Drones
by Muse
User Score
7.3

Generally favorable reviews- based on 373 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 261 out of 373
  2. Mixed: 72 out of 373
  3. Negative: 40 out of 373
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  1. Fedelca
    Jun 28, 2015
    5
    Después de salir de un estilo particular grunge en "Showbiz", de space rock en "Origin of Symmetry", con tendencias progresistas en "Absolution" y "Black Holes and Revelations", sinfónicos en "The Resistance" y electrónicos en "The 2nd Law"; Muse presenta un sinfín de tendencias en su música, algo bastante particular estos días, pero nunca fue de ocultar sutilmente sus influencias. En esteDespués de salir de un estilo particular grunge en "Showbiz", de space rock en "Origin of Symmetry", con tendencias progresistas en "Absolution" y "Black Holes and Revelations", sinfónicos en "The Resistance" y electrónicos en "The 2nd Law"; Muse presenta un sinfín de tendencias en su música, algo bastante particular estos días, pero nunca fue de ocultar sutilmente sus influencias. En este nuevo álbum "Drones", Muse vuelve al estilo básico con menos experimentación y más guitarras, bajos pesados y una percusión notable. Si bien musicalmente puede ser bastante sorprendente, lírica-mente puede sonar no tan bien y en algunos casos bastante patético como en la canción "Psycho" que si bien tiene un trabajo de bajos muy bien realizados puede resultar bastante molesto e incómodo. 3 de los mejores trabajos del álbum son las canciones "Dead Inside", "Reapers" y "The Handler" siendo este último mi favorito ya que en mi opinión es cuando las ideas del cantante Matthew Bellamy están más claras porque se acompañan con el antiguo Muse ese que tanto nos gustaba: los gritos de octavos de Bellamy, un bajo bien resaltado y un trabajo de guitarra fuera de este mundo. La canción "Reapers" tiene lo que en mi opinión sería el solo de guitarra más alocado y perfecto que Matthew halla realizado jamás seguido de un final casi perfecto que nos hacen recordar a sus primeros álbumes. Pero lamentablemente el álbum tiene muchos errores para mi gusto. La canción "Aftermath" y "The Globalist" me sintieron como 17 minutos de rock progresista sin sentido que básicamente suenan como canciones de Coldplay (y no, no es un cumplido), y el cierre del álbum me dejó un tanto confundido con el estilo a cappela que aunque lo más respetable durante el último trayecto del álbum es la impresionante voz de Bellamy simplemente se vuelve bastante tedioso e in-confortante empezando por la canción "Revolt" hasta el final (que son como 27 minutos).
    Dentro de todo algunas canciones me encantaron y me dieron una dosis de lo que Muse puede hacer mejor: exagerar las cosas para hacer que su música suena más grande y épica. Pero a veces ese mismo concepto puede resultar en clichés o un desastre de música progresista. El concepto del álbum también pierde valor después de la canción "Mercy" pero lo hace para bien, excepto por los últimos 20 minutos del álbum que literalmente eran inaguantables.
    Igualmente mucho mejor que "The 2nd Law".    … Expand
  2. kerofaes
    Aug 10, 2015
    6
    Drones conceptually deals with the theme of the album control and authoritarianism. Muse leaves much to be desired musically on this album and the lyrics are repeated in every song, most of the songs are about the same.
  3. WheelzFourReelz
    Jun 21, 2015
    6
    While Drones does have some of Muse's best songs to date, their in a mix of songs that are bland, forgettable, or just poorly written. They've definitely gone in a heavier direction, but they sacrificed some of their songwriting skills along the way.
  4. Koushyar
    Jun 9, 2015
    6
    Not their best album by any means (sorry Matt), but definitely better than the past two albums. It is not as hard rock as the band had claimed before, but soft or hard, musically it is decent. Lyrically, it is Muse at its worst...
  5. DasBarto
    Jun 9, 2015
    6
    To me Drones is pretty fantastic until the back end of the album (The Globalist excluded)

    Track by track: 1-Dead Inside: 8/10. "Dead Inside" lyrically sets the tone for the album: the military and it's politician handlers are evil. It sets up a frame tale with “Psycho” that shows the singer's overall change from a citizen to a drone. Muscly “Dead Inside” stands out by being one of the    To me Drones is pretty fantastic until the back end of the album (The Globalist excluded)

    Track by track:
    1-Dead Inside: 8/10. "Dead Inside" lyrically sets the tone for the album: the military and it's politician handlers are evil. It sets up a frame tale with “Psycho” that shows the singer's overall change from a citizen to a drone. Muscly “Dead Inside” stands out by being one of the safer tracks. Think “Madness” rather than “Citizen Erased.”
    I can't help but think “Dead Inside” is also intended as break up song. Lines like “You're free to touch the sky//Whilst I am crushed and pulverized//Because you need control//Now I'm the one who's letting go//” and “Stop hiding from me//It's hurting babe//Only you can stop the pain//” really reinforce that point, and as a break up song it's bloody fantastic.

