User Score
8.1

Universal acclaim- based on 500 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Negative: 38 out of 500

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  1. JazzUp
    Jan 26, 2010
    6
    It's not that the quality is bad, but it's that the sound seems to be much eletronic. It's just I don't like only this album, but they're still my fav band.
  2. PDTS
    Jan 24, 2010
    5
    Only the three first songs is worth listening to.
  3. Sep 17, 2010
    6
    After Black holes & revalations i wondered if muse had lost it but they came back with an un-appreciated masterpiece. ignore Uprising and this is not commercialised one bit.Truly Great
  4. JM
    Jan 2, 2010
    4
    The most disappointing album of the year for me. I'm a huge Muse fan and love their past work, but this album seems uninspired and phoned-in. Matt Bellamy's blistering guitar riffs are almost non-existent, the lyrics are generic dour, and too many songs sound like rip-offs of past artists or older Muse songs. The only saving grace of this album is the 3-part Exogenesis Symphony, The most disappointing album of the year for me. I'm a huge Muse fan and love their past work, but this album seems uninspired and phoned-in. Matt Bellamy's blistering guitar riffs are almost non-existent, the lyrics are generic dour, and too many songs sound like rip-offs of past artists or older Muse songs. The only saving grace of this album is the 3-part Exogenesis Symphony, which is stunningly beautiful. My advice: buy the Symphony on iTunes and hope Muse returns to their roots for their next album. Expand
  5. SteveP.
    Sep 16, 2009
    5
    Really disappointing. I've loved/liked all of Muse's albums so far, but this just did nothing for me. Regardless of style & ambition, there just weren't the songs to get me listening back again.
  6. Mike
    Sep 18, 2009
    4
    Any band that manages to copy Queen, Radiohead, My Chemical Romance, and System of a Down in one album kinda deserve an award. It would be an award for being terrible, but an award nonetheless. Muse have none of the bombast, none of the emotion, none of the logic stitching together their harebrained dystopian worldview that made their past two albums so incredibly good. As long as that is Any band that manages to copy Queen, Radiohead, My Chemical Romance, and System of a Down in one album kinda deserve an award. It would be an award for being terrible, but an award nonetheless. Muse have none of the bombast, none of the emotion, none of the logic stitching together their harebrained dystopian worldview that made their past two albums so incredibly good. As long as that is missing, Muse will never be a good band. Two bands I love called Pure Reason Revolution (prog rock) and Innerpartysystem (electronic rock) released albums in the last 2 years that sound remarkably like Resistance, so I recommend them instead. I wholeheartedly believe Muse copied off them and did it poorly! Expand
  7. AlexL
    Sep 23, 2009
    4
    Even the high points on this album would feel like filler on their previous records. It's a shame because I went into this really wanting to love it. I was much more comfortable with their rockier roots; this is just overproduced, pop fluff unfortunately.
  8. TannerC
    Sep 15, 2009
    4
    Muses worst album to date. Exogenesis is amazing though.
  9. Jun 29, 2012
    4
    Making one stuff over and over again may get you to mainstream but may not rise your music advances the least thing to be cared about was the concept of this album far more complex but still better than Nickelback
  10. KanW.
    Sep 15, 2009
    6
    Not Muse's best. Glimmers of Doctor Who and Queen, but why? Muse are talented enough not to rip off others. Maybe it will sound better in a live situation?
  11. TerryA.
    Sep 16, 2009
    6
    I am a huge MUSE fan and loved all of the last three albums...sure there were a few hits and misses on those..but this album is almost entirely full of misses. I have been waiting for this album to come out for some time and maybe expectations were too high. The lead single " Uprising" is a nice track and I like the feel of " Undisclosed Desires " , the rest of the album just flat out I am a huge MUSE fan and loved all of the last three albums...sure there were a few hits and misses on those..but this album is almost entirely full of misses. I have been waiting for this album to come out for some time and maybe expectations were too high. The lead single " Uprising" is a nice track and I like the feel of " Undisclosed Desires " , the rest of the album just flat out rips off Queen and I have absolutely no idea why? Expand
  12. JonW
    Sep 18, 2009
    6
    So far dissapointed. On my third listen. There is some droll rubbish on here. Hope they'd cut back on the Keane tip (invincible on BHAR) but there are 3 songs like that. Only when the power chords and weird prog bars come out does it shine. The Concerto suite at the end is hugely ambitous and just about pulled off. I must say I miss the Citizens, Stockholms and TSP stuff that does So far dissapointed. On my third listen. There is some droll rubbish on here. Hope they'd cut back on the Keane tip (invincible on BHAR) but there are 3 songs like that. Only when the power chords and weird prog bars come out does it shine. The Concerto suite at the end is hugely ambitous and just about pulled off. I must say I miss the Citizens, Stockholms and TSP stuff that does not really feature. Still will keep plugging away and maybe like many great albums it will be a grower. Expand
