Will of the People feels like a high-definition transmission from a world teetering on the edge.
Will of the People feels like a high-definition transmission from a world teetering on the edge. It is an album that refuses to settle into a single groove, instead opting for a restless, genre-blind sprint through the band's various sonic obsessions. From the stomping glam-rock of the title track to the shimmering 80s synth-pop of Compliance, the record maintains a constant state of high alert. It is the sound of a band looking at the chaos of the early 2020s and deciding to meet it with equal parts theatricality and aggression.
Will of the People is the ninth studio album by Muse, released in August 2022. Self-produced by the band, the album was conceived as a 'greatest hits of new material,' intentionally touching upon the various stylistic pillars they have established over their career. Recorded between Santa Monica and London, the project was heavily influenced by the global instability of the early 2020s, including the COVID-19 pandemic, civil unrest, and climate change. Critics, including Neil Z. Yeung from AllMusic, noted the album's concise nature and its effective summary of the band's sonic evolution, praising its ability to balance heavy metal influences with synth-pop and art-rock. While some reviewers at plattentests.de found the bombast familiar, the consensus highlighted the record's lean focus compared to the sprawling narratives of previous outings like Drones or Simulation Theory. It stands as a definitive statement of Muse's 2020s identity: a polished, high-stakes fusion of cinematic rock and political urgency.
Put this on for
pacing a small room while reading headlines about global instabilitypreparing for a high-stakes confrontation with an authority figurevisualizing a cinematic escape through a neon-lit dystopian cityscapechanneling collective frustration into a solitary gym sessionnavigating a crowded subway while feeling disconnected from the massesstaring at a flickering monitor in a dark room late at night
Moments worth waiting for
The sudden shift into a heavy metalcore breakdown during the final third of Won't Stand Down.
The Marilyn Manson-esque glam-rock stomp and collective chants on the title track.
The intricate, rapid-fire guitar tapping solo that anchors the bridge of Kill or Be Killed.
Sounds like
2022s production with a 2020s soul
Lyrical territory
political, protest, social_commentary
03Deviation
Will of the People · vs · Muse
Artist
This Album
Urban_night
Atmosphere · ↓ −22% less than usual
On this album, urban_night sits about 22% less prominent than across the rest of the artist's catalogue.
