Remember the super hot guy named Jared Leto, from My So-Called Life, Fight Club and Requiem for a Dream? Looking for a musical outlet, the actor took a break from his day job to form the alt band 30 Seconds to Mars, whose unique sound has been compared to everyone from Incubus to The Cure. Their self-titled debut album appeared in 2002 but remained pretty much underground, although their sound was exactly on par with the grunge bands of the time. Still, critics had to admit the venture was far better than actor-turned-musician-led bands tend to be, and the group was able to record a follow up. A Beautiful Lie dropped in 2005 and featured a tighter, more cohesive sound, evidencing the band had started to come into their own rather than sound like an assemblage of their influences. The group's eye-catching video for their single, "The Kill," was nominated for an MTV2 VMA, and the band went on tour in 2005 and be expecting another real soon!
Born of a great number of influences, particularly '90s grunge and U2, Jared Leto's group has become greater than the sum of its parts, in part due to the earnestness of its members and just the plain fact that they actually have something to say; this is no glamour project. Tracks like "The Kill" and the emotion-filled "Attack" belie an undercurrent of substance not often seen with bands in this genre, and Leto consistently turns in a better than average performance on vocals, somewhat surprisingly to some. With increased attention and their constantly improving videos, it seems mainstream fame is just around the corner. Either way, it's not likely to change this band, who have done things their own way since day one and rocking out and putting their own style and flare on their hits!
For more on 30 Seconds to Mars
be sure to check out:
30 Seconds to Mars Official Myspace
www.myspace.com/thirtysecondstomars
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