Ranking All of Muse's Albums

[@artvjon]

Wow, we have pretty much the exact same ranking!

[@tomashosek4715]

oh hi Jon!

[@mollyesanborn]

Nice, I'll have to check out your ranking video!

[@iliketrains3495]

Hi Jon lol

[@fharidvalencia2068]

The Resistance is a little misunderstood, after reading 1984 or watching the movie, thinking of the creation of this world we know, where we're going, and to be in love with someone who keeps us company through this mysterious journey, this album just feels like a passionate, sublime, uplifting and even terrifying experience

[@mollyesanborn]

That's a really insightful way of approaching that album, I'm going to have to give The Resistance another listen now with that in mind.

[@Rogreedo]

For me Origin is the best one, however I've never understand the disliking (not hate) on Drones. I a huge bangger and I absolutley love it! Dead Inside, Psycho, Reapers, Mercy, The Globalist and even the tittle track Drones are just perfect.

[@mollyesanborn]

Hmm, perhaps I should give Drones a few more listens. I do love Dead Inside though, I agree an absolute killer track!

[@Chico50445]

I think I might put The 2nd Law one above, or below Black Holes & Revelations. My highlights are Supremacy, Madness, Panic Station, Prelude/Survival, Animals, Explorers, Big Freeze and Isolated System. I love this album a lot more than most people do. By the way, what do you think of the Deluxe versions of Simulation Theory?

[@roverfavela]

Dead Inside AND The Handler from Drones are one of my favorite Muse songs ever.

[@jonnysilanko1843]

Same!

[@Bullmastiff-putti]

For me 8 simulation theory vote: 2 7 the 2nd low vote: 5 6 drones vote : 6- 5 showbiz vote : 6.5 4 the resistance vote : 8 3 absolution vote : 8+ 2 black holes and reveletion vote:9 1 ORIGIN OF SIMMETRY vote : 9.5

[@69JMAN420]

To me the run between Origin of symmetry to Black holes and revelations is arguably the greatest three album tun of all time for me. Up there with Metallica from 84-88, Paramore from 2009-2017 and A7X from 2005-2010. The video was very well made and yeah I do largely agree, although I'd slightly up the 2nd law and move the resistance down.

[@elliegraceb3]

Completely agree with all of these

[@JupiterTarts]

I agree with your ranking of Drones. Dead Inside is a favorite of mine, but I'm a huge fan The Handler and Reapers as well. Some of the best guitar work across their body of work.

[@christill]

I was quick to dismiss The Resistance and The 2nd Law when they came out, but then when I returned to them later I found that I loved them both. Even Drones I had that same initial feeling towards. Every Muse album is basically an A+ for me at this point. And now I just assume that every future album will grow on me if it’s not an immediate favourite. When Will Of The People came out, I wasn’t too keen on Verona and I think Euphoria. But sure enough, they grew on me as well.

[@AaronattheMovies]

YES! Loved this video, Muse are one of my favourite bands. Absolution and Origin of Symmetry are my favourite albums of theirs. Btw as a side note, I don't know if it would be your style of music but I highly recommend Sam Fender's newest album. It a little bit Bruce Springsteen-ish but I love his stuff

[@mollyesanborn]

Glad you enjoyed it! I've never heard of Sam Fender, I'll have to give his stuff a listen.

[@mausanfon]

For me Origin of symmetry and black holes and revelations A+ Showbiz and Absolution A The resistance and second law B Drones and simulation theory D

[@evbbjones7]

Was lucky enough to see these guys live about a decade ago. Best concert I've ever been to by far. Can't even explain how amazing they sound live, it's near identical to what comes out of the studio.

[@mollyesanborn]

I believe that! I've seen some videos of Muse performing live and they sound CRAZY good, sometimes even better than the album version. They're definitely one of my top bands that I'd love to see live some day.

[@johnlenneman4047]

Interesting... my first few times through Drones left me unimpressed. Then over time I grew to really love Psycho, Reapers, The Handler, Defector, and Revolt. It went from D category to B or possibly low A. I'd give it a few more listens. Also, Hullabaloo has a few esoteric tracks... I love Yes Please, for example. Great review!!!!

