10 years on: Muse's "Absolution" reviewed

Almost 10 years ago to the day, Teignmouth rock trio, Muse released Absolution, their third album. It saw a move away from the more Radiohead-esque sound heard on Origin Of Symmetry and Showbiz. Cited by many as the time at which Muse peaked, the album was arguably Muse's greatest and even best known work. At the time it was exceptionally well acclaimed, as it was Muse's second LP to be rated 10/10 by NME, as well 4 stars (Recommended) from Q and The Guardian.
Absolution starts in the most mediocre way, with a 10 second long "Intro". It's rare that an intro track is anything but trouble on an album, so it's a surprise when this one draws to a close and breaks into dreary, dark, dystopian opener, "Apocalypse Please". Apocalypse Please immediately sets the tone for the album, as the end-of-the-world themed lyrics are a prominent theme throughout the album. It's then followed by the anthemic second single and fan favourite, "Time Is Running Out". As well as being a general highlight, it was the first Muse song to break into the top 10 in the UK, after 2001's Plug In Baby only reached 11th. Time Is Running Out was also released in the UK almost 10 years ago to the week.
The other notable highlight from side one is the heavy, rocky lead single, Stockholm Syndrome, which as its title suggests is about falling in love with your kidnapper. The live version on 2007's HAARP is cited by many Muse fans as one of Muse's greatest live moments.
If side one was good, side two is absolutely brilliant. It opens with the fast paced, heavy riffed Hysteria, which is again, a fan favourite. Released as a single in December, it peaked at 17 in the British charts, but snatched the "Greatest Bassline" of the year award in MusicRadar. It's then followed by a beautifully haunting slow one, Blackout. Blackout is the slowest song on the album, with string parts creating wonderful melodies. It's also a feature of 2006 film, Southland Tales, yet is ommited from the motion picture's offficial soundtrack.
Blackout paves way for the album's sixth single, Butterflies and Hurricanes. The song sounds like it is inspired by Rachmaninoff, and features a Mike Garson-esque piano solo showcasing Bellamy's talent. At 301 seconds it's the album's longest song, despite being shorter than 4 songs from the previous album, Origin Of Symmetry.
The final 4 songs on the album are all underrated gems, as there is no weaker songs towards the end. Thoughts Of A Dying Atheist in particular is easily as great as any of the singles, and the riff to The Small Print is just as great as anything from side one. Absolution, in fact lacks weak tracks full stop, whereas predecessor Origin Of Symmetry (in my opinion a greater album) is plagued with them towards the end. Although not quite up to OoS, Absolution has much more consistency, even if it lacks anything as great as Citizen Erased.

Rating: 9/10
Original Release: 15th September 2003
Must Hear Tracks: "Butterflies And Hurricanes", "Hysteria", "Time Is Running Out", "The Small Print"