The Uprising and its Resistance

Muse-noun b. any goddess presiding over a particular art.
This is the definition of UK band Muse. Listening to anything by them, you can't help but think to yourself, "What musical gods!". Sure, they've been banned from Radio 3 for life for replacing a verse with nothing but variations of the word "Fuck", their drummer has been hit by flying guitars on more than one occasion and they've been compared to the likes of Coldplay and Radiohead, but Muse is a band entirely in its own world. From the hard riffs heard in Stockholm Syndrome and Hyper Music to the quiet and haunting Ruled by Secrecy, the diversity in Muse is vast, but you can always recognize their music. 

In 2009, Muse released their fifth studio album, The Resistance. Sporting a different style of music throughout the album and a rather interesting cover, it's no wonder people are now going crazy over Muse. Sure, they hit it big when Guitar Hero III featured 2006's Knights of Cydonia, but Muse is now played on the radio almost all the time now, and the recent album has spawned four singles so far. But if you take Absolution or Black Holes and Revelations and play them before The Resistance, you'll notice a big difference in the musical approach. It's more theatrical in a way. Fans of Queen will also hear a strong resemblance in one of the songs on this album, and funny enough it's the only track I didn't like from this album.

The biggest thing about this album however, is the closer. A three-track, fifteen minute total symphony, titled Exogenesis Symphony. This has been in the works (according to frontman Matthew Bellamy) for a long time, and it's worth it. It's an absolutely stunning track, and it's possibly on of the best album closers I've ever heard. Its three parts all stand for something different, but all have the same message: We are human, and we are destroying ourselves.

The Resistance met with somewhat mixed reviews, getting mostly four out of five stars, and on one list, a 5.9-10. But I myself would give it an 8. This album is just too good. Its love songs, ripping riffs, synthesizers, and drumming are just wonderful. The lyrics are great, and Matthew Bellamy did an amazing job with Exogenesis.

So if you fancy Muse, go buy this album. If you can, get the edition with the Making-Of dvd, which is pretty sweet. <3