Every Muse Album Ranked Worst To Best

This is the record where the public really got Muse. The sound the band created here was the perfect combination of space rock, metal, and straight-ahead rock. The record's flow is incredibly consistent as it jumps from piano ragers ("Apocalypse Please") to metal ("Stockholm Syndrome") to ballads ("Falling Away With You").

Given all the turns this album takes, you would think it would feel a touch disjointed in places. However, the album is able to juggle these styles at will while never losing its hookiness. Some of Muse's most successful singles appear on this album like "Time Is Running Out" and "Hysteria," the latter of which containing possibly the greatest bassline of the modern age.

The record also introduced an era of wild experimentation for the band. Tracks like "Blackout" hint at the band's more classical ambitions while "Thoughts of a Dying Atheist" has a swagger that feels like it was ripped straight out of David Bowie's glam period. Even songs like "The Small Print" calls back to the band's punk-leaning roots.

After searching over two records as to what the band's sound could be, Absolution was the first record where Muse truly sounded like Muse.