Formed in 1998, 30 Seconds To Mars' debut album didn't arrive until 2002. Many people have described the sound of it as "space metal", and I'd say that's a pretty accurate term. I can pick out a lot of electronic influences; Deadsy, Nine Inch Nails, and a bit of Depeche Mode. Put those in a blender with some Tool and Rush (and some NASA footage) and you've got 30 Seconds To Mars.
Dense walls of sustained guitar blanket nearly every track, with blocky keyboard textures filling in the spaces. There's an interesting amount of stuff that hasn't been used much by rock bands since the 80's (vocoders, synth-drums) and I can't really pick out the bass guitar (as so often goes in metal groups), but that's okay. Jared Leto's vocals are incredibly good, whether he's screaming his head off or going with a softer, more dramatic approach. As an actor and filmmaker, he already has a good sense of presentation and dynamics, so I give him credit for being a more than decent musician, songwriter and singer.
Although he's the main driving force of the band, his brother Shannon (on drums) does a more than adequate job himself, providing fast rolls and interesting rhythmic changeups that are at times reminescent of Neil Peart (listen to that awesome reverb'd percussion intro/outro to "Echelon".)
Some tracks stand out more than others, although every track is a winner if you hear it out of context. Sometimes when I play the whole album, the denseness of the guitars and vocals start to drag a little about 2/3rds of the way in, and I want it to hurry up and finish. Maybe a few tracks could've been trimmed and it would flow better.
"Capricorn (A Brand New Name)" is a stunner of an opening, with uplifting chorus and almost hip-hop production on certain parts. "Edge Of The Earth" follows as the next blistering cut, with killer drum rolls and a stuttering synth line that blows me away every time. "Buddha For Mary" has some bitchin' vocoder on it (a criminally underutilised tool), and the background synth line is a dead ringer for the intro to Rush's "Tom Sawyer". "The Mission" has a fast-paced, punky vibe to it, while "Welcome To The Universe" is a 2+ minute dramatic interlude that reminds us we're flying through space. The album ends with a hidden track ("The Struggle"), an unsettling ambient piece with altered spoken word from someone quoting Sun Tzu's The Art of War.
Apparently there's a loose concept to the lyrics of all the songs (they seem to all have a space and planetary theme), although I've never tried to connect the dots. I just sit back and enjoy the music.
Import versions and various CD singles have some extra tracks. "Phase 1: Fortification" is another spacy, electronic song in the vein of the rest of the album, as well as "Revolution" (catch the Pink Floyd reference -- Hint: It has to do with producer Bob Ezrin) and the moody, ambient "Anarchy In Tokyo".
Apparently this album wasn't terribly succesful upon its release. The band would hit bigger with the second single from A Beautiful Lie in 2006, a few years down the line. I find it strange that a lot of so-called "serious" music fans rip on this group, perhaps over their jealousy over the pretty-boy heartthrob image of Jared Leto. Personally, I think the guy is amazingly talented if a bit egoic at times (also, the band doesn't sound nearly as good live as they do in a studio), but that doesn't mean I shouldn't appreciate his honest attention to his art, of which has struck a chord with me on multiple levels.
Recommended for open-minded listeners of alt-rock, prog-rock, and electronic space music with Sci-Fi themes.Get more detail about
30 Seconds To Mars.
