For the better part of two years now, Muse has been talking about the followup to 2006’s Black Holes & Revelations. Of course, considering this is Muse, talking can get really old really fast, especially when you consider it’s been exactly three years since a new album hit our eardrums. Fortunately, the wait is almost over… and the details are leaking faster than you can say Twitter!
In case you’re not one of the over obsessive fans who is currently mapping out how you’ll follow the band across the world during its upcoming U.S. stint with U2 and European headlining tour and who will roll their eyes with an expression of “Tell me something I don’t already know!” upon reading this post, let’s recap what we know:
Muse’s fifth full-length album is entitled The Resistance. It will be released on September 14th in Europe and September 15th in the U.S. It will contain 11 tracks, including a three-part symphony under the title “Exogenesis”. That’s the confirmed stuff.
What isn’t confirmed, but has been talked about, via frontman Matt Bellamy’s interview with NME nearly a year ago, is that The Resistance could feature some of the band’s more experimental work to date. “I think on the next album I’d like to do at least one 15-minute space-rock solo,” he is quoted as saying. “Apart from that, ‘Supermassive Black Hole’ (2006 UK Top Five single) opened up a new area for us of dancing, grooving, rhythm section-dominated songs. I’d love to do more stuff like that really.”
In a separate interview earlier this year, Bellamy elaborated more on the album’s sound hinting at what may what may be the group’s “hardest song ever.” “There’s a new song in three parts, which I have been working on sporadically for many years. As a large percentage of the composition is orchestral… I’ve been arranging the orchestral elements myself, which is taking a long time.”
As mentioned, Muse will be supporting the release with an extensive amount of tour dates this fall, which include a support stint for U2 and its very own European headlining tour. All confirmed dates can be found below.
So, using deductive reasoning, it’s probably safe to say it’s going to be a exciting next couple of months for Muse and its fans. Maybe even epic… depending if that three-part symphony turns out to be as good as advertised.
The Resistance Tracklist:
01. Uprising
02. Resistance
03. Undisclosed Desires
04. United States Of Eurasia (+Collateral Damage)
05. Guiding Light
06. Unnatural Selection
07. MK Ultra
08. I Belong To You (+Mon Coeur S’Ouvre A Ta Voix)
09. Exogenesis: Symphony Part I (Overture)
10. Exogenesis: Symphony Part II (Cross Pollination)
11. Exogenesis: Symphony Part III (Redemption)
Muse 2009 Tour Dates:
09/24 – E. Rutherford, NJ @ Giants Stadium *
09/25 – E. Rutherford, NJ @ Giants Stadium *
09/29 – Washington, DC @ FedEx Field *
10/01 – Charlottesville, VA @ Scott Stadium *
10/03 – Raleigh, NC @ Carter-Finley Stadium *
10/06 – Atlanta, GA @ Georgia Dome *
10/09 – Tampa, FL @ Raymond James Stadium *
10/12 – Dallas, TX @ New Cowboys Stadium *
10/14 – Houston, TX @ Reliant Stadium *
10/22 – Helsinki, FI @ Hartwell Arena
10/24 – Stockholm, SE @ Hovet
10/25 – Oslo, NO @ Spektrum Arena
10/26 – Copenhagen, DK @ Parken
10/28 – Hamburg, DE @ Color Line Arena
10/29 – Berlin, DE @ O2 World
10/31 – Lievin, FR @ Stade Couvert Regional
11/01 – Amneville, FR @ Le Galaxie
11/02 – Antwerp, BE @ Sportspaleis
11/04 – Sheffield, UK @ Sheffield Arena
11/05 – Liverpool, UK @ Echo Arena
11/06 – Dublin, IE @ O2 Depot
11/09 – Glasgow, UK @ SECC
11/10 – Birmingham, UK @ NIA
11/12 – London, UK @ O2 Arena
11/13 – London, UK @ O2 Arena
11/14 – Rotterdam, NL @ Ahoy
11/16 – Cologne, DE @ Lanxess Arena
11/17 – Paris, FR @ Bercy
11/18 – Zurich, CH @ Hallenstadion
11/20 – Munich, DE @ Olympiahalle
11/21 – Bologna, IT @ Futurshow Station
11/22 – Lyon, FR @ Halle Tony Garnier
11/25 – Toulouse, FR @ Zenith
11/27 – Barcelona, ES @ Pavello Olimpic
11/28 – Madrid, ES @ Palacio de Deportes
11/29 – Lisbon, PT @ Atlantico Pavilhao
12/01 – Limoges, FR @ Zenith
12/02 – Dijon, FR @ Zenith
12/04 – Turin, IT @ Pala Olimpico
* = w/ U2