This Is War | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
![]() | ||||
Studio album by | ||||
Released | December 8, 2009 | |||
Studio | The International Centre for the Advancement of the Arts and Sciences of Sound (Los Angeles, California) | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 60:40 | |||
Label | ||||
Producer |
| |||
Thirty Seconds to Mars chronology | ||||
| ||||
This Is War Deluxe edition | ||||
![]() Available in four colors: black/white, pink/white, blue/white, and white/black. | ||||
Singles from This Is War | ||||
|
This Is War is the third studio album by American rock band Thirty Seconds to Mars,released on December 8,2009 through Virgin Records. It was the band's first studio album in four years,after the breakthrough of their previous work, A Beautiful Lie (2005). The album was recorded over a span of two years while the band was in the midst of a legal dispute with Virgin over an alleged breach-of-contract. The case was later settled in April 2009,and the band signed to EMI later that year.
The album marked a departure from the band's previous material,implementing a more experimental direction that draws influence from progressive rock,new wave,industrial,and heavy metal music. Lyrically,it is a conceptual record shaped by the band's personal struggles and legal battle with their record label,and is sometimes considered a rock opera. It was accompanied by the documentary film Artifact (2012),which chronicled the dispute.
This Is War received general acclaim from critics,who praised its instrumentation and experimental direction,and was nominated for the Echo Music Prize. It reached the top ten of several national album charts and has since sold over four million copies worldwide. The record was primarily promoted through the Into the Wild Tour,which earned the band a Guinness World Record for most live shows during a single album cycle,with 300 shows.
Thirty Seconds to Mars was sued for breach-of-contract by their record label,Virgin Records,in mid-2008. The label sought $30 million in damages,claiming that the band had failed to produce three of the five records they were obliged to deliver under their 1999 contract with the now-defunct Immortal Records. In 2004,Virgin took over the contract. Jared Leto responded to some of the claims in the suit on the band's website and dismissed rumors that the group had disbanded. He said the claims were "ridiculously overblown" and "totally unrealistic",before stating that "under California law,where we live and signed our deal,one cannot be bound to a contract for more than seven years." Thirty Seconds to Mars had been contracted for nine years,so the band decided to exercise their "legal right to terminate our old,out-of-date contract,which according to the law is null and void." [5]
After nearly a year of the lawsuit battle,the band announced on April 29,2009,that the case had been settled. [6] The suit was resolved following a defense based on a contract case involving actress Olivia de Havilland decades before. Leto explained,"The California Appeals Court ruled that no service contract in California is valid after seven years,and it became known as the De Havilland Law after she used it to get out of her contract with Warner Bros." [7] Thirty Seconds to Mars then decided to re-sign with EMI (the parent label of Virgin). Leto said the band had "resolved our differences with EMI" and the decision had been made because of "the willingness and enthusiasm by EMI to address our major concerns and issues,(and) the opportunity to return to work with a team so committed and passionate about Thirty Seconds to Mars." He said it was "the most challenging business obstacle that we've ever gone through as a band." [6]
Upon completion of the record,Leto spoke of the troubles the band faced while working on This Is War:"We spent two years of our lives working on that record,and it was us against the world... There were times that it was overwhelming. Everything that was going on was brutal... It was a case of survival,to tell the truth." [8]
Leto produced a documentary Artifact ,which depicted the state of the modern music industry through their dispute with their record company. Other musicians also gave accounts of their industry experiences. The film premiered at the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival,where it was well received and won the People's Choice Award for Best Documentary. [9] [10]
During recording sessions,the band hosted a gathering,which they called "The Summit",at the Avalon club in Los Angeles. [11] The purpose of the gathering was to deepen the band's connection with the fans by involving them in the making of the album. Approximately 1,000 fans from across the U.S. and Europe showed up for The Summit. Their participation in the recording process ranged from providing percussion and whispers on some tracks to singing the whole chorus of a song. In an interview with MTV,frontman Jared Leto described the process as an experiment saying "It was quite simply one of the best things we've done as a band". [12] Leto also revealed in the interview that album's style would be leaning more towards that of their self-titled debut than that of A Beautiful Lie ,[ better source needed ] with most songs clocking in over five minutes. Describing the experimental recording process,he said:
"I think we do a really good job at just chasing the feeling,the core of the song,and allowing the song the ability or right to go where it leads us,where it wants to go. The song dictates that,and we've been working on this collection of songs for 12 months,so we know them pretty well." [12]
In May 2009,Kanye West posted a photo of himself,Brandon Flowers (the frontman of The Killers) and Jared Leto together and announced that he and Jared were working together on a song named "Hurricane". Leto later confirmed that Kanye West's vocals would appear on "Hurricane" and that West would be singing,not rapping. [13] West's vocal contribution to the song was ultimately removed because of legal issues surrounding the rights of the record labels of each of the artists. [14] Although it was not released on the original pressing of the album,Leto said the track would eventually be heard. [15] The early leaked versions of the album had the version of "Hurricane" featuring Kanye West included.[ citation needed ] This version also appears on the Deluxe edition of the album.
