Muse is an English Rock band formed in 1994 by three school friends in Teignmouth, Devon. The band constitutes the trio of vocalist Matt Bellamy who plays guitar and keyboard too, guitarist Chris Wolstenholme and drummer Dominic Howard.
The band’s debut album, “Showbiz” was released in 1999 and it portrayed the band’s melancholic alternative rock style. Muse’s second album “Origin of Symmetry” was released in 2001. The album was an artistic blend of wide instrumentation and romantic classical influences followed by energetic live performances which earned them a massive fanbase.
With time, the band’s style evolved as they incorporated more elements into their music. This earned them fame in the international music scene.
Muse has explored a wide range of themes in their songs, and this has led listeners to question the band’s religious beliefs especially with some band members making ambiguous comments about their beliefs. The question of Muse being a Christian band or not has always been the subject of debate on many crowdsourcing platforms. This article will therefore explore factors like; religious backgrounds, song lyrics and themes, and statements from band members to provide clarity on this issue.
Is Muse a Religious Band?
Before making conclusions on the religious status of Muse, it is important to consider the religious background and stance of the band members, their views, and comments on religion.
The trio on different occasions has revealed that they do not believe in religion. They have been very vocal about their agnostic and atheistic beliefs. The band’s vocalist, Bellamy has shown signs of “Atheism” in interviews. In 2000, he said that Mary the mother of Jesus deceived people to believe that she remained a virgin after conceiving.
In a 2004 interview with Pinkpop, Bellamy stated that though he doesn’t hold anything against religion, he doesn’t just believe in any. In his words ” I don’t have anything against religion, I don’t just have one. Maybe, my dedication to music will serve as a replacement for religion”. He recounted experiences where some fans sent him a holy book. First was the Holy Bible and then the Book of Mormon. He viewed them as some of the weirdest gifts he’s ever received.
In an interview with drummer Howard, he revealed that he is not a religious person. According to the artist, “I’ve never really been to a church, I was never forced to go to church, didn’t sing in the choir or anything like that. None of us did. None of us are particularly religious people.
The third member of the group, guitarist Chris Wolstenholme in an interview with Roman Gokhman of Riff Magazine made some ambiguous comments about his belief. He stated that even though some of their songs revolve around religion, conspiracy theories, and biblical apocalypse, he really dislikes religious fanatics and he isn’t religious either.
Having the three members of the band declare that they are not religious says a lot about the religious stance of the band. Although members of the band are not religious and do not have affiliations with religious institutions, they admitted that they do bring religious elements into their songs to address some real-life experiences.
Here are some songs with spiritual and religious messages by Muse.
The lyrics below from “Dig Down” by Muse, passes a deep spiritual message. The lyrics of the song bring optimism and hope to people and encourage them to fight for what they believe in. The songwriters have recognized God as a supreme being, one who strengthens people. However, in this case, the songwriters are telling listeners, especially those who believe in God, that if there is a time when they lose hope and love and it seems God is not listening to them, they should not be broken but rather find another way.
“When hope and love have been lost
And you fall to the ground
You must find a way
When the darkness descends
And you’re told it’s the end
You must find a way
When God decides to look the other way
And a clown takes the throne
We must find a way
Face the firing squad, against all the odds
You will find a way. Dig down and find faith”
In “Kill or be Killed” by Muse, the songwriters pass a message of how demons embody humans and cause them to make hasty decisions or take destructive actions.
“Cornered, I’m exhausted with fear
Our love and compassion dissolved
And demons, have materialized in me
Can’t fight them, they’re taking control
And we’ve tried, oh we’ve tried so hard to be good
But the world rewards us when we’re bad
Fate is driving me insane
It’s forcing me to face
I must kill or be killed”
One can also notice some elements of spirituality in the lyrics below from “NewBorn” by Muse:
“Link it to the world
Link it to yourself
Hopeless time to roam, the distance to your home
Fades away to nowhere
How much are you worth?
You can’t come down to earth
You’re swelling up, you’re unstoppable
Destroy the spineless, show me it’s real
Wasting our last chance
To come away, just break the silence
‘Cause I’m drifting away, away from you”
“Apocalypse Please” by Muse contains deep religious and spiritual themes. The lines from the song can be described as a situation where a man is calling on “something biblical”, which could be God, to come and intervene on his behalf and grant him eternal victory. He says “this is the end of the world” which in Christianity is believed to be the time when suffering and everything will come to an end and the world will be restored to its original form, just as God created it.
“Declare this an emergency
Come on and spread a sense of urgency
And pull us through
And this is the end, the end…….
And it’s time we saw a miracle
Come on, it’s time for something biblical
To pull us through…….
This is the end of the world
Proclaim eternal victory
Come on and change the course of history
And pull us through”
What kind of Music Band is Muse?
Muse has been described as an eccentric British rock band. The band has been able to incorporate different genres and styles of music into their art to produce a blend of thrilling, thought-provoking, inspiring, and sometimes “weird” songs as described by some fans. The band is known for its unique “Space rock’ music genre. Other genres employed by the band include; alternative rock, progressive rock, art rock, and electronic rock.
Their songs are characterized by melancholic alternative rock style, poetic lyrics, aggressive or languid vocals, distorted electric guitars, electronic or digital instrumentation, minimal drumming, lyrical themes of science fiction and outer space, and some unconventional elements.
The band also infuses influences from romantic classic music, which is characterized by emotional, individualistic, emotional, dramatic, and programmatic music inspired by the Romantic movement poetry, literature, art, and philosophy.
Songs by Muse are an amalgam of crackling guitar, operatic falsetto and thick harmonies embedded with broad themes like; hope, science and fiction, conspiracy theory, apocalyptic imagery, technology, religion, hyperspace, strength and resistance, politics and oppression and optimism. The exploration of these unique themes has earned the band a massive fanbase.
Since its inception, the band has produced songs that appeal to different moods and people from diverse backgrounds. Muse currently has 9 studio albums, 2 Live albums, and 3 video albums. The band has been nominated in many music awards categories, won many, and has two Grammy awards to their name.
Is Muse a Christian Band?
A Christian band is a band that has publicly labeled itself “Christian”. It must have Christian members whose lifestyles reflect the teachings and principles of Christianity. The lyrical composition of their songs must have Christian themes and biblical messages and must make reference to or glorify God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit.
Anything short of the above cannot be considered a Christian band. Having assessed the lyrical contents and themes of songs by Muse, as well as statements from members of the band, we do not consider Muse a Christian band.
Muse Band Christian Songs
Though some songs by Muse contain some biblical references and spiritual messages, we don’t consider them Christian songs because they do not meet the criteria to be classified as such. On this note, Muse has no Christian songs.
Is Muse a Satanic Band?
To be labeled a Satanic band, such a band must be associated with practices like demon worship, the use of dark themes in songs, and the glorification of the devil amongst others.
Muse is an anti-religious band, they do not conform to Christian practices and have not associated themselves with Satanic practices either. As such we can’t label them a Satanic band.
Conclusion
Muse has identified itself as an anti-religious band. They do not conform to the principles of any organized religious group but they use religious references in some of their songs to address the circumstances of life. Their songs are mood-lifters that explore a wide range of themes that humans can relate to.
Think we were wrong? Write your reasoning in the comments and prove us wrong!