Thirty Seconds to Mars - Love Lust Faith + Dreams

'Love Lust Faith + Dreams' is the latest offering from the alternative rock band 30 Seconds to Mars. It is their fourth studio album since their formation in 1998, and was released in May of 2013. After the release of the album, the band crossed over the 10 million albums sales worldwide mark.

Since their formation in 1998, the band has seen a few members come and go but its founding members, brothers Jared and Shannon Leto, have remained constant in the writing, recording and production of the songs. Matt Wachter (now of Angels and Airwaves) was a member up until 2007, until he was replaced by Tomo Milličević, who is currently the bands bassist. The band has often been joined on tours by a variety of other artists, adding an extra guitarist or keyboard player here and there, but the three main members are the ones who were the driving force behind the recording of the bands two most recent albums, 'This is War' in 2009, and the newest 'Love Lust Faith + Dreams'.

The similarities between the two albums are evident, but are both are very separate albums in their own right. The songwriting process for the new album began late in 2011, and by the time the band went into studio early in 2012, they had more than 50 songs to work with before deciding on the final 12 they have placed on the album. Since the release of their highly successful album in 2005 titled 'A Beautiful Lie' they have made a drastic change with regards to the approach they have to their music, and focus less on the alternative rock influence, and more on the experimental and progressive styles of rock that influenced the bands formation.

'Love Lust Faith + Dreams' focuses heavily on the themes mentioned in the title of the album, and the lyrics are a lot darker and meaningful than the have been on any of the bands previous albums. The album is split into four parts, symbolising the split between 'Love' 'Lust' 'Faith' and 'Dreams'. There is also a much heavier orchestral and electronic influence to the album than the previous ones, with most of the themes being introduced by a light electronic orchestral intro. I personally preferred the alternative side of the band when it comes to comparing the albums 'A Beautiful Lie' and the progressive 'This Means War', but with this new album they have done an incredible job transitioning the two genres. Jared Leto's voice is more powerful and emphatic on the album than he ever has been before, and with the bands overall creative and talented musical input, they have released something truly fantastic.

The first single released off the album titled 'Up in the Air' has been very well received, getting massive amounts amounts of airplay on radio stations world-wide. Interestingly enough it was the first commercial copy of music sent to space. Up In the Air is just a taste of how brilliant the album is, and is definitely a good reason to purchase and have a listen to the rest of the album.

Personally I think this album is the best offering by the band up till now, and I highly recommend it to anyone who is a fan of 30 Seconds to Mars, and even to those who haven't really decided yet.

My personal favourite song off the album is titled City of Angels, and it is probably my favourite song the band has ever recorded.

30 Seconds to Mars- City of Angels

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