Thirty Seconds to Mars, 'This Is War' (RCA)
Waging battle against fan fatigue, Jared Leto calls upon the ghosts of rock's past and present.
By Charles Aaron 11.30.09 6:39 PM
There's a stunning scene from the storied teen-TV tour de force My So-Called Life in which earnest waif-heroine Angela Chase (Claire Danes), dyslexic rocker-rebel Jordan Catalano (Jared Leto), plus their attendant cliques, lock into a protracted, wordless group stare-down. As the edits flick from one expectant face to the next and the music yearningly jangles (alt-rock foot soldiers Buffalo Tom), time ticks ever more slowly and the kids' drab high-school hallway is gradually transformed into a hormone-detonating theater of operations -- it's inevitable, hearts are going to be trampled.
When inscrutable Jordan approaches pensive Angela, it's as if his words will determine the fate of the universe. "Can we," he murmurs gravely, "go somewhere?"
It was the '90s pop-culture equivalent of Truman ushering Marshall into the Oval Office in 1945 to discuss deployment of the atomic bomb. Well, at least it was if you were a deeply unhinged, self-absorbed teenager with a wicked crush on Jared Leto. And for the purposes of this review, you still are. No metaphor is too adolescently bombastic for This Is War, the third album by Leto's overheated karaoke crusade, Thirty Seconds to Mars, and the follow-up to 2005's multimillion-selling A Beautiful Lie.
Replaying his role as an inarticulate enigma carrying a colossal, unnamed burden -- even as he reaches his late 30s -- Leto no longer broods; he bellows or breathes heavily. The post-grunge wounds are far from healed. Revenge is a tantrum best thrown in public. And yes, that's an ominous bird of yore cawing on the intro of "Kings and Queens," the thudding arena-emo single that launches U2, My Chemical Romance, and Creed off a foggy cliff. Rumblings of discontent are afoot!
Except it's all a bit creepy. Especially when Leto randomly coos, "I'll fuck you like the Devil," in his guise as Trent Reznor's dorky next-door neighbor on the industrial-goth offering "Stranger in a Strange Land." Maybe he's just referring to certain record-industry functionaries at the band's own label who initiated a now-annulled $30-million breach-of-contract lawsuit, delaying the recording and release of This Is War. Then again, that sort of punky counterproductivity doesn't fit Leto's M.O.
In 2009, the most grandly ambitious rock acts who put in serious work -- U2, Green Day, Pearl Jam, Nine Inch Nails, Muse, AFI, the Killers -- were clearly at pains to try anything to command the spotlight. Of course, the unemployed public was otherwise distracted, downloading the next intensely transcendent or momentarily devastating or goofily hilarious or delightfully numbing track or clip or viral what-have-you. Why fixate on any one would-be savior/martyr, let alone his multiplatform mission statement? It's too demanding.
In response to this dilemma, Thirty Seconds to Mars double down, hiring veteran alt-rock producer Flood (U2's Achtung Baby, Depeche Mode's Violator, Nine Inch Nails' The Downward Spiral, countless others) to help them aggressively mimic all of the aforementioned bands -- with chanting. Virtually every song features groups of fans or Tibetan monks (!), echoing Leto's messianic drone. "This is a battle song, brothers and sisters; it's time to go to war," he reminds us (yet again) on "Vox Populi," as guitarist Tomo Miličević nips (yet again) at the Edge's pant leg. A rumored collaboration with Jesus' best bud Kanye West on the track "Hurricane" is mercifully absent.
Playing to splintered attention spans, This Is War insistently splices bits of other artists' work into a facile crescendo of mega-angst and ephemeral drama. It's like Girl Talk for the delusionally bummed.
Wanna text your friends during "Search and Destroy" (not a Stooges cover)? No problem. Leto may be invoking nihilistic military imagery, but he makes sure to croon soothingly like the come-hither voice-over for a straight-to-video Twilight knockoff you might watch on a rainy Sunday afternoon. Or not.
I hope the monks were well compensated.
WATCH: Thirty Seconds to Mars, "Kings and Queens"
Seriously guys? First off, shame on SPIN for only giving it a star and a half. It's a great rock opera of an album. Secondly, WTF? Why is it that all you ppl seem to think the album is anti-god? Its definitely not. It isn't anti or pro god or any religion. It's about War and what happens during war. You know what happens? You begin to question everything you know. The protagonist of the album is questioning his beliefs in this futuristic war of his. It isn't anti-god dumb ****s.
