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A BEAUTIFUL LIE VIRGIN RECORDS  30 Seconds to Mars sophomore effort, A Beautiful Lie, is 56 minutes of incredibly written, mini-stories; a tantalizing collection that demands you take notice and declares itself one of 2006's best releases. Right out of the gate, this CD is an exploration and reinvention of everything you hadn't realized you'd been missing in your music. Conceptual songs speak to you about our lives, their lives; heartfelt words intertwining your experiences with theirs. Singer Jared Leto's vocals stretch from haunting commands to soothing possibilities. His screams beg you to believe in him, believe in the songs, and believe in yourself. Lose yourself in his voice, all the while enveloped by the guitars and their pulsating rhythm. Put final track "Hunter" on, hit repeat and allow yourself the indulgence of losing track of time as the racing of the music hastens your heartbeat. The music, the band is affecting. Shannon Leto (drums), Tomo Milicevic (guitar) and Matt Wachter (bass) round out the band and are as much the storytellers here as Leto. The band's inner mechanics are what keep them running at top performance. Hear it in the searing harmonies powering the rhythm section of anthemic "The Fantasy." Feel it in the energy infused guitar-work flowing beneath Leto's vocals on "Attack." There is a rawness that 30 STM kept secret from us on their 2002 self-titled debut that is now forcefully unleashed on A Beautiful Lie. And as you listen, you know deep in your belly this is a music changing album. "What if I wanted to fight; beg for the rest of my life? What would you do?" Is there any one of us that hasn't felt the intense rage that comes with feeling stuck within a mess of our own making? It would be easy to pass over this album. 30STM is not following any of the cookie-cutter music formulas presently circulating out there. And with that as the CD's best advertisement... go out and buy it! A Beautiful Lie will become part of the soundtrack of your life. Stand out songs: The Fantasy, The Kill, A Beautiful Lie, Attack and The Story. review by kristina sisti |
