Muse Absolution Release Date: March 23, 2004 Label: Warner Rating: 3.5/5 The third disk from Muse is only getting release in North America now, but the disk has been out for almost half a year in the band's homeland of England. Since the initial release there's been a steady growing, howling buzz for the band and the Absolution disk. Some (including myself) caught wind of the disk well before the US release of the CD, basking in the radiance of the band, and perhaps enjoyed being on the inside of a well kept secret. Guess what - It appears this secret little fan base is about to grow ten fold. When most people hear Absolution for the first time they're quick to draw parallels of Matt Bellamy vocals to that of Thom Yorke of Radiohead fame. This perhaps, is the worst thing you can do as a listener - by lumping Bellamy, Absolution, and in turn Muse as a whole into the Radiohead knock-off camp, you're marginalizing all merits of a hysterically wonderful CD. Yeah, Bellamy does sound a bit like Thom Yorke... but he also sounds a bit like Jeff Buckley. Is it really far fetched for a British vocalist to wear their local influences on their sleeves? There's no reason to nail these guys to the cross. Absolution is not an OK Computer cover album. Rather, Absolution is a wonderfully frantic rock album, littered with industrial and prog-rock influences. Where Radiohead has moved from alternative rock to experimental art-rock, Muse crosses a completely separate path. At the core, this album really is a balls-out hard rock album. Muse has drawn a line in the sand and constructed the arrangements found on Absolution layer upon layer. Although, they operate as a three-piece band, their approach creates a baroque wall of sound, mixing traditional power chord guitar work with synthy bass lines, mixing robot drums with organic percussion. While heavily over-dubbed recording techniques are common, Muse is one of the few groups to create distinct clarity between channels. Listen to the track "Stockholm Syndrome". Listen to the pairing, between gentle piano and the frantic guitar work. Listen to the flow and movement as the song progresses building an ever expanding presence of freakish intensity. And yes, listen to Bellamy's vocals soar up and down with confidence in delivery, and you'll be sold... not on a Radiohead cover band, but on Muse themselves. -Rob Anand Elsewhere Muse website Published : April 22, 2004.