If you remember Brit stadium rockers Muse’s 2012 album The 2nd Law , then you know it was a bit of a yawn fest. But now they’ve enlisted Mutt Lange, a real rock producer at heart, with albums like Highway to Hell by AC/DC in his repertoire. And yes, Lange has pre-dominantly been working with pop stars like Shania Twain and Lady Gaga from the 1990s onwards, but let’s give him credit – he’s got Muse back to their guitar-bass-drum formula, with an emphasis on trying to be as radio-friendly and catchy as possible.
Muse’s new album Drones continues their love for warfare, this one concentrating on the psychological effects of war. ‘Dead Inside’ rattles listeners immediately with heavy drums courtesy Dominic Howard, while they work in that total Def Leppard sound, shimmering synth and all. ‘Psycho’, with its Nickelback-mimicking guitars and army drill sergeant dialog sounds is just about menacing enough to be a professional wrestler’s entrance theme. It’s the beginning signs that Muse have become a bit too Americanised. Yes, you can hear the synth kick in once in a while, and vocalist-guitarist Matt Bellamy put his shredding skills on display on the six-minute rager of a track called ‘Reapers’, a high point on the album. But somewhere along the way, like on The 2nd Law and even The Resistance , Muse lose their own plot. Bellamy overuses familiar old vocal harmonies on songs like ‘The Handler’, taking away any good first impression you had from the stomping drums and bass. We’ve already heard hits like ‘Knights of Cydonia’, ‘Stockholm Syndrome’, and as much as they love filling up stadiums for their shows, Muse still haven’t got a new anthem to their name for about three albums now.
And in the search for that new sing-along hit on Drones , they do take a few wrong turns. ‘Revolt’ tries too hard to be that radio hit that is the sore thumb on the album. And then they go soft and melodramatic, like a Green Day rock opera on ‘Aftermath’, but that’s how concept albums go. While they pick it back up when ‘The Globalist’ crosses the five-minute mark, it’s a bit late. The prog rock opera vibe sets in, piano, orchestra and all. Give us rock riffs any day. It’s the only thing Muse are getting better at.
(Drones is priced at $ 10.99 from Warner Bros)
