(3.5 Out of 5)

Jared Leto and his bandmates have followed up the popular A Beautiful Lie with this thematic album centered on War but not in the armed forces type, much more about social and relational fights. The album makes use of Leto’s soaring screaming vocals while also creating a mishmash of bombast making attempts at shooting the success of this CD past the stars.

Where this album excels could be on the stage. With the right amount of performance art and choreography, This is War, could become a stage to be seen, but I expect that 30STM will do more screaming at the crowd that I have seen at performances I have been to and not truly sell their product. The CD works less as an album and better as some sort of stage performance, if only that is what they will produce. 

Unfortunately, the album comes off a bit self indulgent. It seems the album goes too far out of its way to impress by the use of children’s choirs, female voiceovers, and chanting monks intermixed into loud overt drums and guitars that after a while is just too much. It is a good album, far better than their first CD, but it does not capture the heart of their second, A Beautiful Lie.

Suggested Listening: “Night of the Hunter” and “This is War”

By: Josh Wheeler - Contributing Writer