ABSOLUTION
Muse
Taste Media
**** 1/2
The music world knew Muse had been building towards something big after the rumbling, prog-rock crescendos of their first two albums, Showbiz and Origins of Symmetry. On Absolution, Matt Bellamy uses the best elements of those early offerings as a solid base in producing the overblown, but beautiful opus that seemed their destiny. The heavier moments, most notably Stockholm Syndrome and Hysteria, come with an artillery of bass-driven guitars that don't shroud the melodies, while quieter moments such as Endlessly and Falling Away with You give dopeheads time to reflect. Everything in between - including the fuzzy, bass-driven Time is Running Out, the urgent Thoughts of a Dying Athiest, and the inspirational epic Butterflies & Hurricanes (complete with haunting piano interlude) - is quite simply, marvellous.
Key track: Hard to split Stockholm Syndrome and Butterflies & Hurricanes, but I'll give the former the nod: it possesses the rare ability to satiate the heart and make one want to run through brick walls.
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