Accidental Nightmare Fuel: Chris's grin can be a little off-putting for some people, a possible reason why he's rarely ever seen smiling.
Awesome Art: Damn near every single one of their album covers.
Origin of Symmetry has the simple, but iconic desert full of giant tuning forks under a yellow (or orangenote This depends on the scanner, which seems to always pick up a slightly different shade of warm yellow. On digital releases like Spotify, it's definitely orange.) sky. Even more so is the XX anniversary version.
Absolution and its weird, apocalyptic, spiritual, and vague image with the shadows. It helps that both this and the cover for Black Holes and Revelations are designed by the late and legendary Storm Thurgeson, who also designed covers for the likes of Pink Floyd, particularly Wish You Were Here.
The Resistance and the colorful, spiraling image of a man ascending a staircase to possibly Heaven that resembles a futuristic stained-glass image. It's based on Jon Lomberg's "Astroengineering".
Simulation Theory and the glorious photorealistic hand-drawn image filled with loads of cool neon blue and pink lines, Cyberpunk imagery, and lots of juxtaposition that looks like a movie poster straight out of The '80s.
"Unintended" from Showbiz album has no distorted guitar, intense drumming, unorthodox bassline, complicated chords, or even thought-provoking lyrics. The only thing that makes this song "sound like Muse" is Bellamy's voice and falsetto singing.
The entirety of Simulation Theory when compared to the rest of the band's discography due to its much lighter and more simplistic soundscape.
Broken Base: The band set a relatively straightforward treasure hunt for the fanbase in which they gradually unlocked the song "United States Of Eurasia" in seven chunks by visiting stations across Europe and Asia (and one in New York). However, half of the fanbase was convinced that by "resisting" the desire to activate the seventh station, the band would release something better than the final part of the song. The station was eventually activated after the deadline was extended, to the chagrin of some and delight of others.
On a wider level, the post-Black Holes & Revelations — created something of a Broken Base within Muse's own fandom over whether or not they had abandoned their rock roots to become a gimmick band.
Should "Fury" or "The Small Print" have been on the standard release of Absolution? Both songs are fan favorites, and a debate on which song should have been on the standard release and which one should have been a bonus track will inevitably spark when either song is mentioned.
The remaster of Absolution has fans debating over its quality. Some say it's a genuine improvement that cleaned up the muddy mixing and production of the original. Some say it was just a change that induced the placebo effect, but has enough issues to outweigh the benefits, such as inconsistent volumes of tracks and instruments across the release, especially for the Dolby Atmos version and a a very overpriced $130 boxset despite not having very much bonus content to make up for it.
Creepy Awesome: "Micro Cuts." Eerie, high-pitched singing and ominous lyrics that stemmed from a particularly disturbing series of nightmares make it extremely creepy. However the singing is a Moment of Awesome in itself and the shredding riffs that form the outro is definitely epic as well.
To a lesser extent is "Ruled By Secrecy", which feels cold and sinister but also gently uplifting in a rather odd combination.
Epic Riff: Loads, with Matthew Bellamy widely considered his generation's premier riff-master. Both on guitar and keyboards. 'Plug In Baby' is especially notable for being rated the 13th best riff of all time by Total Guitar magazine.
Also, "Hysteria" has one of the most memorable bass guitar riffs in a hit song of the last decade that wasn't by Tool.
"Starlight" has an instantly recognisable alternating drum riff.
"Guiding Light" also has a memorable drumbeat.
Let's just cap off this discussion by saying that Muse is the Epic Riff fully embodied.
But not before mentioning the wonder that is the beginning of Assassin
For over fifteen years, they had one in live shows that was only known as "0305030", named after Matt's fret positions for the riff. It was eventually incorporated into "Psycho".
Drones is full of this, from "Dead Inside"'s bassline, "The Handler", and "Defector" to name a few others.
Ensemble Dark Horse: A lot of their lesser known songs seem to be more loved by the fanbase, especially their b-sides, which are lauded for being just as high-quality as their a-sides. Also, their EPs, single releases, Japanese bonus tracks, and covers, too. Special mention goes to "Host", "Futurism", "Dead Star", "Fury", and "Eternally Missed". Also the hidden track.
One with Love Live!'s Mu's, due to them sharing a highly similar name and fans of the latter often liking to say that their band is better than the former.
