One can't listen to Muse without hearing Bends-era Radiohead, so it's necessary to start there. But for all the familiar grandeur and gloom, Muse's other catharsis-rock influences, like Queen, Slade, and even Black Sabbath, provide the band with a dazzling, heart-on-their-sleeves theatricality. Always threatening to layer on another falsetto from singer Matt Bellamy, or conjure more guitar crunch from the ether, Absolution is downright Baroque in parts, like a Rufus Wainwright-penned rock opera fantasy. Yes, the record is completely unoriginal. But when these guys let it rip, there's no doubt they have the fever. "Stockholm Syndrome," for one, could only be produced by True Believers with a lust for power chord drama, full of angst, envy, and the bitter end of it all. If you wish a certain Thom Yorke-led outfit from Oxford had made another record or two before evolving into minor-key art rockers, Muse carry the torch for another few miles, gloriously and tragically unaware that they're running in circles.

Aussie limited edition of 2003 album features 14 tracks & includes a bonus DVD (PAL) featuring a 40 minute documentary on the making of the album, band outtakes, & a studio photo gallery. Festival. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

-Review by Matthew Cooke (Amazon)-

Tracklist:

01. Intro
02. Apocalypse Please
03. Time Is Running
04. Sing For Absolution
05. Stockholm Syndrome
06. Falling Away With You
07. Interlude
08. Hysteria
09. Blackout
10. Butterflies & Hurricanes
11. The Small Print
12. Fury (Bonus for Japan only)
13. Endlessly
14. Thought Of A Dying Atheist
15. Ruled By Secrecy