30 Seconds to Greatness (30 Seconds To Mars - 30 Seconds to Mars)

Member Name: Mildew82

Product:	30 Seconds To Mars - 30 Seconds to Mars
Date:	31/10/09 (102 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great guitar riffs and melodies, Jared Leto's fantastic voice

Disadvantages: Raw and sometimes a little abstract

30 Seconds to Mars were formed in 1998 by Shannon Leto and his brother Jared (some vaguely famous movie star some people may be familiar with) as a family project. They brought in Matt Wachter as a bassist and keyboardist and two guitarists Kevin Drake and Solon Bixler. After some member shuffling, Drake and Bixler left due to touring conflicts and Wachter left to join Angels & Airwaves in 2007 so the current line up is Jared and Shannon Leto and guitarist Tomo Miličević.

Most people that are familiar with 30 Seconds to Mars will know they were propelled to stardom with their single "The Kill" from their platinum selling 2005 album Beautiful Lie. They have picked up a collection of awards since Beautiful Lie was released including Best Single for The Kill, Best Single for From Yesterday and Best International Band at the Kerrang! Awards.

With a commercially appealing melodic Emo / hard rock style it is easy to see why 30 Seconds to Mars have hit the big time and their success is even more impressive considering Jared Leto refused to use his Hollywood fame to promote the band in anyway. But as so often with these bands that have had to wait many years to gain major success their earlier albums are often forgotten.

With 30 Seconds to Mars this forgotten album comes in the form of their first self-titled release way back in 2002 which only sold 100,000 copies.


Self-titled album
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30 Seconds to Mars' self titled first studio album was produced by Bob Ezrin who has worked with such bands as Alice Cooper and Pink Floyd. As big family projects go, this one certainly had above average results!

This album is definitely 30 Second to Mars in a much rawer form than found in the more polished album Beautiful Lie. There is a much heavier vibe running through the album and there also seems to be cosmic and spiritual themes woven into the album which gives it a fascinatingly cohesive feel.

Despite not having the most radio friendly tunes (which I always feel makes for a better album, albeit maybe not as successful an album), the band's potential was obvious from this early album, with great guitar based melodies, captivating lyrics and the fabulously growling rock voice of Jared Leto.


The Tracks
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1. Capricorn (A Brand New Name)
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This was their first ever single released and charted at #31 on the US Mainstream Rock chart (the only song to chart off this album). It is a great opening to the album with heavy guitar undertones and a slow building tempo. The lyrics portray a struggle which is enhanced by the passion and anger Jared Leto is able to inject into his voice.

9/10


2. Edge of the Earth
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This was the only other single to be released but failed to chart. This second song is in a similar vein as the first but has a much more obvious melody and slightly faster tempo. Leto's vocals are again in full swing, ebbing and flowing as the song demands it as he is able to change from controlled restraint to explosive with ease. The lyrics are of taking risks and pushing for a new future and the style of the song create the feel of steely determination.

9/10


3. Fallen
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Another heavy guitar based tune with a slow building intro which flows into an explosive chorus with Leto's vocals shifting effortlessly from chilling to angry as the song undulates. The lyrics are again of human struggle and the weakness of human nature with the first hint of allegoric references to the cosmic theme of the album. This is one of the heaviest and most intense songs on the album.

8/10


4. Oblivion
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This is one of my favourite songs on the album. This is probably one of the mellowest songs and Leto softens his voice from his normal growling tones to a smooth and emotional quality which makes it a beautiful song. The melody of the song and the lyrics are of a slightly more despairing nature:

Under the burning sun
I take a look around
Imagine if this all came down
I'm waiting for the day to come

10/10


5. Buddha for Mary
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This is a very abstract and slightly bizarre song, but it brings in a spiritual element to enhance the general cosmic theme running throughout. It has some very heavy guitar riffs and fascinating lyrics and once again Leto returns to his growling, angry tones to really intensify the song. This song probably has the most variation out of any song on this album with slow, almost futuristic passages rolling into dark and unsettling ones to passionate angry ones.

9/10


6. Echelon
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We return to another mellow ballad after the intensity of the last song and back to the softer tones that Leto is capable of. This is the first truly haunting song on the album and with some intriguing lyrics and a very catchy chorus this is an excellent addition to what is already a varied and captivating album.

9/10


7. Welcome to the Universe
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This song brings back a darker and more intense atmosphere to the album. With heavy riffs contrasted against a slightly haunting melody and with Leto offering a darker edge to his voice this is a fairly emotive song. But at only 2mins 40 long it is a very short song and perhaps has a little less substance than the rest of the album and maybe acts as a short interlude simply delivering the message of the album before kicking off with the rest of the songs.

7/10


8. The Mission
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Continuing with the style of the album this is another ebbing and flowing kind of song. It errs on the dark side but in a more restrained fashion than that of Welcome to the Universe and delivers hints of passion in the chorus but without actually ever overflowing. Again the lyrics are intriguing if a little abstract and Leto's growling vocals are synchronised with the music as with all the other songs to really enhance the overall quality.

9/10


9. End of the Beginning
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The style of the album is very much maintained here, with again a dark and angry yet still restrained vibe being radiated before hitting a very catchy chorus with this style ebbing and flowing through the whole song. Once again Leto's vocals are intense and unrelenting and match the song perfectly.

8/10


10. 93 Million Miles
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After a couple of intense songs we returned to a slightly more chilled song, but still with dark undertones. The melody is much more obvious in this song and again we are hit with a more spiritual vibe through the lyrics. Overall this song again is restrained with the chorus simmering at best and this song begins to wind the album down very effectively.

8/10


11. Year Zero
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This song continues to wind the album down much in the same vein as 93 Million Miles. It is a very fitting song as very much like the album it builds to a crescendo before gently fading out, even though very contradictorily the final words are "We'll never fade away". It is probably one of the more forgettable songs on the album, but it does lead to an unexpectedly hidden track called The Struggle.

The Struggle is a short extract with a haunting and understated tune accompanied by a distorted, futuristic voice reciting a poetic depiction of a military struggle which is an insightful addition to the album.

7/10


Conclusion
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In my opinion 30 Seconds to Mars' self-titled album deserves a lot more recognition than it has received. Whilst maybe not as commercially viable as their platinum selling Beautiful Lie album it showcases their talent with some great melodies and guitar riffs, fascinating lyrics and the incredible metal voice that Jared Leto possesses.

If you are a fan of them you will definitely love this album as it is still them just in their rawer form, plus they have a similar feel to them of such bands as the Lostprophets and Madina Lake so if these kinds of bands appeal you should definitely give this album a shot!

Summary: A great insight into the band 30 Seconds to Mars and how they came to be