Beauty Behind the Madness
by The Weeknd
  • Record Label: Island
  • Release Date: Aug 28, 2015
User Score
8.3

Universal acclaim- based on 567 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 495 out of 567
  2. Mixed: 43 out of 567
  3. Negative: 29 out of 567
Buy Now
Buy on

Review this album

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
    • 10
    • 9
    • 8
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 4
    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
view
per page
  1. gabriel1
    Aug 29, 2015
    5
    The album feels like one sell-out after another. The Weeknd is becoming less unique. This is no surprise but it's sad to see it happen. A few good tracks on here but by far my least favourite of his projects.
  2. Allion
    Aug 28, 2015
    6
    This album is a huge departure from his trilogy days. That would be a good thing, but his trilogy days is what set him apart from other R&B artists. I feel he is trying too hard to cater to the mainstream with songs like "Earned It" and "Can't Feel my Face". Even though "The Hills" has a trilogy sound, you can see he's trying to incorporate his old sound with this new pop sound, and IThis album is a huge departure from his trilogy days. That would be a good thing, but his trilogy days is what set him apart from other R&B artists. I feel he is trying too hard to cater to the mainstream with songs like "Earned It" and "Can't Feel my Face". Even though "The Hills" has a trilogy sound, you can see he's trying to incorporate his old sound with this new pop sound, and I think The Hills is a good execution of that. I wish the whole album was similar to this. But at least this album is better than whatever the hell Kissland was.… Expand
  3. Jiano74
    Jan 24, 2016
    5
    First of all a brilliant singer there is no doubting that but the songs just weren't my cup of tea a little bit of a disappointment but The Weeknd's performance made up for it.
  4. Unpersona
    Sep 3, 2015
    5
    What captivated those lucky few people who got to know The Weeknd in 2011. We shared that contact high, in our respective zones. In dimly lit bedrooms, alone or full of desire. We were the collective underground with a naughty secret. The Weeknd belonged to each of us, in privacy. It was something special. What exactly? Then - it didn’t matter, and we were hypnotized by the malaise of darkWhat captivated those lucky few people who got to know The Weeknd in 2011. We shared that contact high, in our respective zones. In dimly lit bedrooms, alone or full of desire. We were the collective underground with a naughty secret. The Weeknd belonged to each of us, in privacy. It was something special. What exactly? Then - it didn’t matter, and we were hypnotized by the malaise of dark r&b by this mysterious Ethiopian singer from Toronto. He is young, trapped in the drugged out haze of after parties and come downs. The debauchery. A romantic villain, a veiled casanova, a virtual unknown. Had we never heard these songs and sounds before? Sure enough, but not in this combination of voice, dynamic storytelling and a curious production aesthetic. We wanted to listen to Abel’s every word. We wanted to hang on his every word… look thru his lens of sex, drugs and r&b. Some of us know this lifestyle, some of us don’t. I do not. Nevertheless I was captivated by the portraits and vignettes The Weeknd would paint. Rich in tone and texture. House of Balloons. Thursday. Echoes Of Silence. Mixtapes. The Trilogy. I was hooked on this ride and this prolific journey of an emerging and multitalented artist.

    Moving on to today. Gone past Kiss Land. All the guts, all the magnetism has drained from this artist. His choice. The Weekend wants to be the biggest pop star in the world. He said it in an interview. Oh how I wish we were back to the days when he was an unknown. The mystery was better. The persn The Weeknd is still young and in my opinion focused on fame more than artistry. It stinks here of “sellout”. Abel has so much as indicated that he wanted to move in this direction - & he isn’t fooling me and many others out there. Like yourselves, readers. Beauty Behind the Madness is the frustrating result of his lonely superstar ambitions. BBtM will probably be the biggest seller of the year & launch him to higher international status by the morning. We who loved him as an artist, initiator of trending styles, who took us to those dark & raw places of our soul and landscape. Thank you Abel for those mixtapes, which cannot be taken away from us…………. Even with an album absent of a soul, Beauty Behind the Madness is random surge of radio flirty songs trying to be hits or whatever. Welcome to the fall. Is it Thursday yet? Happy Thursday!    … Expand
  5. davidofgraft
    Aug 29, 2015
    5
    I was somewhat disappointed with this album, honestly. YES, there are plenty of good songs. But I'm legitimately confused. The Weeknd is trying to satisfy both his old fans and his new ones, which is understandable, but the album as a whole suffers because of it.

    Songs like "Tell Your Friends", "Often", "The Hills", "Acquainted", "Shameless", and maybe "Earned It" all seem aimed at his    I was somewhat disappointed with this album, honestly. YES, there are plenty of good songs. But I'm legitimately confused. The Weeknd is trying to satisfy both his old fans and his new ones, which is understandable, but the album as a whole suffers because of it.

