ADRIAN THRILLS: Rock ‘n’ roll’s prophets of doom lighten up (a little bit) 

MUSE: Will Of The People (Warner)

Verdict: Dazzling showmanship 

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ALTERED IMAGES: Mascara Streakz (Cooking Vinyl)

Verdict: Far from cosmetic 

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WILLIAM ORBIT: The Painter (Warner)

Verdict: Subtle brushstrokes

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As a musician whose songs are full of conspiracy theories and visions of global doom and gloom, Matt Bellamy could be forgiven for saying ‘I told you so’ after the past couple of years. 

A pandemic, war in Europe, Biblical floods, epic drought . . . yes, our brave new world has often resembled something out of an album by his band Muse. 

Seeing some of Bellamy’s worst nightmares come true, though, must have given the trio from Teignmouth in Devon food for thought as they contemplated their ninth album. 

Should they perhaps go in the other direction? Surprise us with a set of romantic ballads, or escapist dance tunes? 

On the evidence of Will Of The People, that’s wishful thinking. 

Bellamy, 44, calls their new record a ‘personal navigation’ inspired by ‘the increasing uncertainty and instability in the world’. No change there, then. . . though it’s not quite business as usual throughout. 

Muse have always tempered a bleak world view with an undercurrent of playful buffoonery — and these songs aren’t as heavy going as they appear on the surface. 

After experimenting with a more mainstream sound on 2018’s Simulation Theory, made with Swedish pop alchemist Shellback and R&B kingpin Timbaland, the trio have gone back to rock guitars, with a touch of funk, for the first time since 2015’s Drones. 

Unlike the latter (a concept album about modern war), their latest effort flies by, with most of its songs clocking in around the three-minute mark. 

Thanks to Bellamy’s dazzling showmanship, and the driving rhythms of bassist Chris Wolsten-holme and drummer Dominic Howard, it’s the work of a supremely confident band. 

There are electronic stomps, hard-hitting heavy metal tracks and fluent ballads, but it’s all quintessentially Muse. 

The stylistic scope is apparent from the first three songs. The title track, set on a fictional planet under authoritarian rule, is a catchy, 1970s-inspired slice of glam rock. 

That’s followed by Compliance, an electro-funk song about the dangers of gangs and cliques, sung by Bellamy in a piercing falsetto. 

Next up is the Freddie Mercury-like ballad Liberation. There’s plenty to delight the rock fans who will flock to see the band when they take their spectacular stadium show on the road next year. 

Won’t Stand Down is a pounding thrash-metal number. Kill Or Be Killed, inspired by Paul McCartney’s Bond theme Live And Let Die, is all jagged guitars and booming drums. 

There are even moments of subtlety amid the bombast. Ghosts (How Can I Move On) is a piano ballad with classical flourishes, and You Make Me Feel Like It’s Halloween a 1980s-leaning synth track in the style of Depeche Mode. 

Album highlight Verona is an epic ballad about love in the midst of a pandemic. 

‘Can we kiss, contagion on our lips?’ whispers Bellamy. Never mind the apocalypse, maybe he’s an old romantic after all. 

One of 2022’s most welcome — and unexpected — studio returns is that of Altered Images, the Glasgow band fronted by Clare Grogan, who are releasing their first new album in 39 years. 

The group’s original trajectory mirrored that of 1980s music as a whole. They began life as a post-punk act inspired by Siouxsie And The Banshees, and were darlings of John Peel on his alternative-minded Radio One show. 

They went on to embrace glossy pop, becoming Top Of The Pops regulars, before turning to sophisticated, synth-powered dance on 1983’s Bite. 

Mascara Streakz takes up from where that album left off. 

With Clare backed by her musician husband Stephen Lironi, the title track and Colour Of My Dreams are electronic dance tracks, sung with giddy abandon. 

Fresh from his superb album with actress Jessie Buckley, former Suede guitarist Bernard Butler helps out as co-writer on Glitter Ball. 

There’s a hint of more grown-up reflection on Home, with Grogan, 60, revealing ‘too many heartbreaks made me feel alone’. 

She’s not down for long, though, with the jangling guitars of Your Life Is Mine a throwback to the band’s formative years, and The Flame reiterating their desire to keep the kitsch in kitchen disco. 

William Orbit made his name as a game-changing record producer in the 1990s. The Londoner helped Blur edge away from Britpop on 13, revitalised Madonna’s career with Ray Of Light, and co-wrote the dreamy Pure Shores for All Saints. 

The Painter, his first solo outing in eight years, is more subtle, his elegant production providing an electronic bedrock for his predominantly female guest singers. 

Katie Melua shines on Duende, and there are stellar turns by Colombian singer Lido Pimienta and U.S. trip-hop sensation Natalie Walker. 

It takes a while for The Painter to leave an impression. But Orbit’s musical sketches, despite his sabbatical, still illuminate a canvas.

All albums are out today. Muse start a UK tour at Home Park, Plymouth, on May 27, 2023. Tickets go on sale at 9am today (gigsandtours. com). Altered Images start their tour on September 9 at the Spree Festival, Paisley (ticketweb.uk).