Performer Notes

Lyricist: Matthew Bellamy.
Personnel: Marco Corsini, Elia Mariani, Gianmaria Bellisario, Valerio D'Ercole, Tommaso Belli, Michelle Torresetti, Gian Lodigiani, Gian Guerra, Freimerr Von Dellingshausen, Eduardo De Angeles, Anna Minella (violin); Valentina Emilio Eria, Serena Palozzi, Maria Lucchi (viola); Andrea Scacchi, Sarah Cross, Eliana Gintoli, Martina Rudic , Francesco Sacco (cello); Olle Romo (programming).
Audio Mixer: Rich Costey.
Recording information: Officine Meccaniche Recording Studios, Milan, Italy; The Warehouse, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
Illustrator: Matt Mahurin.
Unknown Performer Roles: Matthew Bellamy; Chris Wolstenholme; Dominic Howard.
Muse, and Matt Bellamy in particular, make no bones about Drones: their seventh album is political through and through, a bold statement concerning the dehumanization of modern warfare. As Muse is not a subtle band -- any suspicion they were is erased by the artwork depicting a hand controlling the joystick of an office drone controlling a joystick directing drones -- it's hard to avoid their conclusion that war is bad, but this inclination to write everything in bold, italicized capital letters is an asset when it comes to music, particularly here where they've teamed with legendary hard rock producer Robert John "Mutt" Lange. Always a sucker for oversized guitar riffs and bigger drums, Lange also allows the trio to indulge in a bit of Floydian fantasies -- the made-to-order dialogue of "Drill Sergeant" is straight out of The Wall -- but he spends much of Drone sharpening Muse's synthesis of every arena rock idea ever essayed. Echoes of other bands can certainly be heard -- an early Radiohead influence still lingers, due largely to Bellamy's vocal phrasing, but that can soften into a glimmer reminiscent of Coldplay, while elsewhere they aim for the majesty of U2 and the showboating velocity of Van Halen ("Reapers" opens with an erupting hurricane of finger-tapping pyrotechnics), but this absurdly overstuffed synthesis is unmistakably Muse's own, so thunderous it drowns out any good intentions the band may have had. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Professional Reviews

Rolling Stone - 4 stars out of 5 -- "While the marching-ghosts beat and robot-choir effects in 'Dead Inside' suggest a totalitarian Depeche Mode, Bellamy's guitar solo -- loaded with fuzz and death-yelp sustain -- pierces the gloom with advanced-grunge vengeance."

Spin - "Like the best moments of the band's now-expansive catalog, DRONES largely uses guitar as the basis for melodic interplay that's epic both in sound and scale..."

NME (Magazine) - "DRONES trademark Muse themes of brainwashing, warmongering superpowers, suppression of The Truth and the urgent need to fight the hand that bleeds us still resonate in 2015."

Album: Drones
#	Song Title		Time
1)	Dead Inside	More Info...	0:04
2)	(Drill Sergeant)	More Info...
3)	Psycho	More Info...	0:05
4)	Mercy	More Info...	0:04
5)	Reapers	More Info...	0:06
6)	The Handler	More Info...	0:04
7)	(JFK)	More Info...	0:01
8)	Defector	More Info...	0:04
9)	Revolt	More Info...	0:04
10)	Aftermath	More Info...	0:05
11)	The Globalist	More Info...	0:10
12)	Drones	More Info...	0:02

Album: Drones
#	Song Title		Time
1)	Dead Inside	More Info...	0:04
2)	(Drill Sergeant)	More Info...
3)	Psycho	More Info...	0:05
4)	Mercy	More Info...	0:04
5)	Reapers	More Info...	0:06
6)	The Handler	More Info...	0:04
7)	(JFK)	More Info...	0:01
8)	Defector	More Info...	0:04
9)	Revolt	More Info...	0:04
10)	Aftermath	More Info...	0:05
11)	The Globalist	More Info...	0:10
12)	Drones	More Info...	0:02