Muse unveil their best album!

There's still around two months to go before Muse release their third studio album, (Sing For) Absolution, but last night at London's Planetarium, we were given a sneak preview of what fans can expect to hear from what people (well, us, actually) are already calling the best album of the millenium! And boy, are they in for a flamin' treat!

But before we tell you what to look out for, let's just clarify a few things. First up, forget about all those rumours that the new album is gonna be a lot more upbeat than their previous records, 'cos it's not. It's still just as noisy and melancholy sounding as ever and better for it. Also, if you thought Stockholm Syndrome was indicative of what else is on the album, think again, 'cos this is the red-herring of the album, the tune that bridges the gap between this and Origin Of Symmetry.

Now we don't wanna give too much away (well, it spoils the surprise, doesn't it?) but let's just say that Matt, Dom and Chris have come up trumps with this record.

The stand out track is the irresistible Endlessly which, bizarrely, starts-off sounding a bit like an M-People track (eek!) but, thankfully, evolves into a heart-breaking tune about never letting someone down! Aaah, see the boys do have a soft side! In fact, the tune has such a great disco-style bassline that it literally screams out for a poppy dance remix (Come on knob-twiddlers, get in touch with Warners NOW) It has to be a single. It is soooooooo good.

Elsewhere on the album, there are couple of cool slowies (obviously laced with a barbed quality that'll go down a treat with fans!) and loads of characteristically dramatic anthems (one of which has a brilliant middle section where Matt goes mental on the piano, and recalls memories of the 2001 Slovenian Eurovision entry Energy by Nusa Direnda which has a similar ebony/ivory mash-down!)

Amazingly, there's just the one really disappointing track (The Small Print) which rather sadly sacrifices melody for noise and really should have been kept on hold for a future B-side.

All in all, (Sing For) Absolution is a triumph. The boys have employed more sounds than ever before, lots of squelchy dance sounds, loads of manic piano crashes and the welcome appearance of some strings. The tone is moody, the lyrics are occasionally warm-hearted and soft but the sound is still as loud and as cinematic as can be! And, hey, that's all you can really ask for, isn't it?

(Sing For) Absolution is released in September and will be accompanied by the single, Time Is Running Out.

Yahoo - Wednesday July 30