The long-awaited third disc by 30 Seconds To Mars

The US rock bans emerged in 1998 in Los Angeles, California. It was thought out as the family affair by Jared Leto and his brother Shannon. However, it immediately caught the attention of the public, as its front man was the Hollywood actor. Nevertheless, Leto is against using his actor fame in order to promote the music by 30 Seconds To Mars. Since the release of its second successful album two years passed, and only now we can enjoy their third long-anticipated studio disc. It is titled This Is War and takes much more from the early songs by 30 Seconds To Mars then from A Beautiful Lie of 2005. The reason for such a long delay was the conflict between the musicians and their recording company EMI. The case was even given to the court, when the artists left the label in order to create their third long-play. Finally, everything finished on friendly terms – the band came back on the label and started the record of This Is War. One of the important moments of the creative process for Leto and other participants were the so called Summits – the work over the disc in the club. Thus, the fans could hear the progression of work over the disc and even take part in the song-writing process. Besides, the album features the collaboration of 30 Seconds To Mars with such a well-known in the today world of music person as Kanye West.

Artistic approach and expression

The new disc by the collective is sure to strike the imagination of the listeners with the fact that each track was recorded with the emotional and artistic tension; each of them has the unique features and interesting story. Thus, the album opens with the ridiculous at first sight for the beginning song Escape. The following composition Night Of The Hunter is built around the bright contrast between a tender child’s voice – a girl reads a counting rhyme in French – and rough music by 30 Seconds To Mars along with the outrageous vocals by Leto. The song Kings And Queens does not need any introduction – it is a strong and beautiful rock single. It starts with the scream of a hawk, which the artists recorded not far from the place of their work over the album. Thus, we can say, that everything was included into the work – from the Tibet monks singing to the sudden sounds that caught the ear of the musicians. The most noticeable motif of the disc is definitely the experimental Hurricane (Feat. Kanye West). This tune whimsically mixes the electronica elements, so tenderly adored by West, with the grunge stylistics of the band. The powerful stadium rock track Vox Populi starts with Leto’s words to the listeners, and we can here that the artist is as serious as ever. The song Alibi has an infectious atmosphere, while the composition Stranger In A Strange Land demonstrates the listeners how far 30 Seconds To Mars has gone in the matter of music.

The epic and impressive This Is War

The disc This Is War firstly strikes with its epic message – Leto raises such topics as revolution, war, integrity of the humanity and personal heroism. The disc impresses not only by the non-compromise and sharp lyrics, but also by the amount of energy, spent on the creation of the gull-length. The work was produced by the man known as Flood, who collaborated with U2, while the members of 30 Seconds To Mars along with the army of fans made two thousand changeable covers for the disc. Well, it astonishes. The heroic layer of the songs was appreciated by the Hollywood produces – it is a guaranteed deal that some of the tracks from This Is War will be used in the film Dragon Age: Origins. If we count the fact that the band soloist came to singing from the cinema, we should skeptically grin at àëüáîì This Is War – as so many actors strived to become singers in addition to their acting career in order to strengthen their Hollywood position. However, 30 Seconds To Mars is a different case – Jared Leto is now firstly famous as the front man of this noticeable rock band, and only in the second place he can boast of his acting success. The disc This Is War became one more testament of the fact that the collective 30 Seconds To Mars got its fantastic popularity in 00s not by mere accidence. In the musical matter, the artists became a little further from the mainstream, but their achievements are still alive in the memory of the public. As for the contemporary rock admirers, who did not get a piece of musical news from 30 Seconds To Mars for about four years, they undoubtedly will call the album This Is War one of the most anticipated releases of this autumn and summer – if not the one most anticipated. Well, the disc surely did not fail the expectations.

Ninelle Kazakoff

07.12.2009

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