There also used to be one with Radiohead due to this band often being accused of sounding like them, though it's more on the latter's side. Since then, both bands' sounds have evolved significantly and it's more of a joke, especially on the former's side. Though the rivalry still lives on as one between creators.
Muse respects Radiohead as an influence to this day, but not so on the other end, as Dom has claimed that Thom Yorke looked down upon them and once tried to fight him, making this a one-sided feud.
Fan Nickname: "Bellz" for Matt. "The Wolstenbeast" for Chris.
Franchise Original Sin: The band's perceived decline in quality is blamed on an increasing focus on tired, vaguely political themes that don't have the guts to take a side, a sound aiming more at pop-rock and jumping on to various mainstream trends (most notoriously in The 2nd Law and also Simulation Theory), a growing excess of camp and use of synths. However, these elements were already around in early albums, including the "Big 3" regarded as Sacred Cow by the fandom. Vague political lyrics existed since Black Holes and even appeared on previous ones, written in an even vaguer form; the band's shift to a poppier sound in Absolution was not seen as an issue due to still staying heavy; and things like synths and dramaticness are a large part of precisely whyOrigin of Symmetry is so-well-loved by Musers.
With Porcupine Tree, both being pop-sensible Prog-rock bands with a sound that is very versatile and covers several bases. It helps that both are considered contributors to Prog proving to mainstream listeners that it can be accessible and good.
Also with Status Quo, due to both bands' mutual admiration for each other.
In recent years, the fandom started to overlap with the Queens of the Stone Age and the Arctic Monkeys ones, two other bands who got big by the Turn of the Millennium and kept evolving and soldiering on by The New '10s, despite the band themselves not overlapping much with the other two in terms of connection.
Fans of the band also respect bands who have been evidently influenced, such as Royal Blood, Chevelle, and recently, Dear Sherlock.
Germans Love David Hasselhoff: While actually greatly popular in the US and their homeland UK, the band enjoys ridiculous levels of popularity in Italy. It definitely shows that they've released a live album on their show in Rome.
Muse had trouble getting noticed in their home of the UK for their first two albums... but come Origin of Symmetry, while starting to get somewhat popular in the UK, they were MASSIVE in France. Bellamy himself often liked to joke about how jarring it sometimes would be to play "a Parisian arena one night and the back room of a London pub the next".
Harsher in Hindsight: The Simulation Theory videos are full of moments like this, which is par for the course for the album's broad Awful Truth themes.
The concert film's running subplot about The Virus gets more awkward when you realize the film had its theatrical release in the early months of the COVID-19 lockdown.
Ho Yay: Matt and Dom are an extremely obvious example. There is also a Ho Yay moment on their Hullaballoo DVD involving Dom and Chris showering together.
Interviewer: What would you do if you are the only man left on earth after the End of The World?
Matt: I'd go looking for a woman...If I wouldn't find any, I think I'll be satisfied with Dominic.
Q Magazine: Dom, you’ve been hit by Matt’s flying guitars before. What measures do you take to protect yourself from his ‘theatrics’?
Dom: My reflexes have become a lot quicker. I had stitches in my eye once after he cut it. And a tetanus injection…
Matt: … In his bum! We came backstage and he was bent over a table, his bum hanging out. That was the main reason I did it. Any excuse to get Dom to bend over and pull his pants down.
Misaimed Fandom: Due to having a large amount of protest songs, the band has attracted a fanbase of Trump supporters, which they don't like and believe misunderstand their lyrics and fit it to their agenda. This is acknowledged subtly in a tongue-in-cheek style in the form of "Will of the People", which is a Stealth Parody of themselves and these people.
One particular example is "Verona", which many anti-vaxxers and COVID conspiracy theorists believe is a screed against "tyrannical" lockdown laws keeping people apart, when in fact it is about two lovers being kept apart because they are both dying of COVID.
"Brainwashing our children to be mean" from "Supremacy". The word choice here just seems oddly childish in the midst of a song to kick ass to, particularly in contrast to the rather well-written lyrics preceding this.
Drones is often cited as having some of the band's weakest lyrics to date.
"Your mind is green and your blood is blue and your belly is all yel-low" from "Defector".
*slamming on keyboard* DDDAARRKKKKSSHIIIINNNNEEEES BRINGING ME DOWWWWWWNN, MAAAAAAKING MY HEART FEEL SORE, 'CUZ IT'S GAAAAAAAAY, YEAAAAHH...
