Reapers (song)

Not to be confused with Reaper (song).

"Reapers" is a song by English rock band Muse, first released as the second promotional single off their seventh studio album Drones, and later as a 7" single, as part of Record Store Day, on 16 April 2016, the fifth and final single from the album. The song peaked at No. 75 on the French Singles Chart, No. 71 on the Swiss Hitparade singles chart, No. 37 on Billboard's Hot Rock Songs, and became Muse's highest-charting single at the time on Billboard's Mainstream Rock Songs at No. 2; it has since been surpassed on the latter chart by "Won't Stand Down," which reached No. 1 in May 2022.

"Reapers"
Single by Muse
from the album Drones
Released	16 April 2016 (2016-04-16)
Recorded	2014
Studio	The Warehouse Studio (Vancouver, British Columbia)[1]
Genre	Progressive rock[2] progressive metal[3] heavy metal[2]
Length	5:59
Label	Warner Bros. Helium-3
Songwriter(s)	Matthew Bellamy
Producer(s)	Robert John "Mutt" Lange Muse
Muse singles chronology
"Aftermath" (2016) "Reapers" (2016) "Dig Down" (2017)

Release

"Reapers" was released a promotional single for Drones on 29 May 2015. It was released as a Record Store Day 7" picture disc vinyl on 16 April 2016. The A-side consists of the song's album version, while the B-side consists of a live performance at the Gloria Theater in Köln, Germany. The release also includes a fold-your-own paper plane (marketed as a "paper drone").^[4][5]

Music video

A lyric video for the song was uploaded to the band's official YouTube channel on 29 May 2015.^[6] A full video followed. Rolling Stone called it "brutal and chilling ... fittingly blunt, depicting a man caught in the crosshairs of a drone and running for his life while a woman with red lipstick waits to pull the trigger."^[7]

Critical reception

In an album review for The Observer, Kitty Empire commented that the pacy song "exposes the overlap between the unfeeling destruction of drone warfare and the unfeeling destruction wrought by people tearing each other apart," referring to Muse frontman Matt Bellamy's break-up from fiancée Kate Hudson. She also compared Bellamy to Yngwie Malmsteen, noting that the song contains "meaty riffs."^[8]

Track listing

Digital download

Digital download

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Reapers"	5:59

7" vinyl

Side A

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Reapers"	5:59

Side B

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Reapers" (Live in Köln)	5:59

Personnel

Personnel adapted from single liner notes.^[9]

Tom Bailey – assistant engineer Matt Bellamy – composing Mario Borgatta – mix assistant Marc Carolan – engineering, mixing (live version) Tommasa Colliva – engineering, additional production Martin Cooke – assistant mixer Rich Costey – additional production, mixing Jacopo Dorici – assistant engineer

Nick Fourier – assistant mixer Robert John "Mutt" Lange – production Eric Mosher – assistant engineer Muse – production John Prestage – assistant engineer Olle Romo – additional programming Giuseppe Salvadori – assistant engineer Giovanni Versari – mastering (album and live version)

Charts

Chart (2015–16)	Peak position
Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Flanders)[10]	45
Canada Rock (Billboard)[11]	39
France (SNEP)[12]	75
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[13]	71
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[14]	127
US Hot Rock & Alternative Songs (Billboard)[15]	37
US Mainstream Rock (Billboard)[16]	2