Muse have announced their upcoming single Won’t Stand Down, which has been teased in a monstrous-sounding clip that has, well… taken us by surprise.
Set to be the band’s first new material since 2018’s Simulation Theory, Won’t Stand Down looks as though it might just be Muse’s heaviest offering yet. Need proof? Check out the clip below, which is taken from an Instagram livestream frontman Matt Bellamy shared over the Christmas period.
Ride out the first 20 seconds – they’re equally infectious, though nothing we wouldn’t expect from the Teignmouth, UK, trio – because the party really starts as soon as Bellamy unleashes upon his Manson an almighty open-string punch.
The ensuing tones are brutal – so low, in fact, that it’s quite possible a seven-string Manson was behind them – and rivaled only by the sheer ferocity of Bellamy’s djent-esque riffing, wailing vocals and some bombarding double-kick thumps.
Bellamy’s son, who featured in the livestream, reacted to the teaser exactly how we imagine most people will upon hearing the surprising new direction: by ferociously headbanging.
After the clip was shared, Muse took to social media to officially announce the track, which will be released in all its metal-inspired glory next Thursday (January 13). A link to pre-save Won’t Stand Down has also been issued.
Aside from the new teaser, details on the upcoming album are sparse. Last year, Bellamy told NME he and the band liked “the idea of totally resetting and going back to where we come from… and getting back to how we used to be at square one”.
Later in October, the frontman revealed to The Sun, “I’ve started writing a new Muse album. I started writing when all the protests and all the chaos were kicking off. It’s a weird thing to say but it suits the music I write. It keeps you a little bit on edge.”
Despite releasing no music in 2021, Bellamy kept himself busy with Manson Guitars by producing an ultra-limited replica of his Back to the Future-inspired DL-OR guitar.
