Customer Reviews

30 Seconds to Mars

5 star:		(211)
4 star:		(29)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

After years of study scientist were astonished to discover a new breed of entertainer: the actor turned musician that doesn't stink to high heaven.

30 Seconds To Mars is the project of vocalist/multi-instrumentalist Jared Leto (the guy with the cornrows in Panic Room) and his brother Shannon, who provides the drums. Their self-titled debut album is quite impressive, exceeding expectations not only by the standards of thespian vanity projects, but also those of modern rock in general.

Musically, 30STM draw a heavy influence from classic prog rock bands like Pink Floyd, but the Letos have thrown in a healthy dose of synth-rock in the vein of Deadsy (whose synth player, Dr. Nner, contributes his skill to the opening track). Lyrically, they are even closer to prog, with songs that on the surface are about living in space, but have an underlying message that can be interpreted in many different ways, depending on the listener (a quality that Jared admits is intentional). If you're looking for something different, you've definately found it.

One thing's for sure: these guys DEFINITELY aren't Dogstar.

30 Seconds to Mars are something of an anomaly on several levels. First of all is the matter of their frontman, one Jared Leto, who accomplishes a nearly impossible feat in that he is both an actor and musician, and exceeds in both fields. This is not entirely unheard of, since one need not look any further than William Shatner to find proof that this sort of thing is possible (a-cough). But anyway, the band also stands out (note the use of the word band - this is not simply an outfit for Leto to sell his face to the public) in that on this, their debut album, everything sounds surprisingly well-crafted. That is not to say that it's a perfect album - it has its flaws, primary among them the fact that the creative songwriting runs out of steam for roughly a third of the album. Also irritating is the "concept" behind the record. Now I've nothing against concept albums, but when a band tries so blatantly to be thought-provoking and cryptic it ends up sounding rather pretentious and ultimately quite silly. Despite this, at certain points the lyrics actually come close to the lofty intelligence they crave, as on the songs "Edge of the Earth," "Fallen," and "End of the Beginning." Musically, the majority of this album is pretty average hard rock, though with some spacey technical influences and metal sensibilities thrown in for good measure. Highlights are "Fallen" (which features a pretty simple yet memorable drum beginning and a nice atmospheric feel for the verses, and builds to an almost alt. metal-sounding chorus), "Oblivion" (a rather addictive piece ridden with cliches but still rather well-orchestrated), the radio-friendly "Welcome to the Universe," and my personal favorite, "Echelon," complete with almost darkly romantic overtones and an epic chorus. But not all of the album is quite so listenable. "93 Million Miles" begins promisingly but is marred by a chorus that lacks any real saving grace, melodic or otherwise. "Year Zero" drives its simplistic melody into the ground and then adds insult to injury by piling on the standard-issue spoken-word concept jargon. And then we have "Buddha for Mary," which seems to be a perennial favorite among listeners of this album. While not terrible, I just can't get into this song for several reasons. First of all the conceited lyrics and their even more pompous and out of place symbolism are pretty terrible. When you couple this with the fact that this song is essentially a diluted and very thinly-veiled attempt to write a song akin to Tool's "Reflection," you get what I consider the low point of the CD. The remaining songs are all decent and reasonably memorable, especially the stop-start pattern of "The Mission" and the chorus of "Capricorn (A Brand New Name)." Despite all my criticism, this is a surprisingly solid release. Though the general tone of this review may seem negative (as it does to me upon looking at it), I can't help but like this CD. Sure it can be grating at times (mixing formulaic melodies and then trying to sound complex through the use of white noise or high-concept lyrics has never really worked), but it can also be beautiful. As such, it is worthy of four stars, and a place in every open-minded rock fan's collection.

Alright, Jared Leto is the frontman of this band. You know what that means, right? Right. Start laughing. Now listen to the first 2 tracks or so, and then promptly stop your laughing, because if you have any shred of musical taste you'll realize this band is much, much, more than just an actor's way of idling his time when he's not in a movie. Actually, I found this band when I was very much into the industrial sound. Also, I had no idea of who Jared Leto was at the time. 30 Seconds to Mars has geniunely good music to offer and a much needed injection of originality in the mundane world of mainstream rock that we are experiencing today. The album throws you against a wall with a double team of 'Capricorn' and 'Edge of the Earth' and from there, takes you in all directions from the trippy 'Buddha For Mary' to 'Echelon', which should captivate listeners with its vivid imagery and powerful chorus.

