CD Review: Muse – The Resistance

You’ll either love it or hate it, either way it will take you more than one listen to get the hang of the fifth album from this English trio.

Nowhere near the commercial zenith that was their previous release, Black Holes & Revelations, this latest effort takes the carried over apocalyptic theme to a whole other level.

Don’t get the wrong idea from the album’s first single, ‘Uprising’, which is the most conventional thing on The Resistance. The album in its entirety is a grandiose vision that encompasses sounds that are ear-achingly diverse and involves genres such as glitter, stadium, rock, disco, thrash and symphonic (pretty much in order of appearance).

Singer Matt Bellamy claims to be making a statement against “the corporate-ocracy”, which admittedly sounds a bit pretentious. And many of the lyrics draw on themes familiar to anyone who has read George Orwell’s 1984.

You get the feeling that Bellamy and his mates are about to go all inaccessible Thom Yorke on our arses if this is the trajectory they choose to keep following. The Resistance feels like something in between genius and rubbish, it will be interesting to see what their next move is. Three stars.