Looking forward to 30 Seconds to Mars show on April 22nd at The Wellmont Theatre in NJ! If you're in the area, come on out: http://www.wellmonttheatre.com/event/4455.
Agreed. Their first album was great. These songs (on This is War) could be great if they were mixed better, guitar amps dialed a bit more aggressive. Their sound is much more "safe" now. Pity. Also, not a fan of the electronic sound.
I havnt heard their first album picked up from a beautiful lie. awesum album still, 30stm have a very differrent sound to most mainstream rock outfits and this is war carries this on this theme, chanting fans abound i think to see them preform this live must be a awesome experience in fan participation unfortunately being stuck in south africa it'll probably never happen. and a small comment on the electro rants made earlier, as a musician myself people tend to forget that good music is good music regardless of how many burning riffs are involved and such is the sad one minded thinking of the rock community these days. 30stm rocks...oh! and THIS IS WAR!!!!!
You are an idiot. It's out on EMI/Virgin.
No wonder your magazine is 12 pages these days.
Hi everyone! As a Echelon I can say that this album is completely different, compared ti the previous two. Not really what we were expecting for ages, I want to be honest.
Mostly, I like "Search & Destroy" and "Closer to the Edge".
Both are epic, maybe boring because of the same subject and because of the Echelons neverending chorus... They can perfectly match with a PSP historic war game (in fact...This is war it is!).
I like the inspirations and the electronic bases of them; I hear the influence of Creed, do you remember "Six feet from the edge"?
I'm stuck to the 1st album, the self-titled. That is the first, experimental but genuine tracklist from Mars, for real.
I suggest to all: skip "A beautiful lie" and listen to "30 Seconds to Mars", paying attention to "Buddha for Mary" and "Capricorn".
Music is supposed to be about expressing yourself. With This is War i think Jared, Tomo and Shannon all did that brilliantly. They expressed themselves spritually and emotionally pulling together a unique sound producing 12 masterpieces that were beautifully writing and performed by the band, being very spritual myself i always will lose myself beneath the music to a point where the rest of the world around me fells non exsistant. If you really do not like the music they are producing do yourself a favor and stop listening to it and don't complain all over the internet about how bad it is. You have your taste in music and so does everyone else. Dont discourage the album because it is not like the last one. It is not supposed to be. I think if they made a replica album of a Beautiful lie or their self titled album 30 seconds to mars many more people would be dissapointed in the lack of risk that they had taken. This is War is Definately not the fall of 30 Seconds to Mars in my opinon it is the rising!!
Well, you have to keep in mind that 30 Second's said they we're going to "change their sound" and "get in touch with their spiritual side."
I agree, it's a whole lot different than A Beautiful Lie, but I love where they went with this.
To appreciate this album, you have to learn to appreciate change.
I give this album 5 out of 5, because 30 Seconds To Mars took a huge leap of faith, and they totally nailed this new sound.
This Is War is great. <3
After listening to A Beautiful Lie, I was really taken aback by this album. I thought, "Wow, they could not sound any more different". However, I didn't find myself NOT liking it. I think they sound great and JL's voice is just out of this world. I also love how they're not afraid to experiment with sounds. If there's one thing I hate, it's bands that never evolve and never try a new direction.. bands that never get out of their "comfort zone". One thing I really did not like was purely based on my beliefs. It conflicts me to listen to some of the songs since they have some anti-God undertones (or straight up overtones on some songs). Having said that, I do not mind this sound and I would love to see what kind of masterpiece these guys would come up with if and when they find out there's so much more to life than "nothing". Overall, I appreciate the band's effort and it'll definitely be blasting out of my car speakers for a few more weeks. Oh, and yes, I will be looking forward to another album.
I'll respect anyone's opinion about music, and music is completely subjective, but this review seems like a personal attack. That's what really bothers me here.
About the music -- I've been a music fan closing in on half a century, and in my opinion, this album is the best album of 2009, and I wouldn't be surprised if five years from now, I'd consider it one of my 10 all time favorites. It's passionate and epic.
Great review, although I think it needs to be more direct -- This album SUCKS. Plain and simple. The band I found back in the day who had just recorded "edge of the earth" and "capricorn" is gone. Doubt they will ever be back. All that we have now is this pathetic attempt at synth euro trash pop whatever the hell they wanna call it...it's like there are NO guitars anymore on ANY song at all!? When I first opened the CD package and put it in my player, I said to my GF, Did they forget to mix the guitars in to the final master? They're nonexistant! I don't see how they can perform these songs live as well, they are all studio pop electronic garbage...it's like going to a techno concert "hey everybody here's Jay on the macbook -- oh yeah he's such a good key presser" -- stupid. Anyways, time to jump ship. Burning all my jared leto t-shirts and 30stm stickers and erasing myself from the stupid street team. ****ty album guys.
