Absolution

The formula in the Roman Catholic Church is:

Ego te absolvo a peccatis tuis in nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti. Amen. Ordo Paenitentiae, n. 46

I absolve you of your sins in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.

Most theologians agree that in order for the absolution to be valid, i.e. effective in the eyes of the Church, three elements must be present:

• the one absolving (ego)
• the one absolved (te)
• what’s absolved (a peccatis)

Absolution
Muse (2003)

Tracks

1. Intro
2. Apocalypse Please
3. Time Is Running Out
4. Sing For Absolution
5. Stockholm Syndrome
6. Falling Away With You
7. Interlude
8. Hysteria
9. Blackout
10. Butterflies & Hurricanes
11. The Small Print
12. Endlessly
13. Thoughts Of A Dying Atheist
14. Ruled By Secrecy

The third album by British band Muse.

This is music to listen to as you watch the world end.

Origin of Symmetry, Muse's second album, was full of beginnings. The opener of that album, New Born, bursts with a pounding beat and melodies influenced by the type of classical music that gargoyles dance to and Dracula enjoys before dinner. It was the beginning of their own sound, and silenced critics who thought they were a little close to Radiohead to take too seriously. It also prepared Muse for Absolution. The last track on Origin of Symmetry was called Megalomania. Fitting in a way, because the first song Matt Bellamy belts out on Absolution finds him daring God to act like a god.

The album opens with the sound of a marching army. It feels like a gimmick that has been used before and, for some people, the feeling that Muse are overly dramatic and have all the volume and sway of a television evangelist will never completely leave their minds while they listen to the rest of the album. For some others though, Absolution will be a revelation. Futuristic guitars melt into distorted vocals. Sinisterly arranged strings flow over heavy tom sounds and ripple with splashes on the hi-hat. Bass lines quiver and stomp through the noise and under the floorboards. Matt Bellamy's operatic vocals are punctuated by smooth falsettos, and range from indoor whispers to mountain top proclaimations. The overall sound is thick, heavy, and complex beyond what should be possible with only three people. Monumental, or over the top, depending on who you ask, fans of musicals will like this for days when they wake up and flash a sinister smile at themselves in the bathroom mirror.

Ab`so*lu"tion (#), n. [F. absolution, L. absolutio, fr. absolvere to absolve. See Absolve.]

1.

An absolving, or setting free from guilt, sin, or penalty; forgiveness of an offense.

"Government . . . granting absolution to the nation."

Froude.

2. CivilLaw

An acquittal, or sentence of a judge declaring and accused person innocent.

[Obs.]

3. R. C. Ch.

The exercise of priestly jurisdiction in the sacrament of penance, by which Catholics believe the sins of the truly penitent are forgiven.

⇒ In the English and other Protestant churches, this act regarded as simply declaratory, not as imparting forgiveness.

4. Eccl.

An absolving from ecclesiastical penalties, -- for example, excommunication.

P. Cyc.

5.

The form of words by which a penitent is absolved.

Shipley.

6.

Delivery, in speech.

[Obs.]

B. Jonson.

Absolution day R. C. Ch., Tuesday before Easter.

 

© Webster 1913.