August 27, 2002 - 30 Seconds To Mars and 30 Seconds To Mars

On the same day as my last two releases another new band joins my library when 30 Seconds To Mars released their debut album "30 Seconds To Mars" on August 27, 2002. But who is 30 Seconds to Mars? They are an alternative rock duo from Los Angeles, California consisting of brothers Shannon Leto (drums, percussion) and frontman Jared Leto (vocals, guitars, bass, keyboards). 30 Seconds to Mars are listed as alternative rock, but they have a wide and varied palette within the rock genre, ranging from heavy metal at times, to very pop-y at others. Let's see what 30 Seconds to Mars is all about!

The album kicks off with it's lead single "Capricorn (A Brand New Name)" and Jared plays a decently heavy main guitar riff that nicely starts and stops and things sound pretty epic right from the get-go. Shannon's drums sound prett epic as well in what turns out to be the chorus riff and Jared has a pretty epic voice. He sings the verse and chorus in a bit of a laid back voice, but he sounds very smooth and epic and he plays some cool light guitars in the verse and segues nicely back into the heavier chorus riff. A second Jared comes in for the final chorus and things sound cool with the two vocal tracks going simultaneously. Up next is the only other single "Edge Of The Earth" and it's got a catchy main riff with some pop-y but cool keyboards, some nice heavier bass and some catchy and cool light lead guitar for an interesting, almost pop-industrial mix. Leto sings another pretty epic verse overtop and the segue into the chorus is really cool as they briefly quiet down to an acoustic riff, only to slam into a cool chorus with some nice heavy guitars. A few times in this song everything falls away and then slams back and each time Shannon plays a nice drum fill to get us going again. It's a pretty sweet single honestly and considering Jared is playing everything but the drums, it's really quite impressive! He plays some cool guitar, bass, keyboards and sings epicly, and makes it all into a heavy and catchy single! Track 3 is the first song I ever heard by these guys and it's called "Fallen". Shannon starts us off with a slow but really cool drum beat and Jared comes in with some slow, nice and heavy guitars that just radiate overtop and sound pretty good. The first verse is quietly epic as Jared sings a soft epic verse overtop the light music, then they slam into a fantastic chorus with some heavy guitars that hit really hard and Jared yells a great chorus overtop. Then it falls away again for the next verse and we build it all up again! This is definitely an early favourite as it is just epic the whole way through and has a really great chorus. The next track is "Oblivion" and Jared sings a fast verse that sounds pretty catchy and cool overtop a slightly techno-y main riff that sounds pretty nu-metal honestly! The heavy guitars enter for another epic chorus and Jared has such a powerful voice and he can seemingly hold notes for as long as he wants to. Every song so far has been pretty solid, including this one which has a nice heavy finish. Track 5 is "Buddha For Mary" and it opens with Jared singing in a techno-y, talkbox voice overtop some space-y keyboards and a pretty cool drum beat by Shannon for a really trippy and cool intro. Then somehow it smoothly slams into a heavy riff that sounds great, then drops right off again for the first verse. Jared sings a solid verse, and then follows with a fast chorus that sounds really good and he's backed by a super heavy and cool chorus riff. They stick to the main drag, but at no point did I find things dragged at all, it was another well done, epic song! Up next is "Echelon" and Shannon is playing some pretty cool drums while Jared plays some epic synths overtop. It's very eclectic and space-y and Jared sings a nice light verse to match the mood, then as they like to do, they slam into a heavy chorus riff that sounds epic and cool and Jared matches this mood as well with a loud and epic chorus that sounds great. It's a cool balance between verse and chorus with some cool drums throughout the whole song by Shannon. The final minute has some super 80s-esque synths by Leto, but the drums sound awesome! Track 7 is "Welcome To The Universe" and they start things off with a lighter acoustic riff, only to very smoothly play the same riff, but on much heavier guitar and with some great heavy bass in the background as well. Jared holds lots of nice long notes on this song and he sounds really epic and great in another loud and epic chorus. This is a short song, but definitely still a solid one. The next track is "The Mission" and they Jared dives right into a catchy bass riff and a fast-sung verse, then adds some catchy fast guitar as well in this upbeat main riff. The chorus flows right along with the verse and although they stick to the main drag it's another pretty epic and cool main drag. The ending is the only different part with a slow, pretty heavy closing riff that sounds pretty sweet as well! Track 9 is "End Of The Beginning" and Jared plays a fast and cool rhythm guitar riff to keep the pace, then adds some slower, epic lead guitar overtop. Shannon's drums sound pretty cool as well, then as they love to do they snap into a heavier chorus that, as always, hits nice and hard and sounds pretty good. Jared sings a great slow verse overtop the main riff, and he continues to sound epic in the chorus as well, he just has such a powerful voice! After a couple rounds they nicely quiet things down, and you know this leads to a loud return to the chorus riff. Still no real weak songs yet! Ho next is "93 Million Miles" and Jared plays some super trippy keyboards that give things a space-y yet dark vibe to them and then adds some slow distorted bass and Shannon plays some cool offbeat drums in this different but interesting opening. Finally some light guitar joins for the verse as Jared sings a slow verse to match the epic mood. Guess what happens in the chorus? A smooth shift into a nice heavy chorus with some great guitars and a wonderful chorus sung by Jared. Words don't do proper justice to the variety of cool riffs and choruses and Jared is overlaying a few different guitar riffs by the end and they all mix together very nicely, wih the loudest, heaviest one obviously being my favourite. The final track on the album is the nesr eight minute "Year Zero" and they dive right into another beautifully orchestrated main riff with Jared playing some heavy lead guitar, some trippy and cool rhythm guitar, some nice heavy bass and some epic synths as well! Oh and Shannon's drums are solid too. Jared sings a slow, epic verse in an almost hip-hop like verse and the chorus follows the same formula, but it's a really epic and cool formula and they strike gold again with another nice heavy chorus. This song really ends quite nicely at the 4:41 mark, then after ten seconds of silence a bonus song called "The Struggle" starts up with a trippy whistling noise. It morphs into some computer-y synths and some cool light guitar as we hear a robotic voice ramble and say a lot of stuff overtop. It's a little dark, but creepy and cool and an interesting way to finish off the album. The main song was pretty good!

That is the end of "30 Seconds To Mars" and I thought it was a pretty cool debut album! Shannon Leto is a fine drummer for sure, and what else haven't I already said about Jared Leto? He plays everything else and he has a very powerful voice and he writes a ton of cool lighter stuff, and is overflowing with  some nice heavy stuff as well. I really like their style and I look forward to more from 30 Seconds To Mars!