Nine albums deep, Muse are back with yet another sonic uprising. In a rumble of dystopian alt rock, ‘Will Of The People’ is a call to arms; with furious riffs and war-cry hooks, Muse are on a mission to defile and destroy the Ozymandian powers at the top. Swerving away from the futurism and space-rock of 2018’s ‘Simulation Theory’, this is an album rooted in contemporary discourse – it’s an album that refuses to sugar coat the realities of societal structure, dead-set on biting back.
When it comes to bruising breakdowns, Muse have knocked it out the park this time round. Stand-out track ‘Kill Or Be Killed’ is a prog-metal spectacular, serving up some of the heaviest instrumentals we’ve heard from the trio in years. Matt Bellamy even knocks out somewhat of a death growl on track, a guttural howl rumbling out mid-breakdown. ‘Won’t Stand Down’ and the eloquently titled ‘We Are Fucking Fucked’ takes an equally as crushing approach, with a beefy surges of guitars and dark, menacing drums urging them onwards.
While the album primarily roots itself in these hard-hitting, dictatorship-crumbling anthems, there are a few experimental moments. ‘You Make Me Feel Like It’s Halloween’ toys with frazzled, spooky distortion, while the bouncy, whiplash-quick tempo of ‘Euphoria’ sparkles with bright, a truly euphoric burst of riffs and electronics. ‘Euphoria’ has potential to be a total setlist staple, with it’s impossibly fun flow and hook-y chorus – it’s sure to be gorgeous fun live.
That being said, the slower, more gentle tracks on ‘Will Of The People’ are equally as spellbinding.‘Ghosts (How Can I Move On)’ is gorgeously stripped back, flowing piano and Bellamy’s heartfelt vocals at the forefront. ‘Verona’ also takes a softer approach, a stripped back dose of love-addled bliss.
However, there is somewhat of an elephant in the room. Thematically, ‘Will Of The People’ is a sibling album to 2015’s ‘Drones’. Merely spying over the tracklist is enough to highlight the mirrored themes of forced compliance and longing for liberation (might we point you in the direction of tracks ‘Compliance’ and ‘Liberation’). Over half of the tracks on offer are delivered with some form punchy, on-the-nose battle cries of ‘Kill or Be Killed’, or ‘Wont Stand Down’. Where ‘Drones’ did hold some lyrical mystique, or if we even look back to tracks like ‘Uprising’ on 2009’s ‘The Resistance’, Muse have taken a route that lacks a touch of nuance this time round. While the result is effective, and tunes on offer definitely hold up, it does make certain tracks feel a touch more hollow and shallow.
‘Will Of The People’ is a sharp, punchy dose of Muse. While at times lyrics can feel uninspired, and there is far less space-rock at play than previous ventures, there’s no denying that the tracks on offer are sharp and hard-hitting. A very solid release, and proof of why Muse are still held to such high acclaim nine albums on.
7/10
Words: Emily Swingle