    2-[Drill Sergeant]/Psycho:6/10. The music is fantastic. The main riff is pulled from live performances of “Stockholm Syndrome,” which is legendary to a majority of Muse fans. Old Muse is finally back. Lyrically, on the other hand, “Psycho” is so terribly corny in parts it almost completely ruins the song. “Your ass belongs to me now” come on Matt, you damn well know you could have used a different line like “You're my drone now' or something. There. That even fits the **** song better.

    3- Mercy: 4/10. “Mercy” shows how even a well intended person who is “trying to change the game” can even fall victim to they sirens song. This is the first of some truly forgettable tracks on Drones. The boring bridges and dry mixing makes it fall flat.

    4- Reapers: 7/10. **** yeah this is the Muse most of us have been missing for years. Catchy melodies paired with some masterful solos really work for “Reapers.” My only complaint is the lack of grit in the mixing. Maybe it was listening to all the bootlegs of “Reapers” before the official release that made me love the lo-fi sound, but I really feel it could have been made damn near perfect by making it far less clean.

    5- The Handler: 9/10. One of the best songs on Drones. Matt does a wonderful job painting a picture of the main character's internal struggle of trying to break free from being a mindless killing machine.

    6- [JFK]/Defector: 7/10. The solder has won his previous fight and is now “free” from his handler. Matt is also making a plea for the listener to break away from societal norms and fall away from oppressive regimes that impose their will on their citizens.

    7- Revolt: 2/10. I'm not a fan of “Revolt” in the slightest. This is such an important song on the album: the people rising up and overthrowing the drones and their handlers. This should be the darkest and heaviest song on Drones, instead we get this over-poppy, lifeless, mess of a song. Up until this point brooding riffs and midnight-black base lines dominated the album and here you're sucker-punched by whatever the **** this pop mess is. Muscly “Revolt” should have mirrored “Butterflies and Hurricanes” form Absolution by building to a thunderous choirs and ending with crashing pianos, especially with “Aftermath” being a slower, calmer fare.

    8- Aftermath: 3/10. Spiritless and uninteresting muscly and lyrically “Aftermath” really is a huge miss on Drones.

    9-The Globalist: 10/10. Goddamn do I love this song. Muse really does a fantastic job making western inspired jams.; the opener for “The Globalist' wouldn't feel out of place in Red Dead with its methodical whistling paired with genital strumming that begins this slow build into the epic, Resistance-esk finale of Drones. I think Muse is painting a picture of the world being like the wild west: never tameable with power always shifting between good and evil.

    10- Drones: 8/10.

    Drones as a concept is very solid, but really falls short at very crucial parts. 6.4/10    … Expand
  6. dalekbread
    Jun 9, 2015
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Alright, first, I will admit, some of the songs on this are stellar. Some of the others are a bit, how should I put this, okay. Songs like The Globalist, Aftermath, The Handler, Mercy, Reapers, those are great! The rest of the album, with songs like Dead Inside and Psycho, and Drones are just ok. I'm not counting songs like JFK and Drill Sergeant, as they were just really two audio snippets. It's enjoyable, to a point for me. It was kind of a let down. The same goes for their previous effort (The 2nd Law) The rest of their catalog is some of the best in their genre.… Expand
  7. Muddsjr
    Jun 15, 2015
    4
    Personally, the last Muse outing "The 2nd Law" was possibly one of the worst albums of 2012, and the rest. Drones is less ridiculous, but still..well, fairly up there plain ridiculous. Good in places, but generally, nah, I'd like a bit of Origin of Symmetry or Absolution instead, Like.. When they were not too over played and crappy and everything.
  8. Noiseblock
    Jul 10, 2015
    4
    To cut a long story short: is this album bad? No, it isn´t. Is it good? No, it isn´t. Does it deliver on the musical front? Yes, it does. Does it deliver on lyrical front? Oh no, it doesn´t. So is this album a mixed bag over-all with compelling (top-notch even) guitar-play but studded with cringeworthy lyrics bordering unintentional ridiculousness more than once? It surely is.
  9. TixyLix
    Jun 9, 2015
    4
    The Lyrics are so bad, a lot of the riffs have been done before in their live shows and I swear some riffs and part of the Reapers solo have been plagiarized. Sums up Muse these days, they've lost their identity and their music really does just sound like they're trying to be other bands, The 2nd Law suffered from this too.

