Despite the recent explosion of dancerock from the UK, Muse is perhaps the most powerful Britpop band to emerge in years. If you want comparisons, they're equal parts Radiohead and Led Zeppelin, with a unique sound that is both melodic and raw. Few debuts are as intense as Muse's "Showbiz."

A steady piano melody ripples by, followed by some steady drumming. That, in turn, segues into the expansive bombastic rock'n'roll of "Sunburn." Matt Bellamy sits in the middle of the song, singing in a trembly voice, "I'll feel/A guilty conscience grow/And I'll feel/A guilty conscience grow." Then he bursts into an anguished howl: "And I'll hide from the world/Behind a broken frame/And I'll run forever/I can't face the shame..." The music crests with it, a panoramic blend of guitar, bass and piano.

And that's only the first song.

The songs that follow are just as powerful, if a bit lower-key. Muse dabbles first in some truly ominous guitar pop, followed by acoustic ballads, and an angsty lament or two. Then, about halfway through the album, things get loud again -- songs like the title track have a wall-of-sound guitar'n'bass melody. In these songs, Muse sounds eerily like a British version of the Smashing Pumpkins.

Good as their debut was, Muse wasn't at their peak with "Showbiz" -- they hadn't quite perfected the epic-guitar thing, and the production isn't at its best. But they are still a compelling listen -- the climax of "Uno" is the sonic equivalent of being hit with a tsunami. For a band that was still defining their sound, it's remarkable.

Chris Wolstenholme does an exceptional job with the driving bass, while Bellamy pulls double, triple and sometimes quadruple duty, playing everything from Hammond to piano. His roiling guitar riffs are absolutely stunning. It takes a special drummer to have an impact with all of that going on, and fortunately Dominic Howard is up to the task.

Bellamy also is the vocalist, and here he shines. Too often comparisons are made to Radiohead's frontman Thom Yorke. However, Bellamy's vocals are more versatile -- he starts off in a sort of trembly voice, sounding sad and vulnerable. Then he lets rip with anguished howls, purrs, murmurs and much more. And he does it in perfect harmony to the music.

With their epic sound and excellent musicianship, Muse have the makings of a rock'n'roll legend. "Showbiz" was their first album and it shows, but even with its flaws, it's a stunning piece of work.

Well, Radiohead? I really doubt it.

Muse are close to the genre, alright (as well as many other bands are closer to one or another style), they are from Britain, ok, they even love Radiohead, but the list of similarities rather ends here.

For me, what makes them differ from their brit colleagues is the fact that they have more muscles - the music ones, of course: they sound different from any other since they have their own originality that is supported by their rich bass lines, heavy electric guitars and nice latin ones, and beautiful lyrics. They have even more: they've got the unique spirit of this album, the one that makes me believe they possess a huge talent and a definite future.

Sunburn, Showbiz, Uno, and Unintended are undoubtedly great songs that shape the cd well, however, for me, the real standouts are Muscle Museum and Escape.

Fillip, Cave, Overdue, and Hate This and I'll Love You are each unique in their sound, but overall just show the same perfectness of their creators.

Really worth buying and looking forward to their next album.

"Showbiz" by Muse has moved me like no other album in recent memory. "Showbiz" contains an amazing collection of tracks that play like a fine rock opera. Listen to these audio samples! Absolutely stunning.

Muse is an absolutely unique band. Although many reviewers are simply comparing their style to other bands (e.g., Radiohead, the Smashing Pumpkins), this is an injustice. Listening to this album reminds me of the great rock musicals of our time: Pink Floyd's "The Wall," the Who's "Tommy," and even a little bit of "The Rocky Horror Picture Show." Yep, it's that good.

Standout tracks for me include the first single, "Muscle Museum," "Sunburn," "Philip," "Falling Down," and "Unintended." However, this is a rare album in which I listen from start to finish without any track advancing.

I encourage you to buy "Showbiz." You are in for an amazing journey.

The best album of 1999.

I just read the below review from B.D. Love regarding Muse's recent concert at the Greek. I attended the show also and take issue with his assertion that Muse played little of the music live. That is total B.S. Very rarely were tapes used, and that was just because Matt Bellamy (understandably) can't always duplicate the multi-tracked keyboard parts that are on the albums by himself. As far as guitar tapes, I don't what the reviewer is smoking - not once was there a guitar sound that Bellamy wasn't actually playing live. It's highly doubtful that Love was even at the show, so please ignore his review.

Showbiz is a collection of songs which, when written, cover a long time period and it is obvious that all the newer songs on the album (ie Sunburn, Showbiz, Falling Down) are by far the better songs with much more passion and structure to them. Nevertheless, for a debut album, you won't find one much better than Showbiz. Sunburn captures you with an excellent blend of guitars and piano riff, Unintended and Falling Down are slow ballads where you capture the great variations in Matt Bellamy's astonishingly powerful voice. Cave and Showbiz are two epic rock songs and Fillip and Overdue are simple but very catchy stomp alongs. With a voice comparable much more to Jeff Buckley than Thom Yorke, backed with incredibly catchy riffs and meaty basslines(all kind of influences from the Deftones to tango and Nirvana to spanish guitar licks) , this album is unique despite all the Radiohead comparisons. However, if you are not convinced, the simple answer is to see them perform. They are simply awesome. Much more passion than Radiohead and much much heavier! Their record does not really do them any justice but as all their new songs go, they can only get better and better and a new album is much anticipated to be a masterpiece which will not only provide a variety of delicate ballads and huge epic rock songs but also capture the power of their live performances.