Review: 30 Seconds to Mars – This Is War
“Kings And Queens,” the first single from 30 Seconds to Mars‘ new album, This Is War, has been out for awhile. It almost made it onto our Songs We’ve Put on Repeat post, but it was just too soon. Needless to say, I am a big fan of the single, and the same could be said about the majority of the album. It’s another step in the band’s evolution from “some-actor-who’s-in-a-rock-band” with their first album, to a more polished band with their second album, and to where they stand now with their own unique sound.
Link opens in iTunes
While I may stand on an island alone in my enjoyment of the new album, that’s not to say that I still wouldn’t be slightly embarrassed if my headphones unplugged while I was jamming out to this at Assault HQ. It’s good, but maybe it’s a bit beyond me intellectually. The over-arching themes of the album seem a bit too epic. I had this same feeling on their previous release A Beautiful Lie, and always found myself reaching for something a little more heavy, (like Rise Against). That said, This Is War has an even more epic feel to it than A Beautiful Lie, but I like it nonetheless.
Samples and soundscapes appear throughout the album that sound similar to the techniques the band employed in A Beautiful Lie, and at times overpower it–in my opinion, this is where the album falters a bit. Real bands with real instruments is something I’ve always believed, and while 30 Seconds to Mars has that element, there are times when it feels overproduced. In the opening track Escape, it’s welcomed because it succeeds with a chilling chant of “This is war” at the climax, but in the two closing tracks I felt like I was either listening to a Trevor Rabin/Michael Bay soundtrack or some sort of weird 80′s high fashion techno remix.
On the other hand, Kings and Queens, Vox Populi, This Is War, and Night Of The Hunter seem to have just the right blend of rock to keep me interested. By far Kings and Queens is still my favorite track on the album, but there are at least 4-5 comparable songs here, and that’s as good a ratio as you’ll find on one disc. I even liked listening to Hurricane, featuring my arch rival and nemesis Kanye West. (Though he sounds more like the auto-tuned singing from Brokencyde than he does Kanye.)
Overall, a solid album, and it will almost certainly be on my picks of the month for December.
Track Listing
- Escape
- Night of the Hunter
- Kings and Queens
- This is War
- 100 Suns
- Hurricane [feat. Kanye West]
- Closer to the Edge
- Vox Populi
- Search & Destroy
- Alibi
- Strangers in a Strange Land
- L490
Kings and Queens video (this is badass)
Like this band? You may also like Makeshift Prodigy from Chicago
A band I’m a huge fan of from Chicago, Makeshift Prodigy, (Link opens in iTunes) has a sound similar to this new album, and I’m quite a big fan of theirs. Check them out at their Official Website.
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About the Author
Tim is the co-owner of Assault, and tends to think he can party twice as hard as anyone. Follow him on twitter @assaultEmail this Author | All posts by tim
Really strong cinematography on this but 30stm seems to just sort of hunker down on trends that are “cool safe” and ride them into commercial oblivion. Since when were they into fixed gear bikes?
Maybe I am missing the concept as a greater whole but this is a band that will thrive and survive off of trends and good camera connects via J. Leto’s acting career.
My favorite NJ band The Invincible Gods had this album cover in June. I think Leto is a fan. At least that’s what I heard at rolling stone. http://www.myspace.com/theinvinciblegods ! Check out iGods. I love them!
Tell them to send us a CD. We’ll listen to it.