I love 30stm. but this album really really disappointed me. it sounded very euro or something. not much to the songs they all kinda sounded the same. i tried listening to it to make myself like it and i cant :( really wish i could. maybe they will do better on their next album.
I enjoy it musically.
The affixation on the anti-spiritual is a bit overdone.
30STM definitely have declared war on music. No doubt about it. I loved the iGods though.
You can't be a big fan of 30 seconds to mars and say A beautiful Lie is your favorite cd. I'm sorry but that just means you like the commercialized/mainstream version of them and thats probably where you heard it listening to some pop station. These guys are so much more than that. Their first self-tilted release is who these guys really are, but ever evolving and from a fan since the beginning I give them great credit for releasing such a progressive uplifting album that in return flows beautifully.
I believe this album made good on a lot of expectations. So many people were expecting so many different things. The Elitists want the album to be A More Beautiful Lie, the new fans want it to be more like Lady Gaga. I feel that 30STM said to hell with what certain groups want, were going to give something WE want to give. And that's the best way to go - i hear talent behiind leto's voice as he proclaims war, and he states beautifully he believes in nothing, and as he croons out the lyrics to hurricane. I definitely feel this album has taken a better sense of direction than A Beautiful Lie, and improves upon the whole 'angst emotional expression' found in the sophomore effort. If you don't like this album, that's fine, it's understandable. But with the market so overly crowded nowadays with trash that sounds so repetive and unoriginal (think Coldplay or OneRepublic, Akon, Rihanna, etc), you have to give credit to Thirty for going out on a limb and presenting a new sound.
And this album actually includes fan-based singing, not 'choirs', commonly
found in christian youth singer albums. In my honest opinion, Thirty Seconds to Mars said forget about what reviews we get, were making this our music the way we want it, because that's the best way to serve our fans.
I was let down by this album, though I will say I was also let down by the second one as well, they put on the eyeliner and wrote what I felt was safer, more acceptable songs, as opposed to the beautifully outlandish music on their first album, I've been a fan of them since 2000, the second album did grow on me, I don't know if this one has that potential, and that depresses me. I want to love it so bad, it's awesome that they've included fans and worked so hard on it, and I hear hints of the old 30 Seconds to Mars that caused me to fall in love with them, but it's no where close to what I would have loved to see.
To be honest I never really liked 30STM... but actually this album has actually made me like them.. it's pretty weird.
But best emotional uncomfortable music goes to Klimt 1918! Awesome band!!! wish the world knew more about them!
WOW!!! i went to the Invincible Gods myspace and laughed uncontrollably.... Maybe 30 seconds have a closely resembling album cover, but the sound is not even in the same ballpark. Invincible Gods was one of the most awful things to be called music. At least 30STM have loads of talent and passion about their music. I hope they do declare WAR on crappy music such as Invincible Gods.
I, too, concur with the last review by 'aksensavvy'. This is War was a enormous let down for me. Being a hardcore 30 stm fan, I have to admit that "A Beautiful Lie" was a better album. It made me look forward to the new album, but unfortunately, I was dissapointed with the outcome. The favorite song I like from 'This is War is "Night of the Hunter". That song could potentially become a big hit but not as big as "The Kill" and From Yesterday. ;( I really miss the band's authentic style from "ABL". It is as if they lost their original "voice" and creativity. That was what got me hooked to the band. Not to be biased or anything, I think this is only my own false judgement (my opinion...not a criticism), but after 30stm stopped wearing guyliner, it was as if they stopped their creativity in making great hits. I know this is a very vague remark but to me it feels like its true. However, I know Jared, Tomo, and Shannon worked vigorously on 'This is War'. That is what really matters. I also liked the idea that they included their fans. :) Those are pluses.
