Written by Susie Salva
Thirty Seconds To Mars fourth studio record, “Love Lust Faith + Dreams,” on Virgin Records was written and recorded from around the world from Europe, to India, to the band’s studio in California.
Thirty Seconds To Mars
This time out the album was produced by Jared Leto with previous collaborator Steve Lillywhite (U2, The Rolling Stones, Peter Gabriel) co-producing four of the twelve tracks. This CD is basically a concept album starting off with “Birth” and rounding out the disc with death. “This is more than an evolution, its a brand new beginning,” says Jared Leto. “Creatively, we’ve gone to an entire new place, which is exciting, unexpected and incredibly inspiring.”
Here’s the new video for “Do Or Die” just released:
This outstanding record looks at all sides to life with love, lust, faith + dreams splattered throughout their songs and takes you on a journey of exploration and the humanness we feel within. The songs on this disc merges electronica, punk, classical with a few tracks backed up by a choir. This disc grows on you and has the potential to reach new and continuing fans and to become a instant classic.
The CD begins with a women saying LOVE as tribal beats ring out and then transitions into the second track “Conquistador,” a guttural Leto explores lust crying out to “Say a prayer, and this is a fight to the death.” The song ends with another woman speaking out LUST.
“Up in the Air,” looks at sacrifice and feeling of being lost but expresses love by wrapping his hands around his love’s neck. Kind of strange imagery yet still dealing with Love, Lust, Faith + Dreams. This is the first time we hear the choir but they show up later on the album. “City of Angeles,” starts off sounding like video game and is peppered with U2 sounds evening using lyrics that U2 has used before “One Life, One Love.” This songs deals with dreams lost in the city of angeles with billion of lights shining through. You can hear the stamp of Lillywhite on this song as well as “Conquistador,” “Up in the Air,” and “The Race.”
“The Race,” is the fusion of classical music with a cello up front and electronica beats featured throughout. “End of All Days,” explores faith summoning prophets exclaiming “All we need is faith.” The song has vivid imagery of lions and the messiah as well as temples burning…punish them with pleasure pleasure you with pain the lyric shout out.”“Pyres of Varanasi,” is an instrumental piece beginning with chirping birds, a classical string section, and Middle Eastern music meeting electronica sounds again exploring faith. Recorded in Jodhpur, India the song is haunting and beautiful at the same time. “Bright Lights,” has an ‘80s feel to the track and deals with dreams and love. “Do or Die,” begins again with a women speaking in what sounds like Japanese shifting into more electronic beats saying it is time to do or die… “I will never forget – story goes the moment that night we sing we sang fate is coming and time is running got to go fate is coming let it go hear and now we dream out loud do or die so the story goes.”
“Convergence,” uses xylophones and keyboards on another instrument piece. The final song on this epic concept album is “Depuis Le Debut,” beginning with an acoustic guitar falling into a classical symphony and finishing off with a music box sound.
In partnership with NASA, Thirty Seconds to Mars launched the first single from the new album into space. Literally. Sending the very first copy to the International Space Station, it got its ground breaking premiere from the astronauts in orbit 230 miles above Earth. Not content with stopping there, the artwork for the album was created by world-renowned artist Damien Hirst. “Isonicotinic Acid Ethyl Ester (2010-2011 Household gloss on canvas 99 x 147 in) graces the cover of LOVE LUST FAITH + DREAMS with another Hirst piece titled ‘Monochromatic Sectors from Primary, Secondary & Tertiary Colour Ring, Dark Centre’ (2012 Signwriting paint on canvas, 96 in.) on the CD itself.
Thirty Seconds to Mars is comprised of Jared Leto, Shannon Leto and Tomo Milicevic — has sold over 5 million albums worldwide and the band’s videos have more than 300 million views on YouTube. The group has received numerous awards including a dozen MTV awards worldwide, a Billboard Music award and honors from NME, Kerrang! and Fuse.