AllMusic writer Stephen Thomas Erlewine acknowledged the band's progression since their last record; saying that it was a liability "When they were mining a post-grunge or nu metal or emo vein," but now the group has deviated to a sound that is more reminiscent of "a hybrid of the Killers' retro new wave and My Chemical Romance's gothic prog." He said following the band's transposition "they've wound up with a sound that suits their stance", referring to the record as "an ungainly mix of synth rock, metal, and prog, the distillation of all manner of brooding '80s teenage obsessions." [16] Sara Anderson from AOL Radio referred to This Is War's "extremely progressive rock sound with killer choruses"; saying the album clearly takes inspiration from experimental Pink Floyd to melodic M83. [2] Billboard writer Cortney Harding said the album "represented an artistic step forward for the band," observing that the band hasn't completely abandoned its melodic and hard rock tendencies. [17] The Times described the record's sound as "a tighter, more textured set of eyeliner indie-rock tunes than the group's previous albums". [4]
"One thing that I thought was missing from Thirty Seconds to Mars was a sense of optimism, which I think you feel on songs on this record. 'Kings and Queens,' there's a triumphant feeling of the possibilities that we all have. 'This Is War,' you feel a confidence and a celebration, and even 'Closer to the Edge'. [In the case of] 'Stranger in a Strange Land' ... the other thing I felt was missing was sexuality. And that's obviously a big part of all of our lives, and I thought it (was) important to address some of that."
—Jared Leto, Thirty Seconds to Mars lyricist and vocalist, on the themes incorporated into the record. [18]
Thirty Seconds to Mars frontman Jared Leto described the record as a concept album, proceeding to say "if this isn't, I'm not sure what is". [18] He said the record was created in an "intense two-year period, where it felt like the whole world was falling apart and massive changes were going on. I think you can hear that in the sound of this album." [19] Furthermore, he refused to call the album a rock opera, "People seem OK with calling it 'a rock opera'... I would never say that though; the only thing I'm comfortable saying 'rock opera' about is Tommy by The Who. But it's very conceptual, about many spiritual things, and it really is simply who we are, who we've become." [18]
Leto described the style as "much more electronic and experimental, with lots of vintage synths." [19] Leto also mentioned that he had written lyrics about some themes he felt were missing from their previous work, such as optimism and sexuality only for the song "Stranger in a Strange Land". [18] Rock Sound writer Victoria Durham referred to the dramatic themes instilled in the album, such as "Night of the Hunter" which she said "is one of the album's most dramatic efforts" and also reminiscing over their previous album, A Beautiful Lie, which he says "featured its share of over-dramatic moments, (but) this time the band have blasted them into the stratosphere. The massive-sounding 'Vox Populi' is a prime example." She reiterates Leto's claim, noting the track has a "feeling of all-conquering optimism". [20]
The music video for the song "Hurricane" was banned by MTV and several other TV channels around the world. The video, which runs for 13 minutes and 10 seconds and was directed by Jared Leto under the pseudonym Bartholomew Cubbins, premiered on MTV on November 29, 2010. Jared stated in an interview with MTV that "I didn't expect all this to happen, but it's a good thing that it happens, only because of the conversation that it may provoke, about these sort of things, and looking at art and creative expression and weighing that against protecting the viewers from the exhibition of certain behaviors". [21] " The video was censored and banned because of its elements of violence, nudity and sex. On November 28, 2010, Jared Leto posted the letter from MTV about the censorship of the video on his blog. The list features the offending scenes, such as a woman running her finger on the anus of another G-string woman, which was classified as "restricted". It was only this shot which had made the video completely restricted. [22]
BioWare has announced that the soundtrack of Dragon Age: Origins contains the song "This Is War", as the title track. [23] The track made its world debut in the game before the release of the album. Steve Schnur, Worldwide Executive of Music and Music Marketing at Electronic Arts described working with Thirty Seconds to Mars:
