30 Seconds To Mars debuts with this self-titled album. It’s a good effort, and lyrically there are actually a few songs that are pretty great if you’re open to them. But there are a lot of things that lack creativity or don’t come out very well. I also often felt that songs or ideas on this album were quite a bit out of place. It’s not a waste of time to listen to the album, but personally I believe there are better alternatives.
Capricorn (A Brand New Name)
This song is highly overproduced and though the vocals sound pretty smooth, and the instrumentals are quite tight, it just can’t really step out of mediocracy. In itself the song is nice, but the way it was mixed and produced kinda killed it for me. Gimme a live version though and I think I’d like that.
Edge Of The Earth
Edge of the Earth just never really gets going for me. Everytime I think, yes, GO GO GO, it doesn’t. I thought it sounded promising, but it just misses that last little step to really convince. It’s not bad, by no means. And I try really hard to let this band convince me, but so far, not too much luck.
Fallen
Maybe we get lucky here. Fallen is a rather clever song that pleased me. Nice bouncy, ruling guitars and good drums, especially in the beginning, and though slightly overproduced, even the vocals fit in quite nicely. It has a bit of a haunting sound that kinda creeps in on you. Sorta like 3 Days Grace but then more emotive and for a change a bit more sophisticated. This is one of the songs on this album that I still listen to on occasion.
Oblivion
This song was better than I expected. Not my favorite on the album, but I don’t think I have anything really bad to say about this. It works. That’s about all I have to say about it.
Buddha For Mary
On Buddha for Mary there are a few things to comment. The song, in itself, I really like. But the band tries too hard. Parts of the song sound rushed and kinda unfinished. Like a pair of jeans with holes in it. In itself this song can be something pretty great, but it needs more work I think. Remember that kid somewhere in the back of the classroom that was quite the smart guy but didn’t come to full potential. That’s what Buddha… is.
Echelon
Meh, that’s my first thought about Echelon. I’ve come to like this song after more listens, but still not really too many great thoughts about it come to mind. I like the vocals, that counts for a positive thought. Apart from that it’s just kinda boring. I’m sorry to say it, but that’s what it feels like to me.
Welcome To The Universe
I’ve heard from many people this song is nothing much, and from a few people this is the best song on the album. Lyrically I don’t care for this song at all. But musically I think it does contend for best song on the album. Not that it’s highly creative or original, but it’s performed quite well and has good energy, while it has a bit of a ‘big sound’ that works well for 30STM. This song is actually pretty decent, though they should’ve cut back on some of the sound effects.
The Mission
Definitely the most accessible and radio-friendly track, and it is quite a decent song. But I would like to quote part of the lyrics: “Why?”, Why is it on this album? Pure for commercial reasons? Cause it really doesn’t fit in with the rest. On itself, I give it the thumbs up, on this album, it feels like the odd duck.
End Of The Beginning
Sounds like a lot of things we heard before on the album. Do we really need a summary? It’s not all that bad, but after hearing the tracks before End of the Beginning it takes away some of what the song can be.
93 Million Miles
I’m gonna try to be positive here. Try is the operative word, because the song keeps on going for over 5 minutes and that makes it quite repetitive, but I can at least appreciate the effort in this song. I do feel like I miss things but there are pretty good things in it. The chorus is really nice, has a good beat.
Year Zero
Year Zero I did like. The major downside is the length. I know 5 minutes is not that long, especially looking at bands from the 60s – 80s, but these days marketable songs are hardly longer than 4 minutes. The vocals I didn’t think were super on this track, but on this track finally 30STM shows some creativity. They show some guts and that’s something to appreciate. They confirm they are good musicians and Jared Leto is not a bad singer. And on this track they all do their part and they work together as a band.
30 Seconds To Mars is a talented band, and they know how to write songs. Some of the songs on this album, like Fallen, Welcome To The Universe & Year Zero actually were pretty nice, but overall this is a pretty average album. Has some songs that I wouldn’t mind to hear in the pub, but nothing that gets me jump up from my comfy chair. I think if you put the songs in your playlist along with a lot of other albums, the songs can be quite nice, but as an album, there are a few things that just don’t get job done completely.