    I'm not a fan of this album, when I feel embarrassed other    The Lyrics are so bad, a lot of the riffs have been done before in their live shows and I swear some riffs and part of the Reapers solo have been plagiarized. Sums up Muse these days, they've lost their identity and their music really does just sound like they're trying to be other bands, The 2nd Law suffered from this too.

    I'm not a fan of this album, when I feel embarrassed other people might hear me listen to it... I know it isn't a winner. I have no idea why Matt writes such poor lyrics these days, I also have no idea why a lot of their songs are solo openers, yet they just end up playing the same few chords over and over instead.

    Please go back to your pre Resistance days Muse.    … Expand
  10. Junghova
    Jun 10, 2015
    6
    Considering the high standard set from their previous 3 albums, which were all great, I found this album fairly underwhelming. Not bad, but pales to their previous efforts
  11. ihateregisterin
    Jun 15, 2015
    6
    A really frustrating album. It's decent, but fails to hit the heights we know Muse are capable of. I was expecting a more progressive album from Muse this time round, but the concept they went with just seems tacky - especially the clichéd voiceovers on "Psycho" and "Defector". Don't get me wrong, there are good songs in here, just nothing very spectacular. "Revolt" should have an -ingA really frustrating album. It's decent, but fails to hit the heights we know Muse are capable of. I was expecting a more progressive album from Muse this time round, but the concept they went with just seems tacky - especially the clichéd voiceovers on "Psycho" and "Defector". Don't get me wrong, there are good songs in here, just nothing very spectacular. "Revolt" should have an -ing suffix; it honestly sounds like something I'd find on one of my mother's Christmas albums. Despite the flaws, this album is still worth a listen; just don't expect it to be the "Origin of Symmetry"-esque album all of us were hoping for.… Expand
  12. R1TC
    Jun 9, 2015
    4
    I couldn't even finish the album. It's so horribly bland.

    There are a few decent songs, like Psycho, that got my foot tapping, but that was about the fullest extent of the entertainment I extracted from this overlong slogfest. Despite it being a concept album, there is no real story to it, the lyrics are mediocre and the music is much too monotonous. Overall, not a terrible album,    I couldn't even finish the album. It's so horribly bland.

    There are a few decent songs, like Psycho, that got my foot tapping, but that was about the fullest extent of the entertainment I extracted from this overlong slogfest.

    Despite it being a concept album, there is no real story to it, the lyrics are mediocre and the music is much too monotonous.

