Muse
Origin of Symmetry

"Origin of Symmetry" is the album that established Muse, in my opinion, their best work and the most astonishing from an artistic point of view.

If the bold ambition to combine an exaggerated rock swagger with a certain lyricism and elegance had emerged since their first album (one track above all: "Sunburn"), it is with this second work that the English trio decides to abandon all modesty and assert themselves with pompous grandiosity.

A magnificent example is immediately the opening track, "New Born": a tormented yet delicate piano intro accompanied by an engaging bass line then gives way to a rock explosion, with frontman Matthew Bellamy launching his guitar first in granitic riffs and then in solos, sometimes eclectic, sometimes piercing, but always inspired. The bassist proves himself his worthy equal, sometimes replacing him as the lead line, while Dominic Howard on the drums weaves solid and massive rock grooves, not excessively imaginative but tremendously effective. However, the song's structure is anything but simple, and in the 6 minutes, everything happens, in a whirlwind of ideas culminating in the overwhelming final solo and the outro of sampled choirs. Truly too much to not consider the track, like many others on this album, a masterpiece.

Equally incredible is the following "Bliss": another rich and remarkable piano intro explodes into a song whose tension becomes almost unbearable in the chorus. The song is much simpler than the initial one, but the melodic intuition is such that the track cannot bore.

"Space Dementia" is then my favorite piece, of the album and their entire discography. Bellamy's interpretation has never been so melodramatic and carefree, and absolutely significant. And as if the usual delightful and suspended piano intro, the very tight pull of the chorus, and the simple yet delightful bridge (with my beloved Mellotron!) were not enough, at a certain point, the progression instead of exploding again in the chorus evolves into a delicate instrumental, contemplative, and into a tremendous outro, ridiculously grandiose, dominated by a super-distorted guitar. Insane.

"Hyper Music" and "Plug in Baby" instead are more straightforward, short, rock, and catchy songs, but they are convincing just the same. Noteworthy is the riff of the second, rightfully legendary.

Then it's turn for "Citizen Erased", and we are again in mythology. The band partially reveals its progressive attitude elsewhere somewhat concealed, and the track is enriched with pleasant references to historic bands, such as Radiohead (I seem to hear an echo of "Paranoid Android", only a few years earlier) and the melodic Pink Floyd of the golden era. Once again, the main riff is granitic, stentorian, rich, but accompanying it is a complex track, with a sweet final instrumental, contemplative, and poetic.

After "Citizen Erased" there are no more equally complex tracks, and the second half of the album profiles itself as a series of more linear compositions.

Sure, Bellamy still tries to impress with the magnificence of "Micro Cuts", where he flaunts an impossible falsetto exaggerated to the utmost in the impetuous chorus, but for example, "Screenager" is the first track on the album devoid of real explosions, where the band offers itself languid and elegant. The grandiosity and that dark mood of the initial tracks are briefly resumed in "Dark Shines", which betrays Bellamy's fondness for western sounds, which some might find out of place in the band's heavy and futuristic setup but surprisingly does not clash, as a further manifestation of the songwriter's eccentricity. The track is a tasty anticipation of that unforgettable episode of "Knights of Cydonia".

"Feeling Good" is instead a delightful cover of Nina Simone, with strong personal and autobiographical value for Bellamy, which he indeed delivers with heartfelt enthusiasm.

The emotions are now over: "Megalomania" and the piercing organ of "Futurism" close the work in great style but without true upheavals.

Although the second half of the album is decidedly inferior to the first, terrific half, given the band's courage, showmanship, and impact, I do not feel like considering this slight final decline.

Those who criticize the band, not recognizing their undeniable talent, rightly note, however, that throughout their career, they have sometimes indulged in excesses, including self-indulgence. But in this album, everything is perfectly in its place, and Muse seems unstoppable.

Rating: 10 and honors

Recommended listening: "Citizen Erased"