[@mollyesanborn]

Glad you enjoyed the video! Perhaps Drones will grow on me with continued listens, we'll have to see.

[@Deathzezima]

I can't believe it but that's just what happened to me too. The globalist for me became a masterpiece, I know it might sound crazy but I think that song is the bohemian rhapsody of muse

[@1ndigo5oul83]

I agree with your rankings of all of these, except The Resistance and Black Holes - I think they are beautiful works of art and would definitely put them in the A/A+ category. Love your content and reactions!

[@VinE83656]

You showed up in my recommendations and I follow a band called The Warning who say that Muse is one of their big influences. If you have not heard of The Warning, they are three sisters from Mexico who really rock and have two albums out and a 3rd on the way. They really get a lot of attention in reactions and get great praise. Give them listen if you think you'd like them.

[@mollyesanborn]

Cool, I'll check them out! Thanks for the recommendation.

[@brentkelsay3439]

@@mollyesanborn Yes The Warning are awesome, on the Metallica Blacklist album, opened for Foo Fighters, toured with Halestorm, opening for Guns N' Roses later this year. Lotta people notice a Muse influence on their sound!

[@TailsSpain]

Good list. For me Absolution and Origins are at the top too but I would put the 2nd Law higher, don t know why but that album always convinced me

[@cerulean_99]

Coming a *tiny* bit late haha, but I'm so happy to see someone with whom I agree on almost evey ranking 😀 I'm just surprised that you didn't single out The Handler alongside Dead Inside (which is my favourite Muse song as well 😊) in Drones.

[@iliketrains3495]

8: The 2nd Law. I actually don't think Muse have any bad albums, but this one has zero cohesion, and while I don't mind the dubstep influences, a lot of the tracks are pretty weak. However, it has Panic Station, it has Supremacy and it has Liquid State. Couldn't get into Animals though even though there's one of their most technically impressive tracks of the 10's. 7: Showbiz. I've not spent a ton of time with this one, but I've never liked the noisy production of it. Most of the singles are pretty damn good though, special shoutout to Muscle Museum. 6: Drones. This has the opposite issue with Showbiz; while that album is _underproduced_, this one is _overproduced_ to the point it really takes the balls out of the heavy moments. It works well on songs like Dead Inside (even though I don't care for it as a song), but when it comes to songs like Psycho... eh. Several tracks go on for too long, and some of the lyrics are kind of cringe-inducing. Also, while it has some strong tracks from Psycho to The Handler (the latter is easily the album's best track IMO), afterwards it takes a tumble. 5: The Resistance. Uprising is still my favourite song, no matter how many times I've heard it. Also has several other highlights, like Resistance, Unnatural Selection, Undisclosed Desires, and Guiding Light isn't as bad as people think it is. However I've never liked the Exogenesis Symphony or United States of Eurasia, so that bumps it down. Also I see your point about it being somewhat overproduced, but honestly, I've never had a problem with that besides Drones. 4: Simulation Theory. Very underrated album that doesn't deserve the hate it gets. While I maintain that Dig Down and Something Human are their two worst singles to date, others are big step up, like Algorithm, Pressure, Blockades, Thought Contagion. This one actually executed its theme well unlike Drones, though I'll say none of the tracks are as good as The Handler, and I could see this slipping behind Resistance in my personal ranking for the future. 3: Origin of Symmetry. Big leap up here, and this album has a lot of their classics; Plug in Baby, Hyper Music, Citizen Erased, Feeling Good and Darkshines which I only recently got into in big part thanks to the XX Anniversary version. Also one of their most cohesive despite its different sounds. A straight up upgrade over Showbiz, though I stand by that Micro Cuts is awful. 2: Black Holes & Revolutions. Probably their most successful/popular album, and it's not hard to see why. Well-executed theme, good blend of genres and many standout moments. While I've heard Starlight and Supermassive Black Hole too many times at this point, Knights of Cydonia had the opposite effect on me and is now easily one of this album's highlights, and HARD agree on Map of the Problematique being the best song on the album. The only real negatives I can think of about this album are Hoodoo, and the lyrics aren't as good as Absolution, I find the ones to Take a Bow somewhat cringe, and the chorus to Exo-Politics sounds like they just listened to Like a Stone by Audioslave for the first time. However, it's a classic, probably their best in terms of production and thanks for shouting out City of Delusion, great track. 1: Absolution. I may be a little biased because this is the first one I heard, but there's no bad songs on this album by any means (unless you count the interludes). Time is Running Out stood the test of time very well, Stockholm Syndrome is the perfect mix of heavy and melodic, with its epic riffs, progression and contrasting sections, Thoughts of a Dying Atheist is the perfect alternative rock song, Endlessly is just beautiful and Apocalypse Please captures the mood perfectly. And while I have the same opinion of Hysteria as I do of those two tracks on BH&R, I'm not gonna argue that's a highlight of the album by any means. Honestly the only real complaint I have is the album cover is probably my least favourite, but the tradeoff is absolutely worth it.