We Are Fucking Fucked has its lyrics, and the title for how brutally honest and jarring it is, but for some, the way Matt pronounces it during the chorus as ''We are fuuucking fuuucked'' doesn't exactly lend him the serious gravitas its message is trying to portray. But then again, perhaps this was intentional.
Verona: CAAAAN WEEEEE KIIIIISS WITH POISON OOOON OUUR LIIIIIPS?!
Basically all of Propaganda's lyrics, namely, the opening "Floosy, you're making me woozy."
The Muse single "Uprising" is, by itself, a really catchy Queen-style revolutionary anthem. That is, until you notice that the music video, the CD and the vinyl single artwork all seperately portray teddy bears rising up from a field in revolt. It might've been meant to symbolize the seemingly harmless and ubiquitous masses suddenly proving that they're not so harmless, but the image should still be pure narm. Except that listening to the song and hearing the lyrics as a call for downtrodden teddy bears to rise up in righteous rebellion against their human oppressors just adds a whole new, BLAMmy charm to it.
From the same album, "Guiding Light". It's a full-on '80s Power Ballad, complete with seemingly endless drum reverb (which fits nicely with the missile sound effect segue at the beginning); a Queen-inspired guitar solo is the icing on the cake. For a band that's often accused of taking itself too seriously these days, it's a refreshingly clear-cut "just enjoy this" moment on the album.
And while we're at it, "Knights of Cydonia" needs a mention, doubly so when you consider the music video. It combines an overt political Take That! with overly sincere "fight for your right" chants, Wild West imagery, kung fu, unicorns, laser beams, and a heavy dose of Epic Rocking; and the end result is somehow legitimately chilling.
"YOU MAKE ME FEEL LIKE IT'S HALLOWEEN" is Scooby-Doo-ness to audiacious max.
And in general, a lot of their songs are like this it you're willing to admit it. Cheesy and rather over-the-top lyrics? Of course. But none of that matters when everything else about their songs goes above and beyond, does it?
Some of their early b-sides such as "Recess", "Yes Please", and "Con-Science".
Origin of Symmetry as a whole is plagued by a raw, but very strong and strange vibe throughout its entire runtime and murky lyrics concerning insanity, obsession, and the fear of technology.
"Space Dementia" has the aforementioned Last Note Nightmare and superbly creepy lyrics.
"Micro Cuts" is just nightmarish, and the indecipherable lyrics and pained falsetto don't help either.
"Screenager" is very creepy, not helped when you find out that bones were used for percussion.
The lyrics to "Megalomania"'s chorus. "TAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAKE! OFF YOOOUUUR DIIIISGUIIIIIIIISE! I KNOOOW THAT UUUNDERNEEAAATH IT'S MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" The Ominous Pipe Organ doesn't help. Whether any of this is accidental is open for debate...
As noted on the main page, Dead Star as these creepy breathing moments where Matt slurps before screaming his lungs out.
There's plenty in the new trailer for The Second Law. From the people running from...some bladed monstrosity tearing up the street behind them to the creepy newscaster reciting the titular Second Law of Thermodynamics. Special mention goes to when the screen suddenly turns into an evil-looking, red-eyed robot face in a VERY LOUDCreepy Monotone.
Paranoia Fuel: A few songs such as Micro Cuts and MK Ultra.
Periphery Demographic: While their style and topics seem especially counter to the Twilight fandom's expectations, they have a following due to Stephenie Meyer being a large fan herself and mentioning them frequently in her books.
Older fans of the band roundly despise the fanbase the band got from "Supermassive Black Hole" appearing in Twilight, referring to these people as "Twiheads" or "Twits". These older fans are split down the middle on whether or not the band's new single "Uprising" peaking at #37 on the Billboard Hot 100 due to their performance at the MTV VMAs is a good thing or not.
The fact that a new song from The Resistance, "I Belong to You" is being remade into a completely new version just for the New Moon movie doesn't seem to exactly help that issue.
Seeing as the interpretation of that one from the Nineteen Eighty-Four angle is that it's Winston's views on Big Brother, that's a little ironic.
Though the band isn't metal perse, Matt's love of dark topics and extreme distortion in the early days gave them a significant following of metal fans in their early days - "Hyper Music" and "Dead Star" being two examples. Naturally, these fans are some of the most vocal about the band's change to a poppier direction.
Sacred Cow: The "Big 3" albums, AKA Origin of Symmetry, Absolution, and Black Holes and Revelations are seen as the band's best 3 albums, and maybe the best 3-album run of the 21st century. It's essentially heresy to make any criticisms about them or put them anything under top-tier when ranking albums.
