This week it was revealed that Muse have 'no concrete plans' following the end of their contract with Warner Bros. Records. So what next for Britain's last great eccentrics?
Warner bought Muse's six album deal from original label Taste Media/Mushroom in 2005 - meaning that 2012's The 2nd Law was be their last contracted record with them. Speaking to Billboard this week, frontman Matt Bellamy said that the band were 'at a crossroads' and planned to take time off to think about where to go from here.
"Early next year I think we'll probably take a break for a few months and at some point next year we'll start writing new music," he said. "I think if everyone is up for it, we'll start recording music sometime next year."
But how will Muse be bringing this new music to us? Well, rather than jump into bed with more fat cats (they don't like fat cats), it looks like they'll be taking matters into their own hands. Helium-3 is a sub-division of Warner formed by the band before the release of Blackholes And Revelations. Eagle-eyed fans may also remember the name from the opening scene of their 2nd Law trailer, with the words: 'by the Motion Picture Association of Helium-3'.
It seems from this that Muse are set to sew the seeds of something pretty special. The name refers to an isotope of Helium, renowned for its potential as fuel for fusion power. I know, right? How very Muse. It suggests that since 2005, Matt, Dom and Chris have been building an alternative source of power of their very own.
Clearly part of their initial agreement with Warner, it appears that Muse have been waiting for this day for years. Now they have the infrastructure to do whatever the hell they want. From game-changing live shows and 'ultra-HD' concert movies to a shamelessly taste-free operatic sound and setting fire to the London 2012 Olympics - bands don't come much more bat-shit mental, balls-out, call the doctor insane than Muse, and their ambition knows no bounds. Pegging the Helium 3 tag onto the front of their 2nd Law trailer suggests that the band have hopes for their work to cross mediums. As well as having no one but themselves to answer to when it comes to their musical output, the future could see Muse releasing their own movies and books, while pushing their own innovative strategies of reaching their audiences using the latest cutting edge technologies. There will be no suits with cheque books to give them the red light, just Muse - left to their devices and completely off their tits.
At moment, the Helium-3 website simply shows gifs of the band in the video for 'Madness'. I'd keep an eye on it in the months to come - Muse are about to go nuclear .