[@mollyesanborn]

Nice list, I really enjoyed reading your thoughts on all of their albums :)

[@iliketrains3495]

@@mollyesanborn Thanks! Nice ranking too, although I'll always defend ST

[@EmmanuelAbraham]

Almost the same ranking as mine except for The Resistance, for me that's an A+ haha. Nice video!

[@hucz]

So I agree with most of the rankings here, definitely the A+ and A tier spots. But you mentioned that Absolution had a more aggressive sound than OoS. And that it's heavier and more uptempo, I think it's the opposite way around actually.

[@maartendj2724]

Mostly agreed with this one, except The Resistance deserves more love :) So many great songs with nice buildup and surprising yet polished twists and turns. United States of Eurasia has classical music, Queen-esque rock and middle-eastern music all in one coherent song, I belong to you has really cool rythmic piano and again twists and turns, and Unnatural Selection is one of their best songs imo. I would put it on A together with BHAR.

[@christinalopez2487]

I love Muse! Great video

[@mollyesanborn]

Thanks, glad you enjoyed it!

[@dmytrodanilov9334]

I absolutely agree with your opinion! For me the coolest Muse album is Absolution. I like it more than Origin of Symmetry

[@rmunoz93]

Resistance and Simulation Theory are great albums. The stories being told are interesting enough. The hits inside the albums make it all worth it.

[@GABS2708]

what about the Hullabaloo Soundtrack CD?

[@Ghoulstille]

Compilation not studio album.

[@ISavant]

Haarp live from the Wembley arena has to be my favourite, though it's not a studio album. Otherwise a pretty solid and agreeable ranking

[@letiquia]

This what I think a the ranks for Muse's best albums, if you were to ask me about my favorites, it would be the same except for Absolutions which would be #1 as my favorite but I still think OoS is a more complete album. A+ : OoS (Love all songs), Absolution (Love all songs), BH&R (Love all songs but Soldier's Poem) A: Showbiz (Sober and Overdue keep from A+ tier), The Resistance (Guiding Light is my least favorite but Exogenesis Symphony alone keeps it from dropping a tier), The 2nd Law (Save Me and Follow Me put me off but Animals is so good) B: Drones (Just like The Globalist this album has a great first half but drops down a few tiers on the 2nd half) C: Simulation Theory (I only love The Dark Side every other song is kind of forgettable - though they all get raised a tier or two when played live, Muse is that good of a live band -)

[@kingexclusivo]

Perfect ranking. We have incredibly similar music taste btw

[@mollyesanborn]

Nice! Glad you enjoyed the video :)

[@captainshakesbeard2453]

Wicked! you arrived at the same conclusions that I did

[@riccardoalcaro8483]

You should listen to the extended version of Assassin from Black Home & Revelations. It’s a blast

[@allosanthrwpos542]