"EA has always had a forward-thinking relationship with Thirty Seconds to Mars and we are overwhelmed with excitement about the band's involvement and creative contribution to Dragon Age: Origins. This exciting song debut exemplifies our continued commitment to working with great bands that move the needle to where music is going." [24]
Jared Leto commented, "We always try to push the envelope both in the entertainment world and the media, and our title track to debut in a game of this caliber is one of the best ways to bring our music to fans around the world. We've come a long way from having to rely solely on radio to approach and engage music fans, and Dragon Age: Origins is the perfect game to do this with." [24]
This Is War features 2,000 different album covers featuring individual photos of fans from around the world. [25] [26] The band asked fans to submit pictures of themselves, and then selected the 2,000 best images. The images were then used as covers for the album itself and shipped randomly to stores around the world. [27]
Cobra Starship frontman Gabe Saporta revealed to MTV News that he is featured on one of the covers, after sending in a photo and not expecting to be selected. Leto's mother also features on a cover. [27] There is also a number of other notable persons including manager Irving Azoff and label executives Ron Werre, Greg Thompson, Angelica Cob-Baehler, Colin Finklestein and Bob Semanovich; as well as celebrities Bam Margera, Kat Von D, Conan O'Brien and members of the bands Chevelle and Street Drum Corps. [28] [29]
The CD booklet, as well as the promotional and digital artwork features a roaring tiger. All retail albums include varied sleeves, separate from the booklet, featuring one of the 2,000 different covers.
The song "Escape" is featured in TV spots and in the trailer for the 2011 film adaption of I Am Number Four .[ relevant? ]
The song "This is War" is featured as the opening song on the 2013 anime series Sword Art Online Abridged .[ relevant? ]
The song “Kings And Queens” is featured in the science fiction film Skyline . [ relevant? ]
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Alternative Press | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Billboard | favorable [31] |
Entertainment Weekly | B− [32] |
Kerrang! | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Los Angeles Times | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Melodic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Q | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Rock Sound | 9/10 [20] |
Spin | 3/10 [37] |
According to many notable publications, This Is War received critical acclaim upon its release. [38] [39] [40] However, at Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received a score of 57, based on 12 reviews, indicating "mixed or average" reviews. [41]
In the week of its release, This Is War sold over 67,000 units in the United States, entering the Billboard 200 at number 19. [42] The album had debuted at number two on the Billboard Alternative Albums chart, [43] number two on the Digital Albums chart, [44] number four on the Rock Albums chart, [45] and number 23 on the European Albums chart. [46] On August 19, 2011, the album was certified platinum by the British Phonographic Industry for shipping 300,000 units. [47] On November 8, 2011, the album was certified gold in the United States. [48]
The first single from the album, "Kings and Queens", debuted in its week of release at number 20 on the Billboard Alternative Songs chart and the number 24 on the Rock Songs chart. [49] On the Alternative Songs chart, the song rose to the Top 5 only four weeks after its debut, peaking at number one and staying there for three weeks, ending Muse's song "Uprising"'s dominant run at the top of the chart. [50] It is the second Alternative number one song from Thirty Seconds to Mars, with the first being "From Yesterday", which managed two weeks at the top. [50] Before its release as a single, in the week ending December 26, 2009, the song "This Is War" debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 at number 72, [51] number 67 on the Canadian Hot 100, [51] number four on the Heatseekers Songs chart [51] and number 33 on the Hot Digital Songs chart. [51] The song was released as a single to American radio on March 8, 2010. [52]
