30 Seconds To Mars

Three years after their surprising debut, 30 Seconds returned with A Beautiful Lie, an edgy, emotionally charged album that has actor-cum-rock star Jared Leto recalling other heavy post-grungers like Incubus and Filter. It's Leto who drives this thing -- all affected moaning and, when the occasion calls for it, ragged screaming -- but the well-studied rock formulas behind him never really have the punch that the band's heroes are so capable of delivering. Of all the high-gloss rockers, the best pair comes right at the front with the big title track and "The Kill."

"This record," says 30 Seconds to Mars frontman Jared Leto, "is a story of life, death, pain,
joy and passion. Of what it is to be human." Despite some credible modern-rock tunes,
Leto's self-involved myopia guarantees that his band's second disc is long on melodrama.
But the real trouble with heavy downers such as "The Kill" and the lead single, "Attack,"
comes from his sidemen and his big-ass studio budget, both of which ensure that... More >