The first words on the new Muse album, Absolution, are "declare this an emergency." Singer Matt Bellamy is referring to the end of the world, on the song. But last week, he had a crisis of a more intimate sort.
On stage in Atlanta, where the trio from Devon, England, were kicking off their North American tour, Bellamy had an accident with a guitar that sent him rushing to the emergency ward.
"His guitar neck snapped," says Muse drummer Dominic Howard by phone from the road. "It hit him in the mouth and split it open. We stopped the show, then had to wait five hours at the hospital to get him fixed up. But he's all right now. The stitches are coming out and we're back on track."
That's good news for Toronto fans, worried that Muse might have to cancel their show tonight at the Mod Club. (Not to mention the long-term fate of Bellamy's beautiful mouth!) The intimate gig is a hot ticket, since Muse regularly plays to tens of thousands across the pond. Like so many chart topping British bands, Muse hasn't had much luck conquering North America yet. Their last album, Origin Of Symmetry, wasn't even released here.
But the timing couldn't be better for the band. Radiohead and Coldplay, whom Muse is most often compared to, are out of earshot. And with songs like Time Is Running Out, Hysteria, and Blackout, Absolution's themes of apocalyptic catastrophe are, sadly, a fitting soundtrack to current global conflict and chaos.
"We actually changed the record during the recording," Howard says. "We were quite affected by the state of the world. How can you not be? We're not always serious, sitting around discussing science and politics, but we do know what's going on. And things haven't exactly been improving since we finished recording, either. So what Matt is saying is still very relevant."
If Muse's lyrical topics seem heavy, the band's music is even heavier. The power trio wrenches fierce, glorious gloom from its limited arsenal.
They are unusually intense for a band with keyboards: Bellamy's doom-laden piano and progrock-era synths never detract from Muse's rock assault. Influenced by the classics -- baroque composers, Queen, The Police -- Muse is as earnest in their epics as their NME cover mates The Darkness. But don't expect catsuits and caterwauling from Howard, Bellamy and bassist Chris Wolstenholm. Their searing guitars, joyous harmonies and gothic atmospherics are startling enough, no additional flash required.
"With only three players, you can't hide behind anything," Howard says. "Each person has to be the best all the time. I've heard a lot of records that just add orchestras for no good reason. They try to cover up the fact that they don't have a great song. We started out using a full orchestra on this album, but decided we didn't need it."
