Muse (UK): Matthew Bellamy (vocals, guitar, keyboards); Chris Wolstenholme (bass guitar); Dominic Howard (drums).

Over the course of their first three studio albums Muse slowly gained ground as one of the more progressive and accomplished rock bands of the 2000s. By the time of 2006's BLACK HOLES AND REVELATIONS, the process was complete. While still steeped in moody Britpop, wall-of-guitar rock, and space-synth soundscapes, BLACK HOLES finds Muse diversifying their already broad palette and creating one of their most ambitious efforts.

The tune "Supermassive Black Hole" is a case in point. A club-ready funk groove underpins the crunching guitars, proving Muse as capable of moving the body as expanding the mind. Elsewhere, the band experiments with flamenco-flavored guitars and mariachi horns amid their dense waves of guitars and electronics, while lead singer Matt Bellamy sings of apocalyptic themes, environmental degradation, and revolution. The effect, sonically and otherwise, is expansive and powerful, and the successful conflation of dance-rock, prog-rock, and hard rock underscore Muse's knack for fearlessly pushing several buttons at once.

Rolling Stone (p.96) - 3.5 stars out of 5 -- "[M]ixing together huge, doomy soundscapes, snarling guitars and space-age sound effects with Matthew Bellamy's operatic wail....[The album] will push your pleasure buttons."

Entertainment Weekly (p.81) - "[T]heir latest is also ambitious, impeccably built, and apt to induce fits of uncontrolled fist pumping."

Q (p.106) - 5 stars out of 5 -- "[Their] dynamic versatility means Muse's songs have a habit of changing gear three minutes in, suddenly opening out and becoming more anthemic. It's a neat trick."

Q (p.126) - Ranked #2 in Q Magazine's "100 Greatest Albums of 2006" -- "[The songs] consolidated their creators' position as rock's mad scientists."

Alternative Press (p.220) - 5 out of 5 -- "REVELATIONS is Muse's best work yet primarily because of the fluid balance it keeps between excess and restraint. For every dizzying crescendo, there's a delicate, serene come-down."

Kerrang (Magazine) (pp.46-47) - "It's massive, a rich, textured orgy of music, stuffed to the gills with myriad different sounds that spill out of your speakers in truly exhilarating fashion."

Kerrang (Magazine) (p.69) - Ranked #2 in Kerrang's "20 Greatest Albums of 2006" -- "[A] brave and willfully eccentric collection of songs."

Mojo (Publisher) (p.88) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "[They] make a powerful gut-bustingly powerful noise -- the closing epic 'Knights of Cydonia' sounds like Deep Purple playing the hits of Nine Inch Nails."