  13. BarryJ.
    Sep 16, 2009
    6
    A disappointment compared to previous efforts, Muse seem not to know what they want to be. Their attempts at new stylings don't really suceed, nor do their efforts at recapturing the sound and style of their early works. Really only 'Uprising' is worth a mention. Even the Exogenesis Symphony doesn;t really work: too pretentious and meandering for its own good. For every A disappointment compared to previous efforts, Muse seem not to know what they want to be. Their attempts at new stylings don't really suceed, nor do their efforts at recapturing the sound and style of their early works. Really only 'Uprising' is worth a mention. Even the Exogenesis Symphony doesn;t really work: too pretentious and meandering for its own good. For every song here (perhaps except Uprising), there's a better version of something similar on previous albums. I think Matt Bellamy has got a little lost as to where he wants to go and has made a pretentious, un-subtle, concept album that really doesn't say anything more than previous efforts - and says it less effectively. Expand
  14. Dec 7, 2016
    6
    The first time we saw Muse stumble. The main issue I have is the length. Exogenesis - as gorgeous as it may be, takes up too much space. It leaves you with just 8 tracks - two of which are a bit bland ('I Belong to You', 'United States of Eurasia'). The remaining tracks - such as 'Uprising' and 'MK Ultra' are very good yes, but do they match the likes of 'Starlight', 'Plug In Baby', 'MicroThe first time we saw Muse stumble. The main issue I have is the length. Exogenesis - as gorgeous as it may be, takes up too much space. It leaves you with just 8 tracks - two of which are a bit bland ('I Belong to You', 'United States of Eurasia'). The remaining tracks - such as 'Uprising' and 'MK Ultra' are very good yes, but do they match the likes of 'Starlight', 'Plug In Baby', 'Micro Cuts' or 'Map of the Problematique'? The answer sadly, is no. Expand
  15. May 6, 2011
    5
    No, just no. This is not as good as the sounds of Origin of Symmetry, SHowbiz and Absolution... for me this is the second album in a musical depression.
  16. j30
    Jan 30, 2012
    6
    Muse, being one of the best bands on the planet, have a let down with their new LP The Resistance. With Black Holes & Revelations there was some sort of progression and variety in those catalog of songs. Where The Resistance fails is it's power in creating something new and different; it is more "been there, done that."
  17. Mar 13, 2015
    6
    The band's previous album, "Black Holes and Revelations" had a handful of excellent tracks and some brilliant singles which ultimately carried the rest of the album. This is a trick Muse have been pulling for quite some time. On hear the Blondie/Dr Who influenced opener "Uprising", it seemed that the band would have no problem continuing to produce great singles even if the same could notThe band's previous album, "Black Holes and Revelations" had a handful of excellent tracks and some brilliant singles which ultimately carried the rest of the album. This is a trick Muse have been pulling for quite some time. On hear the Blondie/Dr Who influenced opener "Uprising", it seemed that the band would have no problem continuing to produce great singles even if the same could not be said of their album tracks. Unfortunately this time around , "Uprising" stands alone as the only really great track on show. "Uprising" is followed by the passable but overlong "Resistance" and the moderately interesting "Undisclosed Desires". The rest of the album flips between half decent and cringe. And what's with the intermittent mutations into Queen every now and then. It's like Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. Your happy out thinking your listening to Muse when all of a sudden I could swear Brian May and Freddie Mercury take over before Muse come back to us. The final third of the album is a bit of a mess and best forgotten. This looked like the beginning of the end for Muse and while follow up "The 2nd Law" reigned in the craziness a little bit, this album still marks the start of the decline of Muse. Expand
  18. Apr 28, 2014
    6
    There are moments where it can sound too much like one thing, and others where it simply might not be enough, but as well as that, there can be the rare moment of reward, and primarily, there's still that familiar sound of a band still on the roll.
  19. Oct 13, 2014
    6
    The songs on the album sound nothing alike, and some just aren't that great, but I'm giving props to Muse to experimenting and being bold and bombastic. It takes guts to put a "Symphony" at the end of your rock album. Bravo. Favorite track: Undisclosed Desires
Metascore
72

Generally favorable reviews - based on 23 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 15 out of 23
  2. Negative: 1 out of 23
  1. "Black Holes and Revelations" may be a more commercial record, but The Resistance is Muse's most realized effort to date.
  2. As it stands it’s an indulgent and, at times, gorgeous listen that merely helps restate your concrete opinions about Muse.
  3. While not their best, it’s decent enough to ensure there’ll be more-- even though the truly off-the-wall moments are either rare or misguided, meaning the record feels slightly anonymous.