Don't panic Muse fans, or get too excited if you're an extreme metaller, Matt Bellamy hasn't gone all Chuck Schuldiner on us. Instead new single Kill Or Be Killed puts metal through Muse's grandiose filter, and it feels like their strongest song in a while because of it.
The band has always flirted with big riffs – and love throwing in famous ones by other artists in outros and segues when they play live – but we even get Bellamy throwing in a tapping solo amongst the pitch-shifting histrionics. And yes, there is a growling part!
It's all good stuff that mixes band's earlier – and we think superior – era with its lead work with grandstanding Muse chorus. It bodes well for the forthcoming album Will Of The People, released 26 August.
And as the live version below proves, never underestimate the Teignmouth trio's ability to recreate their records live.
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Rob is the Reviews Editor for GuitarWorld.com and MusicRadar guitars, so spends most of his waking hours (and beyond) thinking about and trying the latest gear while making sure our reviews team is giving you thorough and honest tests of it. He's worked for guitar mags and sites as a writer and editor for nearly 20 years but still winces at the thought of restringing anything with a Floyd Rose.