MUSE - Origin of Symmetry 2LP (XX Anniversary Remixx)

20th anniversary remix edition.

It's a new dawn, it's a new day, it's a new mix.

Origin of Symmetry (2001) was Muse's second studio album. It followed a raw, anxious, and heavily Radiohead-indebted debut album, Showbiz. Muse gained decent traction with that album, scoring a trio of top-25 singles in the UK. Origin of Symmetry, however, was their artistic, critical, and commercial breakthrough; it was the album that cemented them as a unique alternative rock staple.

Muse moved beyond the Radiohead influences and instead opted for a wider, more varied array of influences from other, more unexpected sources. They heavily incorporated progressive rock elements, hard rock riffs, space rock synthesizers and guitar effects, and even some elements of metal and classical music. On top of all that, they sought to be as noisy as possible while also being coherent. This album is what made Muse unique. It was, and still is, their magnum opus. It peaked at the top 3 in the UK and the top 10 in several other European countries, with each of the singles released from the album being top-25 hits, and it garnered much more positive attention from music critics.

The only thing about Origin of Symmetry that was questionable was its mix, which was completed in about one to two weeks, despite the album taking almost half a year to record. It was natural for rock bands at the time to get right back in the studio after releasing a successful debut album and quickly release another album in order to capitalize on their success and remain relevant.