Capricorn (A Brand New Name)
This song is highly overproduced and though the vocals sound pretty smooth, and the instrumentals are quite tight, it just can’t really step out of mediocracy. In itself the song is nice, but the way it was mixed and produced kinda killed it for me. Gimme a live version though and I think I’d like that.
Edge Of The Earth
Edge of the Earth just never really gets going for me. Everytime I think, yes, GO GO GO, it doesn’t. I thought it sounded promising, but it just misses that last little step to really convince. It’s not bad, by no means. And I try really hard to let this band convince me, but so far, not too much luck.
Fallen
Maybe we get lucky here. Fallen is a rather clever song that pleased me. Nice bouncy, ruling guitars and good drums, especially in the beginning, and though slightly overproduced, even the vocals fit in quite nicely. It has a bit of a haunting sound that kinda creeps in on you. Sorta like 3 Days Grace but then more emotive and for a change a bit more sophisticated. This is one of the songs on this album that I still listen to on occasion.
Oblivion
This song was better than I expected. Not my favorite on the album, but I don’t think I have anything really bad to say about this. It works. That’s about all I have to say about it.
Buddha For Mary
On Buddha for Mary there are a few things to comment. The song, in itself, I really like. But the band tries too hard. Parts of the song sound rushed and kinda unfinished. Like a pair of jeans with holes in it. In itself this song can be something pretty great, but it needs more work I think. Remember that kid somewhere in the back of the classroom that was quite the smart guy but didn’t come to full potential. That’s what Buddha… is.
Echelon
Meh, that’s my first thought about Echelon. I’ve come to like this song after more listens, but still not really too many great thoughts about it come to mind. I like the vocals, that counts for a positive thought. Apart from that it’s just kinda boring. I’m sorry to say it, but that’s what it feels like to me.
Welcome To The Universe
I’ve heard from many people this song is nothing much, and from a few people this is the best song on the album. Lyrically I don’t care for this song at all. But musically I think it does contend for best song on the album. Not that it’s highly creative or original, but it’s performed quite well and has good energy, while it has a bit of a ‘big sound’ that works well for 30STM. This song is actually pretty decent, though they should’ve cut back on some of the sound effects.
The Mission
Definitely the most accessible and radio-friendly track, and it is quite a decent song. But I would like to quote part of the lyrics: “Why?”, Why is it on this album? Pure for commercial reasons? Cause it really doesn’t fit in with the rest. On itself, I give it the thumbs up, on this album, it feels like the odd duck.
End Of The Beginning
Sounds like a lot of things we heard before on the album. Do we really need a summary? It’s not all that bad, but after hearing the tracks before End of the Beginning it takes away some of what the song can be.
93 Million Miles
I’m gonna try to be positive here. Try is the operative word, because the song keeps on going for over 5 minutes and that makes it quite repetitive, but I can at least appreciate the effort in this song. I do feel like I miss things but there are pretty good things in it. The chorus is really nice, has a good beat.
Year Zero
Year Zero I did like. The major downside is the length. I know 5 minutes is not that long, especially looking at bands from the 60s – 80s, but these days marketable songs are hardly longer than 4 minutes. The vocals I didn’t think were super on this track, but on this track finally 30STM shows some creativity. They show some guts and that’s something to appreciate. They confirm they are good musicians and Jared Leto is not a bad singer. And on this track they all do their part and they work together as a band.
30 Seconds To Mars is a talented band, and they know how to write songs. Some of the songs on this album, like Fallen, Welcome To The Universe & Year Zero actually were pretty nice, but overall this is a pretty average album. Has some songs that I wouldn’t mind to hear in the pub, but nothing that gets me jump up from my comfy chair. I think if you put the songs in your playlist along with a lot of other albums, the songs can be quite nice, but as an album, there are a few things that just don’t get job done completely.