" grow on me any more, I may change my mind about that. The album is musically strong and diverse throughout. The lyrics may be a bit too heavy-handed for some, but as is typical, they're interesting and don't negate the exceptional musical element of the album. The main character in the story is an embattled, traumatized, brainwashed soldier, who has become numb of feeling, and in essence, has become drone-like, before revolting. The story appears to be multi-layered, as the main character of it is symbolic of the population at large - becoming increasingly dependent on machines, technology greatly expanding, and real human emotion and empathy have appeared to be progressively declining as a result (again, becoming drone-like). The album's conclusion is anything but definite, providing room for interpretation and debate, which I happen to like quite a bit. Drones is definitely the most cohesive album the band has released since 2006's Black Holes & Revelations. The songs flow together nicely and the altering moods are quite fitting. Drones starts with a rather dark feel to it before the main character is able to come to terms with his predicament, feel again, and decides to revolt. "The Defector" is where the album starts to significantly shift in mood, before "Revolt" and "Aftermath" go even further in that direction. "The Globalist" provides a different take on things, with pretty much every mood and sound from the previous ten tracks summed up in one 10-minute epic. "Drones" then provides the final touch on the album. While I think it may be too early to rightfully compare this album with Muse's other six, I think it's a fantastic record - borderline masterpiece, currently give it 4.5 stars out of 5, and at this time, would rank the band's seven albums in the following order:
1) Black Holes & Revelations (2006): 5 out of 5 stars
2) Drones (2015): 4.5 out of 5 stars
3) Absolution (2003): 4.5 out of 5 stars
4) Origin of Symmetry (2001): 4.5 out of 5 stars
5) The 2nd Law (2012): 4 out of 5 stars
6) The Resistance (2009): 3.5 out of 5 stars
7) Showbiz (1999): 3.5 out of 5 stars
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