    Songs like "Tell Your Friends", "Often", "The Hills", "Acquainted", "Shameless", and maybe "Earned It" all seem aimed at his old fans. But when put on the same album with "In The Night", "Dark Times", "Prisoner", and "Losers", the album starts to sound convoluted and the songs sound contrived (and I hate to say it, but when The Weeknd tries to sound like Michael Jackson, it comes off as irritating to listen to).

    And don't get me started on the guest appearances. ALL of them are extremely lackluster. Even Lana Del Rey failed to impress me (which was a bit of a shocker) on "Prisoner". These appearances didn't add a single thing to the album. Where's Drake (being that he and The Weeknd have been so close, why would Weeknd not use him to get more album sales)? Where's that Kanye West vocal appearance we all wanted?

    I won't give this less than 5/10 because the less-poppy songs are some of the greatest Weeknd songs to date ("The Hills", "Often", "Tell Your Friends"), but what could have been a great crossover album is not what we got.    … Expand
  6. sscott0829tw
    Feb 18, 2020
    4
    Good Songs : Real Life, Can't feel my face, In the night
    Worst Songs: Often, Dark times,Tell your friends.
  7. gmilly88
    Sep 10, 2015
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Decent album, but not great. If you were a fan of The Weeknd before the hype (like myself) you'll sit, listen and feel as if this is average by his standards. This pales in comparison to House of Balloons, but with that said.. this album is still worth listening to. Songs like "The Hills" "Dark Times" "Often" and "Prisoner" feel like The Weeknd type tracks, meanwhile "Can't Feel my Face" and "In the Night" feel like his producer wanted him to sound exactly like Michael Jackson, both in beat and singing. "Earned it" is basically a throw in because it was made for the Fifty Shades of Grey movie and "Angel" literally sounds like a cheesy 80's rock/pop song.. His voice and the hook just doesn't sound right with that cheesy guitar synth. The songs feel in the wrong order by sound, and this album feels as if half is him and half is what his producers want him to sound like to become more appealing. His lyrics are typical straight forward with barely any sugar coating or metaphors, which is both good and bad. The album is definitely worth listening to, but compare it to his previous works and you'll find yourself with the same opinion as mine.… Expand
  8. Fanboyofpop
    Feb 26, 2018
    4
    Don't really know what to think of this .my. It isn’t very lyrically profound. Although it isn’t bad, it just sounds like he was trying To boost his career. Any if his other work is better and I feel if he went a little less mainstream I would’ve liked it more.
  9. hornysoul
    Oct 2, 2018
    6
    "Beauty Behind The Madness" foi uma entrada de The Weeknd para o pop (algo que, honestamente, não me agradou completamente), mas, ainda assim, o cantor continua a mostrar-nos que é um humilde cantor viciado em sexo e em adrenalina com uma voz fantástica que nos lembra do icónico Michael Jackson.
  10. All_ButTrU4
    Aug 24, 2022
    5
    When this came out there was few rnb records that had captured the general public as this on did. A dark rnb pop record that didnt attempt to be accessible but instead to be a testament to the thrill of dark rnb. The features were unexpected but nonetheless good kike ed sheerans verse on Dark Times or Dep rey on the duet Prisoners.
  11. Shaymooose
    Aug 17, 2019
    6
    First album I ever bought.

    Best Tracks:Real Life,Often,The Hills, In the Night
    Worst Tracks:Acquainted
  12. AmeenGh
    Apr 4, 2021
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I didn’t like this album it’s not good in my opinion and it doesn’t fit Abels usual flow but it made him who he is so it’s fine… Expand

Awards & Rankings

25
#25 Most Discussed Album of 2015
40
#40 Most Shared Album of 2015

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
74

Generally favorable reviews - based on 26 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 17 out of 26
  2. Mixed: 9 out of 26
  3. Negative: 0 out of 26
  1. Clash Music
    Sep 22, 2015
    60
    Many fans will still be happy with the change that Beauty Behind The Madness has brought but some will surely feel the album has nothing to offer except immediate accessibility for the short attention of the mainstream.
    Read full review
  2. Rolling Stone
    Sep 10, 2015
    70
    If the sound has widened and even brightened in spots, the Weeknd still rocks a serious Eeyore vibe for much of Beauty Behind the Madness.
    Read full review
  3. The Telegraph (UK)
    Sep 8, 2015
    60
    Real Life builds up to a pitch of doomed drama from a corrosive slash of guitar as Tesfaye confides that even his “Mama called me destructive”. But Ed Sheeran fails to rescue him on the tedious Dark Times and Lana Del Rey--who ought to be his perfect partner in pop-noir--adds nothing but a bored spritz of vocal perfume to the lethargic Prisoner.
    Read full review
See all critic reviews »