From Showbiz to Drones, which is the best?
Andrew Trendell

13:42 8th June 2015

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Drones by Muse is finally here, giving fans a whole new world and concept to invest in - looking for clues and conspiracy theories through the prism of Matt Bellamy and co's idiosyncratic take on the dark forces at work in the world. 

Bellamy hailed it as "their best ever album", and while it's certainly pretty damn good, does it really rank above the likes of Origin Of Symmetry, Absolution and Black Holes And Revelations?

Well, to find out, we've revisited each and all of Muse's seven albums and ranked them all in order of greatness from worst to best - which is your favourite? 

  • 7. The Resistance: While it contains that blend of pomp, pop, rock and classical that only Muse can pull off, as a result it seems to have quite a shimmer but lacks the focus and substance of its predecessors. While it contains some of the band's finest moments (the title track, 'United States Of Eurasia' and the 'Exogenesis' trilogy), one can't help but feel that as a whole the LP is a little incomplete.

  • 6. Showbiz: Awww, Showbiz. We love you, we do. In many ways, Muse arrived on the scene as a band fully-formed, with this debut containing all of the ambition that they would later fulfil. Every song on the record has a charm of its own, however the rock element of it all seems a little muted, with the band themselves admitting that it sounds a little nervous and restrained - not something you'd associate with the Muse of today. Stlll, wait for them to play those opening, rumbling bass notes of 'Muscle Museum' live and watch a room explode.

  • 5. The 2nd Law: 'Survival' aside, this was certainly Muse's most 'complete' piece of work since Black Holes And Revelations. From the subtle electro majesty of 'Madness' to the apocalyptic Prince sex-funk of 'Panic Station' via James Bond rock of 'Supremacy' and the bitter but graceful anti-capitalist lament of 'Animals', this record is almost Statesman-like in its poise and is the sound of a band knowing what they do best and sounding more than comfortable in their own skin.

  • 4. 'Drones': While it may not be their best work, it's a work of hard rock, operatic melodrama - consider it 'the best of Muse', in the sense that it runs in the vein of all that makes this band great, despite not reaching the highest heights of their true brilliance. It strips away many of the bells, whistles and unnecessary flambouyancies picked up during The Resistance and The 2nd Law, sounding more like the trashy three-piece you fell in love with way back when, but naturally loaded with enough extravagance to make it loveably ridiculous. Drones is by far their most consistent, focussed and complete work since Black Holes And Revelations - a listen of good, old-fashioned, bat-shit rock fun.

  • 3. Absolution: The album that took them from the world's most successful cult to Glastonbury-headliners, this was the record Muse had always threatened to make - the globe-conquering statement of intent, loaded with doom, love, fire and ambition. A record that starts with a song declaring the end of the world, everything else is a wild ride for humanity to save their own souls. There's a richness and fullness to the vast variety of sounds along with Bellamy's fully-realised lyrical concept. From the moshpit-fuelling 'Stockholm Syndrome' to pop smash 'Time Is Running Out' via the dizzying frenzy of 'Hysteria', mini opera 'Butterflies And Hurricanes', Smiths-esque 'Thoughts Of A Dying Atheist' and truly sublime 'Endlessly', there are just too many fan favourites to mention.

  • 2. Black Holes And Revelations: The one that finally saw Muse's success in the UK and EU matched in the US. Where do you go after your previous album declared the end of the world? Well, space - it's the only way. From the aghast horror of the modern world of 'Take A Bow', their best single 'Supermassive Black Hole' and the sweet pop euphoria of 'Starlight' through to Depeche Mode finesse of 'Map Of The Problematique, the thrash-rush of 'Assassin' and the intergalactic battle for survival and modern guitar anthem that is 'Knights Of Cydonia', there's a clarity and maturity to match the sheer insanity and scope of all that's going on. They went supermassive themselves off the back of this LP, headlining Reading & Leeds for this time and selling out multiple nights at Wembley Stadium.

  • 1. Origin Of Symmetry: The sound was inspired by playing countless festivals and their summer of stadiums with Foo Fighters and Red Hot Chilli Peppers, and the ideas shaped by magic mushrooms, classical music, post-millennial tension and a fearless abandon, OOS was when Muse truly took a step in their own direction with a sound an attitude like no other. Any album containing 'Newborn', 'Space Dementia', 'Plug In Baby', 'Citizen Erased', 'Microcuts' and 'Megalomania' was always going to be a masterpiece, but OOS adds up to be much more than the sum of its parts. It's an artful journey in operatic melodrama, an existential modern rock classic and their true masterpiece. Can Drones top it as Bellamy claims? Time will tell...

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