Many bands will tell you that, long before they head into the studio to start recording a new album, they'll test the waters a bit. Maybe they'll experiment with exotic instrumentation, tinker with different musical styles and challenge the overall direction of the sound they've already established — ideally without alienating their fanbase.

Over the years, Muse fans have come to expect the band to push the proverbial envelope. And the thunderous British rock trio have abided, consistently expanding their sonic reach and releasing LPs that pull from diverse influences including Radiohead, Black Sabbath and Queen.

But even Muse's most adventurous fans might be surprised by the group's forthcoming LP, which was recorded in New York last October with Rich Costey (Franz Ferdinand, Cave In).

"The diversity of the album and some of the directions we've discovered and gone for might shock [our fans] in some way," drummer Dominic Howard explained (see "Muse Plan More Upbeat Follow-Up To Melancholy Absolution"). "Hopefully, it will be a nice shock — ultimately all of them sound like Muse. We reached a point where we were looking at all these songs and how different they sounded, and we were wondering how this was ever going to sound like a band, like one album. But somehow it really does."

Muse — who are currently mixing the yet-untitled follow-up to 2003's Absolution — spent a number of months writing "in this old chateau that's hours away from civilization" in the south of France, Howard said. The band brought 16 tracks to New York, and the dramatic change of scenery helped shape the end product — which will probably feature 11 cuts when it hits stores in July.

"When we moved into this crazy, claustrophobic, fast-paced way of living, we absorbed some of that energy and that affected the recording," Howard said of the move to New York. "If we had stayed in the south of France, we would have taken five years to finish the record. [There,] we spent a lot of time just discovering what we were going to do, sitting around and chatting about where we wanted to take the band and which direction certain songs should follow."

The material, Howard said, is a "very drastic" mix of musical styles: Some tracks border on "mellow jazz," while others are at the opposite end of the spectrum, sounding like "Prince-influenced, groove-based rock weirdness." The work of influential Italian film composer Ennio Morricone ("The Good, the Bad and the Ugly," "The Untouchables") inspired the space-prog tune "The Knights of Cydonia." And on "Take a Bow," which calls on world leaders to take responsibility for their actions, Muse move through three musical stages: starting off as a classical piece before moving into a techno mid-section and an "apocalyptic rock" ending.

Howard said the band is currently putting the finishing touches on the disc and deliberating which song to release as the first single. Muse will debut some of the new material this summer during a number of European festival appearances, and the group plans to tour the U.S. this fall.

tracklist:

01. Take A Bow
02. Starlight
03. Supermassive Black Hole
04. Map Of The Problematique
05. A Soldier's Poem
06. Invincible
07. Assassin
08. Exo Politics
09. City Of Delusion
10. Hoodoo
11. Knights Of Cydonia

Another album I'll be looking forward to hearing this year.

if i ever get a job, i will get this cd

i'm more exicted about the new Muse album than pearl jam's.

I can't see it being more than more of the same.

so you're blind..

poor person.

Muse to 'shock' fans

The band reveal more details surrounding album

Muse are expecting to shock their fans when they release their eagerly awaited follow-up to 2003's 'Absolution'.

Recorded in New York last October with Rich Costey, the as-yet-untitled fourth album from the band sees the band heading in several new directions, drummer Dominic Howard has revealed.

"The diversity of the album and some of the directions we've discovered and gone for might shock (our fans) in some way," he said. "Hopefully, it will be a nice shock - ultimately all of them sound like Muse. We reached a point where we were looking at all these songs and how different they sounded, and we were wondering how this was ever going to sound like a band, like one album. But somehow it really does."

Muse started writing the songs that will feature on the LP "in this old chateau that's hours away from civilisation" for a number of months in the south of France.

Sixteen tracks were then taken to New York, which provided inspiration to how the album - which will feature eleven songs - would eventually sound.

"When we moved into this crazy, claustrophobic, fast-paced way of living, we absorbed some of that energy and that affected the recording," Howard told MTV News.

Howard has described the album as a "very drastic" mix of musical styles, ranging from "mellow jazz" to "Prince-influenced, groove-based rock weirdness".

New song 'The Knights Of Cydonia' took inspiration from Italian film composer of such classics 'The Good, The Bad & The Ugly' and 'The Untouchables', Ennio Morricone, while 'Take A Bow' calls on world leaders to take responsibility for their actions.

Muse are currently putting the finishing touches to the LP and deciding will be the first song lifted as a single.

about fucking time?

Let's hope Absolution was an accident.

I truly enjoy Showbiz and Origin Of Symmetry (especially Origin), and to a certain degree Hullabaloo, but I really cannot understand the hype on Absolution... Hysteria might be the greatest thing they've ever done, though... But that's about the only song I enjoy on the album.

everytime i listen to muse i get in the biggest depressed mood. they were my ex-girlfriends favorite band and although i love them, cant listen to them anymore.

i know how you feel. my ex g/f is a huge Muse faan too. she even bought Showbiz and OoS for me! i dont even talk to her now but i dont care! Muse is amazing and i listen to their r ecords very often still.

Teehee...oily discharge. *giggle*

I loved reading that through the word filter.

Radiohead really didn't like them. They saw them as ripping their sound off.

The band reveal comeback track

Muse have revealed details of their comeback single.

The band will release 'Supermassive Black Hole' on June 19 with their as-yet-untitled fourth album following on July 3.

B-sides for the single are yet to be confirmed.

As previously reported, Muse recorded their upcoming studio album with producer Rich Costey in New York.

Singer Matt Bellamy told NME.COM: "I was going out dancing in clubs around New York. That helped create tracks like 'Supermassive Black Hole'. Franz (Ferdinand) have done it very well, with that dance type beat going on mixed with alternative guitar and I've always wanted to find that."

nme

I hope he's kidding with that quote.

what the hell is a comeback single

That's my b-day.

No shit.