However, that isn't to say that this is a perfect album. The theme, while interesting, will lose your attention in certain points. But, while this album falters, it will regain its former energy and bring right back into the world they're trying to create. This minor flaw is even more forgivable because their second album, 'A Beautiful Lie' remedies the problem by bringing 30 Seconds to Mars back to Earth for a time, showing true versatility by varying the themes of their sound, and even successfully covering the song 'Hunter' (Originally written by Bjork.) So aside from these minor issues, this is a SOLID album and is well worth your time and your money. In conclusion, I give it 4 Stars, but only because I can't give it 4.5.

The landscape of rock, and music in general, is pretty flooded with bands, but sometimes, a band will come out of nowhere and blow you away. 30 Seconds to Mars fits that exactly.

30STM is the brainchild of actor/musician Jared Leto, the band takes a very unique approach to the scene, lyrically they have alot in common with bands like Pink Floyd. That's a pretty lofty comparison, but they do it pretty effectively.

There are really no rough spots on the album, it is a masterpiece of prog, new-wave, metal, and industrial mixed into one. Leto's vocals are excellent and really hit high points all over the album. If you like bands with a standout frontman, check it out, Leto is amazing.

The album hits from many directions and keeps you entertained throughout.If you are into synth at all, check them out. The synth man from the band Deadsy provided keys for the opening track.

It's a great release from most popular music. It is a great band with a great debut album...if you are a fan of experimental rock, or rock in general, then you owe it to yourself to check this one out.

30 Seconds To Mars is without a doubt the best new band I have heard for the past few years. With a futuristic twist and just the right touch of 80's synth, these musicians have tapped into somewhat forgeign territory for the music industry. And their self-titled debut album will instantly tap into your psyche with their insightful and thought-provoking lyrics, unique and driving percussion and their delicious and addicting bass lines. Not to mention Leto's vocals which seem to successfully grasp and express every emotion one could possibly posess. With the opening synth crescendo of "Capricorn", you begin a journey of self-transformation, alienation, unity and sexual appetite. Thirty Seconds To Mars will take your hand and guide you through their world up until the last track, "Year Zero". The entire album grasps your mind and senses instantly and guides you to foreign destinations and new worlds. When the album is over you find yourself as you always were, never having left where you began. But with Thirty Seconds To Mars you'll be asking yourself 'Or did I?' Make one of the best purchases you can this year. Pick up a copy of 30 Seconds To Mars and let yourself go. Take the journey. Welcome To The Universe.

Coming from an avid fan and ECHELON member, this an extremely amazing CD, to say the least. I listen to a variety of music, some of my favorite bands include Tool, Dredg, Opeth, and of course Thirty Seconds to Mars. This band is opening what I believe to be a new frontier in music..my friends and I like to call it "space rock"...its definitely worth a listen.

