30 Seconds To Mars burst onto the scene back in 2002 with their self-titled album. Despite being fronted by Jared Leto (the actor who has appeared in two of my favorite films: "Fight Club" and "Requiem For A Dream"), the effort didn't receive that much attention, and listening to it, it's easy to see why. Don't get me wrong, their debut was great, but for a band establishing themselves, it was too broad, too spacey, and too high concept for people to really give it a fair chance. So it's no surprise that for their second album, "A Beautiful Lie," 30 Seconds To Mars have trimmed the fat off and streamlined their music quite a bit.

"A Beautiful Lie" is more of a collection of songs that a concept album. There is no discernable theme running through it, which means each song brings something different to the table, and has it's own identity. And not only that, each song is just as good as the one before it! Instead of sounding like an electronic-Tool like they did on their debut, 30 Seconds To Mars sound like a perfect amalgumation of A Perfect Circle, The Cure and Incubus. "The Kill" and the first single, "Attack" are the most recognizable and straight-forward of the set, centered around giant choruses and excellent songwriting. "The Fantasy" is my personal favorite, with it's funky intro and unpredictable changes in style. "Battle Of One" and "Hunter," which are tagged as "bonus tracks" (though they are hardly exclusive, and available on all copies of this album) are great in their own right, but feel tacked on. Perhaps that's why they are called "bonus tracks?"

Overall, "A Beautiful Lie" is a step-up for 30 Seconds To Mars. The debut was a good start, but this album just strengthens the groups catalog and shows that they have a lot more diversity than many of their contemporaries. And the best part is, their music has nothing to do with Jared Leto's acting career. You don't even have to know who the guy is in order to know that this is great music. If you enjoyed the first album, I highly recommend their second. When they first came out, I honestly doubted they would release anymore music, but I was wrong. So, here's looking forward to the third effort.

Some people classify 30STM as a space metal or space rock band. At least people recongnize that their sound is different than mainstream modern rock. Leto gets a bad rap being an actor/musician (see Russel Crowe), but he pulls both off very well. I went to a recent 30STM concert and they sound awesome in concert and pretty close to how they sound on the CD, but you really appreciate how good Leto's brother is as a drummer in concert.

As for the CD, I can't count the number of times I have listened to it and everytime I enjoy it. The radio songs: The Kill, Attack are very good and are very catchy in a good way...not a teeny-bopper way. I would rate the best songs on the CD as The Kill, Yesterday, The Fantasy. The bonus tracks are ok, but seemed kinda just thrown on there without linkage to the mood of the other ones. I will definitely be buying their next album.

OK. First the venting.

I just hate having to listen to or be associated with inexperienced listeners when they think they know what they're talking about. I hear a lot of comparisons to The Used and even Nickelback, and Breaking Benjamin. The worst part is that these off base comparisons go one step further and accuse 30 seconds of TRYING to be like them.

If you have been listening to music for years and actually paying attention, you'd realize that 30 seconds can be said to sound influenced by MANY bands of the 80s and some 90s (the Cure, U2, depeche mode, deftones, orgy, incubus, bjork etc). But to skip that step and think that a 30 something like Leto would be trying to copy The Used is so uninsightful it should be stricken from memory.

ON to the album.....OK while still venting.

People's first reactions to new discs are often extreme regarding bands they like. Its so painfully obvious here. Its just not true that 30 seconds lost their sound. I admit that there is probably less of what stuck out as a futuristic sound. The album is probably farther down the scale from avante garde to mainstream. But there is so much in common with the last album.

I actually had a song in my head today and had to ask myself which album it was off of. (this is partly because it seemed too familiar to be coming from a week old disc, and partly because THE DISCS HAVE A LOT IN COMMON).

So take comfort in the fact that you have a very good disc from the same band (what have you done in the last 3 years lazies - myself included). And if they write enough material, you might get everything you're looking for over time. But in the meantime we have to remember that we got lucky that the first album sounded just right to us....and this one is closer to that particular sound than anything else out there. In fact many people will like this one more...they just didn't buy the album the first week because they weren't fans yet.

My friends and I actually managed to harass Leto after a show about 3 years ago, and asked him where they could go on future albums considering they had such a strong and unusual theme. He didn't have an extravagant answer, but just said not to take the Mars thing too literally, that its more of a symbol of reaching out.

So it only makes sense that the lyrical and sonic direction of future discs is going to go much more into the realm of the reality we know and only occasionally go head first into the "space metal" thing.

I think the Mars thing is an appealing escape, but who can make their entire music career (every song, every album cover, every lyric) relate to such an abstract idea. There has to be room for real world subject matter and a real world feel to come in also.

But yea....hopefully plenty more creative and unusual space metal to come.

Great CD!!! I thought it being from Jared Leto, and actor, that this would not be good. I was wrong. The song's are all different, there is a lot of talent and creativity put into not only the music, but the lyrics as well. The mood changes throughout the music, and it's great that there isn't screaming in the songs. Great melodies, and Leto's voice is extrememly smooth with the changes.

Great purchase, only thing is that the songs are coded and you can't copy them easily. You only get 3 tried to upload a program and transfer the files. I've tried it twice already, and had no luck with the transfer. After 3 tries, you have to buy another CD if you want to try another transfer. Wish I could put this on my computer or PDA, but I need to get some help before I try it again. May have to see if I can download songs off the internet instead.

First off, this is good music. I give it three stars simply because of the copy protection encrypted within the cds "enhanced" material. The music itself, I give a 4, but since I am unable to find a way to import the music files to Itunes, It gets a three. Restricted burning is unbelievable. When you buy a cd, I'm told you buy the rights of the cd for personal use. Thus putting myself under the assumption that I will be able to do what I please with the music, as long as I do not distribute it illegally. In the future, I will not buy another cd with this type of copy protection within, reguardless of importance the music is to myself. A sticker on the packaging would be nice, allerting the consumer of the new system. I, at least, have never come into contact with the protection; I buy about 10 cd's a month. If I am going to start having to research lables, and/or cds to see if they carry the encryption, so be it.

Does anyone know where the "secret files" are uploaded to when you put the cd in so I can delete them? Please post.