Some good moments in '30 Seconds'
By:  Jason Silverstein
NeXt Correspondent
November 16, 2005
Buffalo News

In 2002, actor Jared Leto proved that it was possible to make the film star-to-rock star transition without being booed off stage when his band, 30 Seconds to Mars, released its self-titled debut album. Although they didn't become a big hit and their single "Capricorn (A Brand New Name)" didn't get much radio play, they managed to gain a cult following of fans dubbed Echelons. Three years after such an impressive debut, the band is back with a sophomore effort that they hoped to bring them into the mainstream and please their fans. Unfortunately, neither has happened. Pre-release fan reviews criticized the band for dumping their synth metal sound that made them unique for an "average rock band" sound. And although their first single "Attack" did pretty well on the radio, the album never cracked the top 20 on the charts. So was all of this negativity deserved? Well... yes.

The band indeed was unique back in 2002. Debut album songs like "93 Million Miles" and "Echelon" showed an interesting blend of rock, metal and industrial. Whereas change is always good and it's always bad to indefinitely stick to what works, in this case neither was true. The band is now impossible to tell apart from any other so-called "emo" band on the radio. Jared Leto does a bloodcurdling "emo" scream in nearly every song, which can sometimes actually ruin the song. New album songs such as "The Story" and "R-evolve" show that this change is definitely not working, while other songs, such as the surprising acoustic "A Modern Myth" just aren't too interesting. But the album does have its high points. Songs like "The Kill," "Attack" and "The Fantasy" show a little bit of the old school sound, and also how the new sound should have worked. The album also has two bonus tracks added, probably to convince people to still buy the album after the original 10 songs were pirated almost a month before release. There is "Battle for One", a high-energy arena rock song, and "Hunter," a Bjork cover with a sound similar to Radiohead. These songs turn out to be the best ones on the album, and good enough reason to buy it. After 10 songs ranging from so-so to bad, these songs should please old fans.

So if you are an old fan, listen to this album with a very open mind and mild expectations. If you are a new fan, start with the self-titled debut album instead. And if you are a tween girl in love with Jared Leto, then this review is pointless.

Jason Silverstein is a freshman at Williamsville North.