I remember when I first saw the video for capricorn, and thought it was good, but didn't hear anything about the group afterwards and essentially forgot about them. Then by chance I saw the album when it was released and decided on a whim to pick it up. Back then I was greatly impressed and it became one of my favorite albums. As time went by, my musical preferences changed. While I still liked some of the music I enjoyed from that time, I didn't listen to most of it. However, at a party last night, I was talking with someone about music and prog-rock came up, and I sugested this band remembering how good they were. I then decided to give the album another listen, and even after all this time, I am still Impressed (and believe me, that is not easy at all).
The production value alone is great, but with as many corporatly created and packaged bands circulating around currently, that is not in itself astonishing. What is though, is the bands sound. While you can see some consistancy from song to song, they do alter things quite a bit to maintain the listeners interest. This consistancy, something that with most bands can become monotonous is a feature that makes TSTM even more interesting. It allows for a flow from song to song, this helps create an ambient universe for the listeners mind to wander through. Another concept of the music which greatly intriuges me is the layering of the music (an obviouse must for any true prog-rock band). While in many parts (especially the faster and harder parts) the guitars will take lead of the music, in many other places the synth will take lead (generally the slower, but not always), and other times, the drums will take lead; but always at least two of the afore mentioned instument groups (and usually all three) will be layered in a way that seems increadably appropirate for both their location in the song and the current state of the lyrics (both the words being sung and how they are being sung).
There are many times when a band will succeed musically, but fail horribly lyrically (or vice versa). This however, is a common problem that TSTM has been able to not only avoid, but hurtle over, the lyrics are bloody brilliant. The main reason for this, is that they are not direct (which is a disease that plauges modern music), they either tell a story (such as Buddha For Mary) or describe an enviorment, usually of a mental nature. Not only are the lyrics impressive and thought provoking, but Jared Leto presents them in an equally impressive format. He is capable of going from a soft whisper to a sound that describes the emotion of those words perfectly. That is a major deffining feature of his vocals, he puts emotion into his words to move the listener in the direction the lyrics point, but never gives their true destination away. These emotions are never overpowering, but fit perfectly with the music at the mometent. This combination of indirect lyrics and emotion presents the listener with the possibility of the much sought after "unique listen", the ability to listen to a song and derive a meaning, then listen to it again, and derive a completly different (but still completly relavent) meaning.
One thing that still captivates me about TSTM's music is how it can allow you to drift to another realm. This is due to both the lyrics and the supurb layering. This is one of those albums you can put on and simply let your mind float away with the music, yet at the same time, able to be listened to intently to find the ever changing meaning (something I've found very often based on the listeners current emotions and state of mind). In a time where so many musical artists will try to gain your attention by playing on specific emotions, TSTM will also draw on the listeners mind and imagination as well as emotion. This is something that is so rarely seen and done sucessfully.

30 Seconds to Mars is a great band and their self-titled debut album proves it. I love this album, because it has a sound similar to the one produced by bands like Orgy or Deadsy, only heavier. "Capricorn" is the big single of the album, but it's hardly the best. The songs on this album are pretty heavy, like I said before, but with the industrial death pop sound mixed in, it manages to actually be pretty relaxing at the same time. "Buddha for Mary" and "Year Zero" are just a couple of the amazing songs on this CD. The lyrics are pretty deep, but the vocals really stand out in this album. Don't pass 30 Seconds to Mars up. Their album is definently worth a listen. Catchy, deep, full of electronic music with still a heavy tone, and fun at the same time, I give this CD five stars.

Mars. Echelon. Provehito in altum. What do these words have in common? They're all words you should add to your vocabulary if you're a fan of 30 Seconds to Mars.
The music rocks, and it rocks hard. There's some nice electronic touches in the music, but 30STM is good old rock. For those of you who aren't particularly fond of music with excessive screaming, or anything heavier than Tool, you're in luck. The sound is extremely melodic, and the heavier music they create is on about the same level as the softer stuff of Chevelle or Tool.
There's a handful of catchy songs on the CD; "Capricorn", for example. Being a synthrock girl, I especially love songs with the spacey/synthy blurbs. "Buddha for Mary" and "93 Million Miles" are my favorite- the lyrics, vocals, and music is all extremely well composed and tight; on every song, not just those two, however. I can't say there's any songs on the CD I'd skip over, which is always a good sign.
The band is fronted by Jared Leto (also a great actor), who also plays guitar and does synths, Shannon Leto (an incredible drummer), Tomo Milicevic (guitar) and Matt Watcher (bassist).
Their sophomore release, "A Beautiful Lie", will be released August 30th.Mark that date on your calendar and go get the CD (and be sure to grab their first CD as well, if you don't already have it).

I'll be the first to admit, when I heard the beginning of Capricorn on my tv one day I was like "what the heck is this?!" and continued to scowl and whathaveyou. After the song finished, however, I almost immediately went to download it. Can't. Get. Enough. Of. This. Band. Jared Leto, I have to say, has an incredible voice; something you really don't expect from actor-turned-musicians nowadays. It's shocking.
This is a cd you have to sit down and listen to though, at least the first time. I was completely entranced and could do nothing else but listen. The combination of Leto's vocals and that beautiful spacy guitar sound is hypnotic... in a good way. Once this band has got you, you're gone for good. A+++++++++++.