Thirty Seconds to Mars “This Is War” review

Corporate line: Thirty Seconds To Mars bring you their third album, This Is War produced by Flood (U2, Depeche Mode, Nine Inch Nails and Smashing Pumpkins)Steve Lillywhite (The Rolling Stones, U2) and Thirty Seconds To Mars, a follow-up to the bands’ hit album, A Beautiful Lie. In an innovative and exciting move, Thirty Seconds to Mars, This Is War, will have 2000 different album covers featuring individual photos of fans from around the world as well as the hit single, Kings and Queens.

Artist: Thirty Seconds to Mars

Title: This Is War

Label: Virgin

Rating: 4/10

Track by track review:
“Escape” — Is this a song? What, an epic 20 seconds of Trent Reznor-wanna-being?
“Night of the Hunter” — It’s really hard to like the vocals that sound like Leto is whispering so that no one hears for most of the verse. Then the chorus, when Leto does start to sing your already beyond caring. It’s a bad Duran Duran meets My Chemical Romance attempt.
“Kings and Queens” — Leto gains a bit more credibility with “Kings and Queens” but its really nothing new–nothing that he hasn’t heard coming from the likes of U2.
“This is War” — Is this the true Thirty Seconds to Mars?
“100 Suns” — Leto believes in nothing, because he tells you so a hundred or more times.
“Hurricane” — I’m tired of listening to the same exact songs.
“Closer to the Edge” — A bit more sappy, but a bit more interesting if for no other reason than it seems to sound more like themselves and almost sounds like it could be a hit.
“Vox Populi” — The open chorus full of either children or teens or whatever singing “This is a battle song, brothers and sisters; it’s time to go to war” echoes Pink Floyd only in that refrain as the rest rips its heart and musical soul from U2.
“Search and Destroy” — Trent Reznor called and he wants his formula back.
“Alibi” — This is slow and monotonous.
“Stranger in a Strange Land” — Wait, this isn’t Iron Maiden? Boo.
“L490” — An instrumental piece. Could have been left behind.

Frankly: Thirty Seconds to Mars is boring. I hate to call it so bluntly, but there is nothing grand here. Nothing fresh. Nothing new. Nothing worth reaching out for a second time.

Watch the video for “Kings and Queens”

Thirty Seconds To Mars – Kings + Queens – HD