I Agree with this ranking 100% It’s all downhill after Black Holes. I know pop fans enjoy that stuff and that’s good for them , but for me , a Deftones Radiohead guy, I think there’s no comparison here. Origins and Apocalypse are their most intense interesting riff driven and emotional albums ! Their last 4 albums feel like “ we are rich now, we have no problems or struggles so here’s some music cause we had to keep the cash coming”

[@mollyesanborn]

Yeah, I love Muse and their earlier music is fantastic! There are certainly some gems on their newer albums but overall they've just got a more polished, kinda overproduced sound that's not exactly my cup of tea. It strips the emotion and rawness out of their music. I love that you identify as a Deftones/Radiohead fan too, I'm right there with you haha! :)

[@albumsofayear1669]

Muse's earlier work is fantastic but everything post The Resistance can be pretty hit or miss in my opinion. I'd say for me, the tier list would be: A+: Origin of Symmetry, Absolution (same as you) A: Black Holes & Revelations, The Resistance B: Showbiz C: Drones, The 2nd Law D: Simulation Theory Here's hoping Will of the People won't suck🤞

[@mollyesanborn]

I'd agree, for the most part their earlier work is much more impactful to me personally. On later records they seem to take their music in a more pop/synth rock direction which for me can sometimes lack a sense of authenticity to their sound. I'm very intrigued to hear their new album later this year, that'll be interesting!

[@nicobass8033]

the handler from drones is one of their best song imo :)

[@justynsullivan507]

If you never have, you should check out the band Converge. They’re very dynamic and have a ton of great albums. The album Jane Doe is a good starting point. Also I hope you react to more Deafheaven! Have a good day!

[@mollyesanborn]

Thanks for the recommendation, I'll have to check Converge out! And I've actually filmed another Deafheaven reaction, hopefully I'll get it done by next week :)

[@TheNraveles]

A+: Black Holes, Absolution A: Origin, (Expecting Will of the People to be here) B: 2nd Law, Resistance C: Drones, Simulation Theory D: none for me personally Black Holes and Revelations will always be god tier for me

[@Bevtone]

Showbiz is completely underrated, I see it gets shit on allot but it doesn't deserve the hate, I personally think black holes is there best (overall) I never could get into there albums after that it's not that I hate them but just not for me.

[@stephensalay1275]

Sunburn is such an amazing song.

[@gentlemangamerec7025]

I will say, it feels like a crime with ranking talking about Black Holes and Revelations and not mention Knights of Cydonia. My favorite Muse song of all time (right next to Stockholm Syndrome) Great Video BTW!

[@mollyesanborn]

Ooh, I do love that track too!

[@madcommune]

I maybe would have moved Showbiz up to 'A' tier, but otherwise you're dead on!!

[@filipedias7284]

I'm from the Showbiz > BH&R gang personally no 🧢

[@tommj4365]

I've only really listened to the first 5, hard to choose between Absolution and Blacks Holes as my favorites. I never liked Origins, sonically, but they remixed it recently and it sounds way better IMO. I agree with Resistance going a bit far into the theatrics, the symphonic songs near the end are really beautiful though. I saw them live like 10 years ago. One of the more impressive I've seen, somehow sounded better live, so much raw energy and precision, unlike so many acts. It was probably after Resistence came out.

[@mollyesanborn]

So awesome you saw them live! There's a live version of Dead Inside on KZbin that I have watched countless times haha, sounds almost better than the studio version. kzbin.info/www/bejne/jHfWm5mnotWFoNU

[@iliketrains3495]

I'd generally stick with the original version of OoS, but the new version of Darkshines made me realise how damn good that track is. Just don't talk about the XX Feeling Good.

[@RangoinSpace]

OoS is god tier 🤟🏻

[@fallenangel2060]

Whats your opinion on the new album?

[@mollyesanborn]

I actually haven't heard it yet! I know, I'm very behind on listening to 2022 albums this year. I've got a lot to catch up on.

[@campbaron]

Musically OOS and Absolution are a tie for first for me, however Absolution wins on personal merit. It was the album I listened to during the summer when I left home for university. It inspired me to leave behind everything that was known and safe.

