Best Album? Best album. Showbiz was my favorite for many years.
There just always seemed to be something lacking in Muse. Like it was lacking a certain level of intensity in the sound. I think this album corrected many of the issues previous albums had. If you hated 2nd Law then you'll appreciate how they used the synth/robot voice in this one in Reapers. This album was also the most consistent in theme. In previous ones the first song always sets up the subtext to the rest of the album, but it wasn't cohesive. This album also didn't have any love songs in it. Arguable with Dead Inside, I think it was still more military focused. Best singing, I might still have to give it up to Showbiz but this is a strong second. Best guitar, this fucking album. Best bass, I'm going to have to go with Panic Station. Best drumming, this album. Best piano, Resistance. I think the weakest song in this album is Aftermath, but I like thinking about it paired up with Map of the Problematique because they share the same theme (even if they sound very different). I would have preferred if Mercy was more toward the end of the album instead of at the beginning. For some reason I keep thinking of the French to that song....
Overall it used a lot of 80's sounds set to 1984-esque lyrics.