    Overall, not a terrible album, just a mediocre dissapointment compared to Muse's previous bare-bones efforts. What got me into Muse in the first place was their theatrical campness, which I am not very much into anymore, however I think that they should have just continued in that vein. I have always said that Muse have the chops to make a fantastic concept album - unfortunately, all they managed to give us was a poor man's version of Origin of Symmetry.    … Expand
  13. iagolucas
    Feb 28, 2016
    6
    It's 2016 and still can't fully love this album the way I did with the rest of Muse's discography. They do not sound any different here, and maybe that's exactly the problem. While most artists seek to evolve with their songs by exploring new worlds in their music, Muse decided to 'go back to its roots' and that obsviously didn't work well. The songs aren't bad, they just lack some inovation.
  14. BrainAndSoul
    Jun 13, 2015
    5
    Idea of this album is the best in album. Really, I would listen other versions of Drones or Globalist with this subjects for years. It is vitally, it is interesting and it is beatiful. However, performance, to be honest, was awful. They failed almost every song of this album, which was a potential masterpiece. I don't have any of this songs in my mind, despite the fact that i listened theIdea of this album is the best in album. Really, I would listen other versions of Drones or Globalist with this subjects for years. It is vitally, it is interesting and it is beatiful. However, performance, to be honest, was awful. They failed almost every song of this album, which was a potential masterpiece. I don't have any of this songs in my mind, despite the fact that i listened the whole album yesterday. Or Drones erased it from my mind?… Expand
  15. SocialKebab
    Jun 5, 2016
    6
    At first... This album was a bit of a disappointment but when I started to listen the album even more I started to like it even more and now I just love it somehow! This album contains pure hard rock and brings some stuff from old days from Muse. Every good stuff from every rock album is mashed up to this one album and taste of Muse to it! Nothing can match the perfection of "Origin OfAt first... This album was a bit of a disappointment but when I started to listen the album even more I started to like it even more and now I just love it somehow! This album contains pure hard rock and brings some stuff from old days from Muse. Every good stuff from every rock album is mashed up to this one album and taste of Muse to it! Nothing can match the perfection of "Origin Of Symmetry" but this album got VERY CLOSE to it and I love it!… Expand
  16. Scratch
    Jan 23, 2017
    6
    It's hard to explain what kind of album Drones is. It is half Origin of Symmetry, half The Resistance. For every great headbanging moment that reminds you of why Muse is great, there is another moment that makes you question their intentions. Yes, it is a concept album, probably their most structured one since Absolution (and perhaps more-so), but the story-telling tropes of love and lossIt's hard to explain what kind of album Drones is. It is half Origin of Symmetry, half The Resistance. For every great headbanging moment that reminds you of why Muse is great, there is another moment that makes you question their intentions. Yes, it is a concept album, probably their most structured one since Absolution (and perhaps more-so), but the story-telling tropes of love and loss just don't fit in here. Musically, it is mostly a good album, but there are moments that are just so wacky, I have to move on.… Expand
  17. wl8291
    Aug 7, 2015
    5
    Damn it, Muse! With the exception of "Mercy" and "Revolt," I found this album to be derivative and depicting a theme that has been done again and again... Plus, I think "The Globalist" actually offends me, as the wannabe "Paranoid Android" it seems to try to go for...
  18. LeFelixBrown
    Jul 26, 2015
    6
    I won't let the fact that I'm a Muse fan cloud my judgement here. Drones is, and it will come as no surprise to anyone when I say this, not one of Muse's best efforts - I would probably call it Muse's worst album to date. That being said, I do think that the song-writing in terms of the music on this album is some of the best the band have produced in a while - especially tracks likeI won't let the fact that I'm a Muse fan cloud my judgement here. Drones is, and it will come as no surprise to anyone when I say this, not one of Muse's best efforts - I would probably call it Muse's worst album to date. That being said, I do think that the song-writing in terms of the music on this album is some of the best the band have produced in a while - especially tracks like Defector, Reapers, Psycho, and Drones - with the occasional misfire in songs like Mercy, Revolt and Aftermath. The albums major problem here is Matt Bellamy's lyrics - the lyrical quality of Muse's songs have been dwindling ever since Resistance, but even so, the lyrics here are pretty diabolical. This is what brings some of Muse's best songs on this album to a grinding halt. Tracks like these make you want to fist-bump and scream, but you soon find yourself dragged down by the relentlessly cheesy and ill-placed chants of "drones" which don't so much as echo throughout the album as plague it. We get it, Matt - drones are bad, and society is corrupt - but there is such a thing as subtlety. In truth, it sounds like Muse were so focused on making an interesting concept for their album, that they failed to give their songs the requisite lyricism to successfully plant songs like Psycho in the canon of Muse's most celebrated works. That being said, I cannot deny that I had actual fun listening to this album. For what it's worth, it sounded like an album done by a band who just wanted to have fun - and as such, we are having fun too. If you don't pay attention to the lyrics and just want to be reckless, then Drones is a success. However, if you're looking for Muse's signature bombastic storytelling, may I suggest sticking with their pre-Resistance discography.… Expand
  19. Gamesearcher1
    Aug 29, 2019
    5
    The most guitar-tinged album they’ve put out this decade, Drones is certainly Muse’s best since Black Holes. But that doesn’t make it any better. The quality of the album drops substantially after halfway through, and it begins its extremely bland slow section, and Muse doesn’t have a knack for slower tunes the same way they do with the louder ones.
    Favourites: Reapers, The Handler, Dead    The most guitar-tinged album they’ve put out this decade, Drones is certainly Muse’s best since Black Holes. But that doesn’t make it any better. The quality of the album drops substantially after halfway through, and it begins its extremely bland slow section, and Muse doesn’t have a knack for slower tunes the same way they do with the louder ones.
    Favourites: Reapers, The Handler, Dead Inside
    Least Favourites: The Globalist, [Drill Sergeant]    … Expand
  20. Pheenic
    Jan 21, 2021
    5
    While this album does have really good rock vibes, it doesn't really have their usual sound. Its missing what makes Muse Muse. There are still some really fantastic tracks on here, but the worst of the album brings down the whole thing.

Awards & Rankings

20
#20 Most Discussed Album of 2015
44
#44 Most Shared Album of 2015

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
63

Generally favorable reviews - based on 25 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 25
  2. Mixed: 13 out of 25
  3. Negative: 3 out of 25
  1. Under The Radar
    Jul 21, 2015
    20
    Muse have always been ridiculous and overblown, but at least they used to be a ton of fun.
    Read full review
  2. Mojo
    Jul 6, 2015
    40
    This feels like production line Muse: big riffs, bass squelches, conspiratorial dialogue, but few new ideas. [Aug 2015, p.88]
  3. No Ripcord
    Jun 30, 2015
    20
    Aside from a few crunching riffs and a smattering of neat melodies, there’s very little to recommend within Drones.
    Read full review
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