I, too, concur with the last review by 'aksensavvy'. This is War was a enormous let down for me. Being a hardcore 30 stm fan, I have to admit that "A Beautiful Lie" was a better album. It made me look forward to the new album, but unfortunately, I was dissapointed with the outcome. The favorite song I like from 'This is War is "Night of the Hunter". That song could potentially become a big hit but not as big as "The Kill" and From Yesterday. ;( I really miss the band's authentic style from "ABL". It is as if they lost their original "voice" and creativity. That was what got me hooked to the band. Not to be biased or anything, I think this is only my own false judgement (my opinion...not a criticism), but after 30stm stopped wearing guyliner, it was as if they stopped their creativity in making great hits. I know this is a very vague remark but to me it feels like its true. However, I know Jared, Tomo, and Shannon worked vigorously on 'This is War'. That is what really matters. I also liked the idea that they included their fans. :) Those are pluses.
I'll be honest, I was tremendously disappointed with this album. I expected something that really hit my soul, like the previous two CDs did. The chanting started to sound pretentious really quickly, and it took me a while to find something to enjoy in many of the songs. But being a hardcore 30STM fan, this doesn't deter me from liking the good parts of this album.
I still think that this review is bashing on the wrong things. Shouldn't a review be based on musical qualities, not on the singer?
Just wish it was as accessible a CD, and not laced so much with chanting and war references.
This album--no disrespect intended, really--is an utter waste of frequency. Derivative to an extreme, overwraught, pretentious, bombastic, and completely devoid of anything remotely resembing artistic creativity or originality, 30STM seem to be the sum of eyeliner, leather pants, and the coat tails of bands that were themselves not even that good. I must give Leto credit for making a savvy business move though: his career was clearly flagging and he was able to put his aesthetic comeliness to good use selling millions of albums that would have otherwise been quickly resigned to the dustbins without his gothically manicured image.
Wow I'm not a giant fan of 30 second to mars but after reading you're review it seemed like you were reviewing Jared Leto and not the actual ban itself. Also you're personal comments towards events surrounding Leto have nothing to do with the album itself. Hopefully next time you could review the music and not the man. A bit of professionalism would be good.
An apt review, dude. This is an atrocious injustice against all but the most infantile of listeners. It's impossible to describe the sheer blandness of this sonic gruel without accidentally creating a byproduct more interesting than the product itself. And they stole the cover from the coolest ****ing band I ever heard.
I typically roll my eyes when people attribute a bad review to jealousy but it seems totally warranted in this case. i agree with the poster who says the reviewer never got over his childhood sweetheart's crush on Jared Leto. This review was practically dripping with contempt.
And I say that as someone who is disappointed with the new 30STM album. It's definitely too derivative of U2, which is bad enough, but it's derivative of U2 at their most boring.
In fact, "grandly ambitious rockers" putting in 'serious work," my butt. U2 has been phoning it in the past few of years, and Muse has been relying more upon Stephanie Meyer pimping them than on making quality music. Their latest album was also a big disappointment, sounding like nothing more than a watered down repeat of Black Holes and Revelations. That, and if you're going to rip on 30 Seconds for mimicking other bands, then you have to call out Muse for the same reasons.
I also doubt 30STM driving goal was competing with internet virals. I give them props for incorporating their fans, a very ambitious and creative idea that was unfortunately beat into the ground this go around . They won't attract many new fans and may even alienate current fans who want hear the band, not a chorus of their followers.
I don't even know what that rant about the "unemployed public" was about, but the reviewer seems to hold as much resentment against fans of the band as he does the band itself.
This review failed as musical criticism and as social commentary.
As a person with taste, for me 30STM is like the Nickelback of teenage "Hot-Topic" rock. The fans singing on the album almost made my girlfriend throw up in her mouth. The Invincible Gods on the other hand are awesome, and 30STM totally copped their album art and then declared "War" on them. See for yourself @ http://www.myspace.com/theinvinciblegods. Coincidence? Or a preemptive strike? You decide.
yeah dude you gotta get over my so called life or whatever bs you start this rambling review with. that was like 15 years ago and leto was acting as a character in a lame ass mtv series. next time do your f'in job and listen to the album and give an intelligent review.
after reading the review, all i have to say is those who can do, those who can't criticize.
this album is phenomenal, haunting and absolutely beautiful. not many other groups can run you through an entire gamut of emotion like 30STM can.
jealousy is such a horrible disease, charles aaron, i hope you get well soon.
I wish all bands and artists had as much nerve as 30 Seconds to Mars and many other great artists that have been bashed for being forward and wanting to bring something new to the already repetitive airwaves and over budgeted music videos. can you imagine artist that didn't have to resort to kssing their keyboard plaCer, being covered in blood or showing their hose at Cribs to sell albums? It's all about the music baby, and that's the way it should be. THIS IS WAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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