# “Most bands are scared of ridicule – we embrace it.” Every Muse album ranked from worst to best

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/most-bands-are-scared-of-ridicule-we-embrace-it-every-muse-album-ranked-from-worst-to-best/
- Published: 2026-09-07T21:18:45+00:00
- Updated: 2026-09-08T03:30:19+00:00
- Original publisher: Louder
- Original article: https://www.loudersound.com/music/albums/every-muse-album-from-worst-to-best-we-embrace-ridicule
- Topics: Entertainment, Music, Software, Technology

## Key points

- Loudersound ranks all ten Muse studio albums worst to best
- Bellamy says the band embraces ridicule others fear
- Eight consecutive UK number-one albums underline their mainstream success

## Summary

Loudersound has published a ranked retrospective of all ten Muse studio albums, tracing the Devon trio's evolution from cult outsiders to one of Britain's biggest stadium acts, underpinned by eight consecutive UK number-one albums. The piece frames frontman Matt Bellamy as inheriting the theatrical unpredictability of bands like Queen, recalling how footage of Jimi Hendrix burning his guitar convinced him, aged 15, that music "didn't have to follow rules but could be full of chaos" — an ethos the band say has guided them ever since, with Bellamy noting that most bands fear ridicule while Muse embrace it.

The ranking moves through the catalogue chronologically and by merit, weighing mid-table records such as Drones (2015), a heavy-handed concept album about authoritarianism co-produced by Robert "Mutt" Lange, against Simulation Theory (2018), an '80s-inspired synth-rock effort featuring Timbaland production. It also considers the band's earlier, more grandiose works and their more experimental later output, ultimately building towards a top pick that the piece presents as the definitive Muse statement, reflecting the trio's long-standing willingness to lean into bombast and genre-hopping rather than play it safe.

## Coverage

- [Louder: “Most bands are scared of ridicule – we embrace it.” Every Muse album ranked from worst to best](https://www.loudersound.com/music/albums/every-muse-album-from-worst-to-best-we-embrace-ridicule)
- [Muse (news): "Most bands are scared of ridicule - we embrace it." Every Muse album ranked from worst to best - Louder](https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMinAFBVV95cUxON0VIWnFrM1A1dUJ0SlBMZ2xsSndtQzM3WFZqNkdvTkF4T01qN2tyaDhRaEJNTjJPR3d6TlZGRDN0MjZCNEVSd3hwTDNJN3ZRNFRFZ1ZDZTdCQWowNm01bWlDVUNjNHNDdkdPelY4N183RWRPMFB6U2diZUtkclVmVFVEamg2dmVqZWhEZDJQc2t0eGk2UWwxVkhSakM?oc=5)

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.