Drones by Muse

Muse is an English alternative rock band formed in 1994. Since their inception they've released seven full length albums, all of which consist of the bands three core members; Matthew Bellamy, Christopher Wolstenholme, and Dominic Howard.

The band reached what many believe to have been their creative peak in 2006 with the release of their album Black Holes and Revelations. The project provided the trio with the biggest hits of their career in the singles Supermassive Black Hole, and Knights of Cydnoia. While the album was a fairly well put together alternative rock album, I still felt as if there was still a lot of untapped potential in Muse's sound. However, they struggled to reach that potential, as their next two releases The Resistance and The 2nd Law were by far the low points in their discography.

With the release of Drones, Muse seems to make an effort to return to a sound similar to that of their 2006 LP. Although that wasn't necessarily a bad choice, it doesn't make for much of innovative or interesting album. One of my biggest challenges with this album, and Muse in general is the desperate and over dramatic voice of lead singer Matthew Bellamy. All three members of the band are without a doubt above adequate at their respective instruments, but it's Bellamy's voice that sticks out as the biggest turn off for me.

Drones opens with Dean Inside which is a fairly generic song from the band, and at four and a half minutes in length is just short of dragging on too long, as the track consists of basic chord progression and the use of synthesizers, as per usual.

One of the early bright spots on the album for me is the third track Psycho, which is one that would not have felt out of place what so ever on one of the bands early albums. The hard rock track showcases the band members ability to put together some very nice instrumentation, and Bellamy does a decent job with his vocals on this track as he doesn't go as far as to ruin this track with his contributions.

The following song, Mercy makes for nothing more than a forgettable radio rock track that contains a bit of piano in the background. While the piano isn't necessarily a bad addition, it seems a bit out of place being in the middle of Psycho and the following track; Reaper which kicks off with a pretty sweet guitar solo courtesy of Bellamy. Although the track isn't much in the way of vocals once again, it does contain some pretty nice progression and great guitar playing from the frontman.

The next three tracks aren't up to much, as The Handler and Defector  are once again pretty basic songs that you would expect from the band, and just like a large portion of the album; sound way too similar to the rest of the group's output. The songs are separated by one of the two less than a minute interludes that take place on the album.

Next are Revolt and Aftermath, which are comparable to Mercy in the way that they bring down the album even more with what seems like some pretty boring and basic slower paced tracks. Aftermath clocks in at almost six minutes, which is way too long for a repetitive love ballad that the album certainly could have done without.

The only track left before the closer is The Globalist, which is (wow what do you know?) yet another overly long track as this one surpasses the ten minute mark. If you're somehow able to get through the snooze fast of a prog rock song, you'll find Drones, the self-titled closing track which features an a capella finish to what is nothing more than a lacklustre alt rock album.

Rating: D

Favorite Songs: Psycho, Reapers

Least Favorite Songs: Mercy, The Handler, Defector, Revolt, Aftermath, The Globalist