The 2nd Law
by Muse
Metascore
70

Generally favorable reviews - based on 30 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 18 out of 30
  2. Mixed: 12 out of 30
  3. Negative: 0 out of 30
Buy Now
Buy on
  1. Billboard.com
    Oct 1, 2012
    92
    Muse fans will have a hard time being disappointed by "The 2nd Law," and rookies have a new perfect place to jump in.
  2. The Independent on Sunday (UK)
    Oct 1, 2012
    90
    The none-more-Nietzschean, grandiose-apocalyptic mood continues through the utterly splendid Olympic theme "Survival", with its über-ELO arrangement, and "Animals", with its sound effects of an angry, riotous mob.
  3. Kerrang!
    Oct 29, 2012
    80
    Does this all meld together into the cohesive whole of a perfect album? Well, no, not really. But does The 2nd Law represent a band whose only limitations seem to be the high ceiling of their collective imagination? The answer here is an emphatic yes. [6 Oct 2012, p.52]
    All this publication's reviews
  5. Mojo
    Oct 22, 2012
    80
    Muse and David Campbell's melodramatic arrangements occasionally raise a smile, but if you like your rock symphonic and your vocals histrionic, The 2nd Law delivers. [Nov 2012, p.87]
    All this publication's reviews
  6. The Telegraph (UK)
    Oct 11, 2012
    80
    Muse's rather absurd spaceship may be welded together from bits of other acts--but it still flies.
  7. Boston Globe
    Oct 3, 2012
    80
    A concept album based on the second law of thermodynamics would likely be awful if done by Radiohead or Coldplay, but Muse nails it on The 2nd Law, creating a tale about survival within an imploding society.
  8. The Fly (UK)
    Oct 2, 2012
    80
    The scale [on The 2nd Law] is such that you have to stand back in a kind of addled awe. Much in the same way that you might regard a 75ft-high luminous pink pissing flamingo water feature; you have to admire the size of the ambition and the craftsmanship, even if it's not something you'd necessarily want at your own house.
  9. New Musical Express (NME)
    Oct 1, 2012
    80
    What Muse have done is re-establish themselves as a respected British institution by being fun.
  10. Uncut
    Sep 28, 2012
    80
    Muse redeem high-camp absurdity with a genius for sumptuous arrangements, mighty pop hooks and irresistible melodrama. [Nov 2012, p.79]
    All this publication's reviews
  11. Q Magazine
    Sep 28, 2012
    80
    The real surprises come when they sound relaxed, even delicate. [Oct 2012, p.92]
    All this publication's reviews
  12. The Guardian
    Sep 27, 2012
    80
    No one goes to see a blockbuster for its profundity and deep characterisation. They go for the stunts and the special effects, both of which The 2nd Law delivers.
  13. Drowned In Sound
    Sep 27, 2012
    80
    The 2nd Law is seriously fun.
  14. Los Angeles Times
    Oct 2, 2012
    75
    This is a far funnier (and funkier) effort than 2009's "The Resistance," which handled similar themes with a glum sobriety.
  15. Rock Sound
    Oct 18, 2012
    70
    It's quite good.
  16. Rolling Stone
    Oct 2, 2012
    70
    [Muse] is their most expansive and varied yet, filling out a go-to mix of Queen boom and Radiohead gloom with disco Bowie, Eighties U2, metal, dubstep and enough strings to support a suspension bridge.
  17. BBC Music
    Sep 28, 2012
    70
    The array of musical styles on show across The 2nd Law means that, like many of this band's past albums, it doesn't entirely coalesce into a seamless collection of songs... But when this album works, it works well.
  18. Clash Music
    Sep 27, 2012
    70
    Typically rich, but this time, a playful outing.
  19. Absolute Punk (Staff reviews)
    Dec 5, 2012
    65
    From its atmospheric nineties leanings to Bellamy's consistently on-the-mark channeling of Bono, it's not too hard to imagine The 2nd Law having a similar legacy ten or twenty years down the road: not a great album, but an adventurous one.

Awards & Rankings

12
#12 Most Discussed Album of 2012
78
#78 Most Shared Album of 2012

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
7.1

Generally favorable reviews- based on 408 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 287 out of 408
  2. Mixed: 77 out of 408
  3. Negative: 44 out of 408
  1. jos95
    Oct 2, 2012
    4
    Appalling compared to previous releases, The 2nd Law is disjointed and completely lacking in cohesion. They try to have too many styles andAppalling compared to previous releases, The 2nd Law is disjointed and completely lacking in cohesion. They try to have too many styles and influences on the album, from prog rock to dubstep and none of them form together in a satisfying way. Matt's staccato vocal delivery is just pompous and irritating, and the two part symphony at the end has nothing on Exogenesis. Like the rest of the album, it's just lots of tidbits thrown together to pass off as experimentation. The only acceptable songs on the album are Panic Station and Supremacy. Matt and the boys need to come down to a little place called Earth, somewhere they were clearly at during the Origin of Symmetry era. That album was amazing. This is pure crap.… Full Review »
  2. kermitology
    Oct 9, 2012
    3
    Pretty disappointing effort as far as I'm concerned. Muse turned to the fashionable sound of the day (dubstep) and made an album that willPretty disappointing effort as far as I'm concerned. Muse turned to the fashionable sound of the day (dubstep) and made an album that will easily date itself. It's all over the place and doesn't grab me like some of Muse's earlier work has done a good job of.… Full Review »
  3. BaggerdyRoll
    Oct 2, 2012
    9
    I think this Album is great. Have been a muse fan since Showbiz and I'm glad they are willing to mix things up rather than growing old andI think this Album is great. Have been a muse fan since Showbiz and I'm glad they are willing to mix things up rather than growing old and stale. Good music is good music. The track Big Freeze is currently my fave on the album with the powerful chorus resonating deep inside me. If you hate this album and think Muse have gone down a terrible road... then stop listening. Go find a band that sounds exactly the same to everything else you like. If you can't stand this album because its to "pop" or whatever, then you're too insecure to consume media anyway.… Full Review »
See all user reviews »