Muse: Absolution

LP Record "I don't think Absolution is necessarily a religious word," remarked Muse frontman Matt Bellamy about the title of their third studio album. "I think it just implies that making music is a way of understanding things." On the 2003 album, the British trio tackled heavy themes – including the Iraq War and the fear of societal collapse. The intense lyrics are balanced by epic arrangements that blend art rock, progressive metal, and orchestral flourishes on tracks like "Stockholm Syndrome", "Time Is Running Out", "Butterflies and Hurricanes", and "Hysteria".