Sampled Up: In a rare case of a band sampling themselves, "Ashamed" is far more well known as a live riff performed after songs such as "Showbiz", "New Born", and "Stockholm Syndrone" in concert than as a song in its own right.
On a similar note, the band is very fond of the breakdown of the demo "Crazy Days" (a song that was split into "Yes Please" and "Execution Commentary" when studio recorded). Although they haven't performed the song onstage in full for years, they have long enjoyed launching into the riff as a finale to other songs.
"Guiding Light" is arguably Muse's most hated song, to the point that it's become an inner joke amongst the fandom to screw with setlists on setlist.fm and swap music titles with "Guiding Light" and variations. Though it's gradually becoming more loved for its Narm Charm and meme status.
"Revolt", from 2015's Drones, is also pretty well-hated in some circles, due to "not sounding Muse enough".
"Dig Down" also receives this treatment. To those who still believe in Matt Bellamy, the song was rendered "disappointing", especially due to Bellamy's affirmations that "the new album will have a lot of rock'n'roll". The "Acoustic Gospel" version song is much more well-liked than the original, and is therefore the version played at live shows in place of the original arrangement.
"Get Up and Fight" makes songs above look like fan favorites. Common criticisms are its very trite, cookie-cutter feel and the annoying sample of a woman vocalizing.
"Will of the People" is generally treated as the weakest track on its album for the repeated chant, generic sound, and tone-deaf sampling of "The Beautiful People", especially given the sexual assault allegations that disgraced Marilyn Manson.
"Compliance" got a similar reaction on release due to a bland 80's-pop-emulating style, boring verses, and an repetitive chorus. Reception is warming up steadily, but it's still at least lukewarm.
"Ghosts" is also seen like this to some fans, with it's criticism being a piano ballad that lacks the flair of other piano songs featured in previous albums.
"Overdue" is one of the few songs from the early days that fans dislike due to being generic and forgettable.
Signature Song: "Knights of Cydonia" or "Plug In Baby" for the older fans. "Supermassive Black Hole" or "Uprising" for several newer ones. To a lesser extent for both, "Starlight" and "Hysteria".
Special Effect Failure: The CGI in the band's old music videos is usually good, but they sometimes don't always work, like the werewolf transformation in "Something Human".
Spiritual Licensee: "Supremacy" is one of the best James Bond themes out there, even though it isn't in a James Bond movie. According to the band, they were at one point in consideration for the theme for Skyfall and they submitted Supremacy.
While Black Holes & Revelations, judging from the commercial success and the opinions from critics and general population, is considered the greatest thing to ever happen to mainstream society since buttered toast, many of the old fans absolutely despise the album's new direction to a slightly more pop-oriented sound and like to crown it Muse's worst album to date. Fans were even more pissed off after they found out that many of the songs that were performed live pre-release of the album became butchered on the album, most notably their song "Assassin", rumoured by some people to be the work of their then-producer Rich Costey.
The reaction that The Resistance bestowed upon the fans after release is even more polarising with some people calling it their best album and some their worst.
Muse fans who've listened to all eight studio albums in their entirety may have a tough time where to rank The 2nd Law among them. It's almost like a soundtrack to a post-apocalyptic world, darker and more uncertain.
It seems that this is becoming a pattern with every single new release. With each album, Muse is bound to change up their style and fans often prepare for it these days, but nonetheless, a large amount always seem to be disappointed until the next release makes them come back and appreciate it more. Which is rather ironic, since Muse's whole thing is experimentation to avoid stagnation.
Win Back the Crowd: So far, albums like Drones and Will Of The People have won fans over with their emphasis on the rock sound after seeing electronic-heavy albums such as The 2nd Law and Simulation Theory. Fans have demanded that the band go back to the progressive rock/metal sounds of Origin of Symmetry and Absolution for quite a while.
It's an Invoked Trope with Will Of The People, since the band decided to revisit their old styles as opposed to merely making a Greatest Hits album like their studio demanded.
Visual Effects of Awesome: The band's music videos are consistently filled with some true eye candy.
"Bliss" is simple but very trippy.
"Sing for Absolution" is just gorgeous.
"Uprising" won a VMA award in the special effects department.
"The Dark Side" has satisfying cinematography and loads of wonderful Scenery Porn.
Could double as a Tear Jerker.