Muse: Drones ALBUM REVIEW

Muse are a band that I used to love. Though that is a bit dramatic for an opening sentence, it's true. When I was in my early teens I couldn't get enough of tracks like "Plug In Baby" and "Hysteria". These tracks and the albums they came from were a lot of fun, and I even to this day, still find a lot to enjoy about them; they're big, overly dramatic, and catchy as all get out.

The unfortunate thing is that for the last 10 years or so, the band hasn't really done anything that has moved me to do much more than shrug, or even cringe. The latter being my primary reaction to the band's last LP, The 2nd Law, an album so woefully mangled and bogged down in bad ideas, I'm surprised the band didn't implode while making it.

However, we now have this new album, Drones, which sees the group pulling back the reins of experimentation, and instead going back to a more familiar style, with a slightly more hard rock edge to it than usual. Overall, I am a fan of this change, but the album still doesn't leave that huge of an impression on me.

For instance, I like the tracks "The Handler" and "Reapers" and even find myself enjoying darn near every minute of "Defector", mostly because these tracks have great melodies, and rely on the symphonic rock styling that made albums like Absolution so memorable. But as soon as I find myself liking this album, a track like "Psycho" pops up, and I'm back to cringing.

"Psycho" features what is easily the cheesiest sample that you'll hear all year, with this drill sergeant screaming at a solider all 'Full Metal Jacket' style, but instead of being intimidating, it's just hilarious. Also, tracks like "Mercy" and "Revolt" are just too sappy and overly produced to evoke any kind of response from me.

This album is trying to urge the listener to fight against an oppressive military and government, but all I hear is the sound of a band conforming to a sound that they used to do a lot better. I'd say you're safe to pass on this LP if you haven't found any of Muse's last few albums enjoyable; it isn't terrible, but it ain't good either.

5.2/10