Believe it or not, some actors can rock. How well depends on the actor. In the case of 30 Seconds To Mars’ front man, Jared Leto (Alexander, Fight Club, Panic Room, American Psycho), the results are a mixed bag.
The band was introduced about three years ago when it released its reasonably successful self-titled debut. The album was original, defied classification and managed to attract a decent following. The band’s latest release, “A Beautiful Lie,” however, is an unfortunate departure from what made it one of the few actor-led bands that did not suck. Overall, “A Beautiful Lie” is not a horrible album, but it’s not a great one either.
Besides Leto on vocals and guitar, other members of the Southern California band include Leto’s brother Shannon Leto (drums), Matt Wachter (bass) and newcomer Tomo Milicevic (guitar).
Produced by Josh Abraham (Velvet Revolver, Korn, Linkin Park), the group’s sound is likened to the Deftones, Chevelle and Filter. The band makes ample use of rock guitar, synthesizer, vocal effects and at times, Leto’s throat-destroying scream similar to that of Linkin Park’s Chester Bennington.
In a May 2002 interview with shoutweb.com’s Jess Redmon, Leto said that he’s as serious about his music career as he is about his film career and that both art forms are great vehicles for self expression.
“In a film, you are filling in a character that has specific conditions that surround it,” Leto said. “You have to follow and encourage the story line. With music, we dictate the story, character, mood and everything else. We create the world rather than just support it.”
There are 12 tracks on the album, two of which are unlisted bonus tracks. The first song, “Attack,” is a template for the eight that follow it. The guitars, drums, and vocals – which are all done skillfully – have a similar sound from track to track. The initial play through is akin to listening to the same track nine times in a row.
The tenth track, “A Modern Myth,” marks the beginning of change for the duration of the album. The song is a low-key affair with violin, cello, soft acoustic guitar and soothing vocals. The end result makes one wonder why this type of diversity wasn’t spread throughout the first third of the formulaic album.
The song that follows “A Modern Myth” is also on the tenth track, but can only be heard after 10 minutes of silence – a fact that may be more interesting than the hidden song itself.
The two bonus tracks are also well done and may have been placed at the end of the album due to how different they are from the rest. “Battle of One” rocks hard and fast while “Hunter” represents what is beautiful about “A Beautiful Lie.” A cover of a Bjork song, mixing drum programming, a throbbing bass line, synthesized sounds and haunting vocals, “Hunter” is arguably one of the most memorable tracks of the album.
30 Seconds To Mars’ is currently on tour with Audioslave and Seether and is scheduled to play Columbus’ Veterans Memorial Auditorium in October.
