30 SECONDS TO MARS
A Beautiful Lie
Virgin Records 2005
www.30secondstomars.com

Read the Shannon Leto interview

What’s the 4-1-1?
30 Seconds to Mars is the brainchild of Jared Leto; another Hollywood actor that wants to be a rockstar. But wait, this is their second album, so they can’t be that bad. Right?

Genre
Modern rock / alternative / prog-rock

The Good
The album’s first radio single “Attack” has a great prog-rock style keyboard intro that repeats at various points in the song. Leto’s vocals go from subtle to in-your-face, as does the guitar riffs. The lyrics are highly emotional and earnest in their delivery. “A Beautiful Lie” is full of low musical valleys and high crescendo peaks, as Jared expresses his feelings about the silly games people in relationships play. The chorus section of “The Kill” is so entrancing that it simply cannot be ignored. The combination of driving guitars and powerful vocals are sure to captivate you.

“The Fantasy” is lead by a subtle, but effective lick that alternates with jarring riffage. Leto restrains his voice for the most part, but lets loose on the choruses. His brother Shannon lays down some notable drum beats during the call and response breakdown. My favorite track from this album is “From Yesterday”. The song builds and builds with such anticipation that when everything kicks in, it catches you off guard. Progressive elements and watery guitar tones dominate on “The Story”. Lyrically, I think that Leto is giving his fans a little insight to his life.

The Bad
Jared, you have a good voice, but you don’t have to belt it out every single chorus.

The Verdict
Finally, an actor that can rock! Now if I could just name a movie I’ve seen him in.

Did You Know?
Jared Leto has appeared in Requiem For a Dream, Panic Room, Fight Club, American Psycho, and Alexander. I had to look that up.

Rating: out of 5

--George Dionne