Thirty Seconds to Mars has had a lot of obstacles to overcome since their success came after mainman Jared Leto’s acting career took off. The band skyrocketed though with their sophomore album, A Beautiful Lie, and for their third opus, This is War, they have embraced the opposite of everything that made A Beautiful Lie great. And it works.
On This is War, producers Flood and Steve Lillywhite have helped the band embrace their inner eighties. The album sets a much different tone right from the get go with the Duran Duran-esque “Night of the Hunter” (think Seven and the Ragged Tiger era or “Wild Boys”). I have to admit that while it caught me off guard at first, it’s easily the album’s most intriguing track. That’s saying a lot considering the U2 tinged “Kings and Queens” and “Search and Destroy” have a lot going for them as well. The title track ranks as the most epic sounding though with its slow and steady build combined with the massive use of fan vocals (which is consistently used throughout the album). Everything about this album sounds huge but what makes it so interesting is the balance between the cold sound of synth machines and effects pedals and the bright sound of well-played guitars and creative vocals.
I once saw an interview with Bono and he talked about how anyone could write an angst ridden song but it was really hard to right something that made people feel inspired. This is Thirty Seconds to Mars defining moment without a doubt. They did exactly the opposite of what they are known for and pulled it off brilliantly. This is War will certainly appeal to fans of Switchfoot, U2, Muse, Coldplay, and their ilk but it’s so much more than that. I can’t see how anyone could dislike this album.
Reviewed by Mark Fisher
