The space atmosphere of Muse's show

The British trio Muse has released four studio albums to date out of which the last one, 2006's Black Holes And Revelations has proved to be the most successful one entering the first three best albums on world charts. Today the time has finally come that Chris Wolstenholme, Dominic Howard and the collective's front man Matthew Bellamy release the live collection and this is fulfilled by disc H.A.A.R.P.: Live From Wembley released in two variants, as a CD on which there are 14 tracks of the two day concert in Wembley recording and a DVD with the video version of the grandiose performance. Naturally as every record of the kind an audio recording is not able to provide the listener utterly with the same impressions as the viewers present on the concert have got but it is quite enough to inhale the space atmosphere of the show which only Muse can make: songs on collection H.A.A.R.P.: Live From Wembley are united by Bellamy's most favorite themes, i.e. the events of a universal scale, conspiracy theory, painful love and many other.

H.A.A.R.P.: Live From Wembley keeps the listener in tension

From the first till the very last track H.A.A.R.P.: Live From Wembley keeps the listener in tension for each of the musicians gives oneself full swing. The album opens with a splendid Intro during which the trio appears first amidst the crowd as if from under the ground on the concert, and immediately invites us into the world of Mathew's rich imagination on Knights Of Cydonia, a historic song from the last album with an amazing bass line. Composition Hysteria seems to come from the past for being one of the most famous songs of the band with a memorable melody which Bellamy's great voice still manages to deliver. Still aggressive and hard as on the album Supermassive Black Hole reminds us what Muse is thinking about all the time and sounds even more evil performed alive, and the hit Map Of The Problematique on which the keyboards from the vocalist are marvelous as ever refining the beautiful complicated melody has surely left the crowd speechless. A calmer song Butterflies & Hurricanes is far from optimistic for it pictures the awful situation in the world but calls for actions to prevent a catastrophe. Piano appears on a magnificent composition Starlight, and song Time Is Running Out starts silently and gradually grows into an impressive anthem full of emotions. Yet the most emotional of all is of course single Unintended with a tune that is never worn and lyrics worthy of most romantic confessions. Guitars sing along with Mathew on another touching number Micro Cuts with the highest notes you've ever heard from him, while the closer is a slower composition Take A Bow, the opener of the last album and an amazing way to say the final word, both musically and lyrically.

Muse is faultless both on the stage and in studio

Certainly Muse would not be what it is if it called the album simply Live At Wembley or something of the kind. The capital letters at the beginning stand for the abbreviated name of High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program, a scientific project doing the studying the atmosphere by means of high-frequency radio waves. The project has caused a lot of protest and disapproval for people is afraid that the research might turn out harmful. Besides strange gossip spread that the project has its aim the defeat of a space attack, weather control and many other things which by no means could remain unnoticed by Mathew Bellamy, thus the title of the album does not fall behind its content. Speaking about its form it must be heard. Amazingly powerful music combined with inimitable vocals and the sound of the crowd will give you incomparable experience. Due to record H.A.A.R.P.: Live From Wembley no doubt is left concerning the fact that Muse is faultless both on the stage and in studio where it is sure to come back soon so that to please us with the new creation.

Alexandra Zachernovskaya
02.04.2008