Volume 96, Issue 17
Thursday, September 26, 2002
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CD REVIEW: 30 Seconds to Mars
Mars kicks Earth's ass
30 Seconds to Mars S/T
Immortal/Virgin
Rundown: 30 Seconds to Mars, the longtime brainchild of brothers Jared and Shannon Leto, got their big break this past winter when they were picked for an opening stint on Puddle Of Mudd's recent tour. 30STM's superiority over the manufactured, Durst-ified headliners was evident time and again as the members of POM were repeatedly left eating 30STM's dust. Though Leto's acting career has the potential to be a thorn in the band's side, it would be wise for listeners to lay any preconceptions aside. After hearing the album once, you will wonder why those preconceptions ever existed in the first place.
Key Tracks: Every track on this record is beautiful; each is a unique masterpiece that simultaneously operates on a number of different musical and spiritual levels. The first single "Capricorn" launches an arrow of alienation toward the hearts of today's youth; yet, instead of being bleak, the track is poignantly resonant. The tone throughout "Fallen" is decidedly darker, as smoldering guitars are layered over thrashing drums. In "Edge of the Earth," Leto's lyrics offer a complexity and depth of meaning that is arguably unmatched by any new artist today.
Sounds Like: It would be fair to say that 30 Seconds to Mars has been touched by the influences of bands like Tool and Nine Inch Nails, as 30STM's music echoes a similar brand of intensity. At the same time, however, 30 Seconds to Mars have managed to carve out a unique niche for themselves in the rock realm. When you listen to 30STM's debut, you will cease to think of Leto as a typical "Hollywood-ite" who, bored with acting, has decided to pick up a guitar. Instead, you will realize it's not even about Leto – it's about 30 Seconds to Mars as a unified whole, as a band whose music has the potential to affect and infect the deepest recesses of your soul.
–Megan O'Toole
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