[@adelallel153]

i love simulation theory top 3 for me

[@miralex67]

Nice job Molly. I think Absolution has more tracks that use piano than Origin of symmetry. Half of the songs are slow and other half of the songs have the aggression you mentioned.

[@iliketrains3495]

Yeah, also I never understood where the 'heavy vibes' or whatever of Absolution come from. With the exception of Hysteria, Stockholm Syndrome and The Small Print, it's not really heavy at all. Although the production (and, in the case of Apocalypse, recording techniques) make it sound more raw.

[@VoxTox]

Soo, whaddya think about their recent "Won't stand down"? I think it really shows Bellamy's desire to make popular music yet still rock with it. Funny thing is that for me their most successful attempt at it is Dead Inside. Which in my opinion is how pop music should sound anyway, especially in 2014-2015 when everything popular became much "dancier".

[@mollyesanborn]

I'll be honest, Won't Stand Down was a "meh" for me. Didn't find myself that compelled to go back and listen to it much. I agree about your point on Dead Inside, a fantastic rock song but they fuse a great upbeat, more mainstream sound with it.

[@VoxTox]

@@mollyesanborn For them it's always about balance between genres. They played some pretty experimental rock before their first album. But it wasn't enough to attract enough people to them. So they shifted to more lighter/friendlier sound. They added more rock to it later, but knowing they can't or shouldn't really get more edgy with it they started to sound more openly classical (since before they practically covered Rachmaninoff at times). Which then developed to "theatrical" (as you say it) and edgy but now with more electronic sounds. That's why I wouldn't put 2nd law in D category) I never heard anything comparable to that heavy synth in title song still to this day. But then being frightened on how it's hard for them to make something good without electronic vibes they challenged themselves to make Drones. And next time they returned to electronic sound yet again but more restrained one trying to ride on 80s nostalgia. I personally hate 80s nostalgia, but certainly not on a same page about electronic music. Cause that's how future sounds, right! And it's good to at least feel it) Well, if you're still reading it...) May I invite you to my humble channel? Not all there sounds pure enough, but I hope it's at least entertaining. Good point to start (since we're talking about Muse here) would be short Muse compilation honestly named: No Skill Just Muse

[@jacobmalek438]

Please do more tool. Your views and subs will skyrocket. You make great content that metal head/rockers will love. More bands to check out: megadeth, Alice In Chains, primus, humble pie, the white stripes, rage against the machine, System of a Down

[@mollyesanborn]

Planning on more Tool for sure! Thanks for the other recommendations :)

[@julianfranca9906]

Great video! Please do one reacting to ween! Cheers :)

[@mollyesanborn]

Ween keeps getting mentioned in the comments, I'm gonna have to check them out!

[@fernicusmaximus9282]

Can you do Coldplay?

[@mollyesanborn]

Yeah, I'll definitely keep Coldplay in mind for a future album ranking video!

[@Billyistheg0at]

2nd law in b is making me sad

[@pantsedjuniorhayseed4816]

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. all of Muse's albums

[@dank_vader_69]

Please react to You won't get what you want by Daughters. Fantano gave it a 10 and i couldn't agree more. One of my favourite albums ever.

[@mollyesanborn]

Ooh, I'll have to check that one out!

[@CarlosAugusto-dq6qx]

It's fun to disagree with you sometimes, Black Holes & Separations is mos def on A+ for me and I'd put The Resistance and Drones on B. Lol

[@williamsantiago9284]

what?! shoniz a b?

[@DuffyLONER64]

Here's mine! A+: Black Holes and Revelations, Absolution, Origin of Symmetry A: The 2nd Law B: C: Showbiz, The Resistance, Drones D: F: Simulation Theory 8. Simulation Theory 7. Drones 6. The Resistance 5. Showbiz 4. The 2nd Law 3. Origin of Symmetry 2. Absolution 1. Black Holes and Revelations

[@DS-lr3lw]

ngl absolution is lowkey kinda overrated.