It’s one of the band's heaviest efforts yet, with Matt Bellamy and co calling upon their inner metal for some hard-hitting riffs
(Image credit: Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for iHeartMedia)
After sharing a sneak preview last week, Muse have now officially released their unrelenting new single, Won’t Stand Down.
Released via Warner Records, the track is Muse’s first new material since 2018's Simulation Theory.
As we hypothesized in our previous coverage, it’s also one of Muse’s heaviest offerings in recent years, with Matt Bellamy and co leaning heavily on metal influences to lend the track its bombarding, industrial tones and visceral riffs.
If you caught the teaser, you probably thought you knew what to expect from Won’t Stand Down, but it turns out the band’s penchant for all things heavy goes far beyond the grizzly electric guitars of the post-chorus breakdown.
Right off the bat, Bellamy squeezes out every ounce of tone from his Manson, calling upon gargling low-string rumbles for the verses and tighter but by-no-means-less-brutal overdrive tones for the lead riffs.
At times, it’s a happy marriage of Muse’s electro-rock style and more conventional metal, though it’s one that gets thrown out the window by the time the concluding six-string beatdown arrives, throwing up wailing vocals and punishing guitar lines.
Accompanying the song is an eerie music video directed by award-winning filmmaker Jared Hogan, whose credits include Joji and girl in red.
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Of the track, Bellamy commented, “Won’t Stand Down is a song about standing your ground against bullies, whether that be on the playground, at work or anywhere. Protecting yourself from coercion and sociopathic manipulation and to face adversity with strength, confidence and aggression.”
While the single hasn’t been accompanied by the news of a new album, we expect Won’t Stand Down to open the proverbial floodgates, so anticipate more Muse material throughout the year.
(Image credit: Muse)
The band have, however, announced a string of European festival dates across the summer, which will see them play Madrid's Mad Cool Festival and Nova Rock Festival in Nickelsdorf, Austria. Full dates are available at the band's website.
Despite being relatively quiet on the music front, Bellamy has kept himself busy in recent months, releasing an ultra-limited replica of his Back to the Future-inspired Manson DL-OR guitar.
Matt is a Senior Staff Writer, writing for Guitar World, Guitarist and Total Guitar. He has a Masters in the guitar, a degree in history, and has spent the last 16 years playing everything from blues and jazz to indie and pop. When he’s not combining his passion for writing and music during his day job, Matt records for a number of UK-based bands and songwriters as a session musician.
