Assassin (Muse song)

"Assassin"
Song by Muse from the album Black Holes and Revelations
Released 3 July 2006
Recorded 2005-2006
Genre Alternative metal, progressive metal
Length 3:31 (album version)
5:19 (Grand Omega Bosses edit)
Label Helium 3
Writer Matthew Bellamy
Composer Matthew Bellamy
Producer Rich Costey
Black Holes and Revelations track listing

"Invincible"
(6)
"Assassin"
(7)
"Exo-Politics"
(8)

"Assassin" is a song by English Band Muse released on their 2006 album Black Holes and Revelations. The song peaked at number 6 on 7digital's charts in the last week of 2006.[1]

During recording, the bass drum had a "few" extra microphones, to record the "most definition possible". These microphones for the bass drum included one inside the drum and two outside. Capacitor microphones were used for the snare drums.

The song is featured on the video game Guitar Hero World Tour.

Description

Bellamy has said this is a "kind of take a gun out and kill somebody" style song. The name of the song had undergone several changes in its early phases, including names such as "Demonocracy", "Auditory Masks" and "Moniker Probes". Early reviews prior to the album's release described the introduction with reference to the Knight Rider theme music.[2]

The vocals were overdubbed by Bellamy several times to create a barbershop quartet effect, complete with staccato "You-ou-ou-ou-ou"'s and harmonized 7th chords.

Live

The song was initially played live during the 2005 shows, with the original extended version and was brought back in 2006 with a different version of the omitted interlude. The 2006 version featured the interlude with different percussion and no vocals.

The song was dropped from the set lists on July 2, 2007 and wouldn't reappear until March 19, 2015, when the song made a return to the setlist during a performance at the Newport Centre during the Psycho UK Tour after an eight-year absence.

Grand Omega Bosses Edit

An extended version of the song, called the 'Grand Omega Bosses Edit' was featured on the Knights Of Cydonia single. This version of the song features an interlude between the first chorus and the second verse. Grand Omega Bosses is an anagram for 'Debase Masons Grog', or 'Message Board Song', a former title during the 2005 cryptography game, used to signify the then-untitled, extended version of "Assassin" on a set list.

Whilst at 3:11 Bellamy can be heard saying 'Go!' in the album version, this was removed on the "Grand Omega Bosses edit".[3]

References