In Germany, the album debuted at number 15 and quickly fell, and after only 14 weeks it disappeared out of the albums chart. After the album achieved several new entries at some low positions, it managed to climb up continuously since June (six months after the album's release) and after another 10 weeks, it reached its final peak of 12. [53]
As of May 2012, This Is War had sold nearly four million albums and over one million singles worldwide. [54]
Publication | Country | Accolade | Year | Rank |
---|---|---|---|---|
AOL Music | United States | "Best Albums of 2009" [55] | 2009 | * |
Rock Sound | United Kingdom | "Best Album Artwork" [56] | 2009 | 3 |
Rock Sound | United Kingdom | "Best Album of 2009" [56] | 2009 | 3 |
Virgin Radio Italia | Italy | "Best Album of 2009" [57] | 2009 | 1 |
All tracks are written by Jared Leto, except "L490" by Shannon Leto
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Escape" | 2:24 |
2. | "Night of the Hunter" | 5:40 |
3. | "Kings and Queens" | 5:46 |
4. | "This Is War" | 5:27 |
5. | "100 Suns" | 1:58 |
6. | "Hurricane" | 6:12 |
7. | "Closer to the Edge" | 4:33 |
8. | "Vox Populi" | 5:43 |
9. | "Search and Destroy" | 5:39 |
10. | "Alibi" | 5:59 |
11. | "Stranger in a Strange Land" | 6:54 |
12. | "L490" | 4:27 |
Total length: | 60:40 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
13. | "Kings and Queens" (LA Riots vocal mix) | 6:12 |
14. | "Night of the Hunter" (Flood remix) (Pre-order only) | 5:42 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
13. | "Kings and Queens" (Eddy and Tiborg radio mix) | 4:10 |
14. | "Kings and Queens" (Innerpartysystem remix main) | 6:17 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
13. | "Hurricane 2.0" (featuring Kanye West) | 6:11 | ||
14. | "Bad Romance" (BBC live version) | Stefani Germanotta, Nadir Khayat | Simon Askew | 4:40 |
15. | "Stronger" (BBC live version) | Kanye West, Thomas Bangalter, Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo, Edwin Birdsong | Andy Rogers | 6:03 |
Total length: | 77:30 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Closer to the Edge" (Music video) | 6:22 |
2. | "The Ride (Kings and Queens)" (Music video) | 8:51 |
3. | "The Ride" (The Making of) | 20:48 |
4. | "Into the Wild" | 6:15 |
5. | "The Summit" | 3:12 |
6. | "War Is Coming" (Short films) | 7:16 |
Thirty Seconds to Mars
Visuals and imagery
| Technical and production
Managerial
|
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Australia (ARIA) [90] | Gold | 35,000^ |
Austria (IFPI Austria) [91] | Gold | 10,000* |
Belgium (BEA) [92] | 2× Platinum | 60,000* |
Germany (BVMI) [93] | Platinum | 200,000^ |
Ireland (IRMA) [94] | Gold | 7,500^ |
Italy (FIMI) [95] | Gold | 30,000* |
New Zealand (RMNZ) [94] | Gold | 7,500^ |
Poland (ZPAV) [96] | Platinum | 20,000* |
Portugal (AFP) [97] | 2× Platinum | 40,000^ |
South Africa (RISA) [94] | Gold | 20,000* |
United Kingdom (BPI) [98] | Platinum | 300,000^ |
United States (RIAA) [99] | Gold | 500,000^ |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. |
Region | Date | Distributing label | Format |
---|---|---|---|
Australia [100] | December 4, 2009 | EMI Music | CD |
Austria [101] | |||
Finland [102] | |||
Germany [103] | |||
Italy [104] | EMI/Virgin | ||
Switzerland [105] | EMI Music | ||
Denmark [106] | December 7, 2009 | ||
New Zealand [107] | |||
Norway | |||
Poland [108] | |||
United Kingdom [109] | EMI/Virgin | ||
Argentina [110] | December 8, 2009 | EMI Music | |
Canada [111] | Virgin | ||
Mexico [112] | EMI Music | ||
Spain [113] | |||
United States [114] | Virgin | ||
South Africa [115] | EMI/Virgin | ||
Brazil [116] | December 10, 2009 | EMI Music | |
Japan [117] | July 14, 2010 | Toshiba EMI | |
Deluxe edition | |||
United States [118] | November 9, 2010 | Virgin | CD+DVD |
Australia [119] | November 19, 2010 | EMI Music | |
Poland [120] | November 22, 2010 | ||
Brazil [121] | November 30, 2010 |
Jared Joseph Leto is an American actor and musician. Known for his method acting in a variety of roles, he has received numerous accolades over a career spanning three decades, including an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award. Additionally, he is recognised for his musicianship and eccentric stage persona as frontman of the rock band Thirty Seconds to Mars.
Thirty Seconds to Mars is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 1998. The band consists of brothers Jared Leto and Shannon Leto. During the course of its existence, it has undergone various line-up changes with the Leto brothers being the only consistent members.
A Beautiful Lie is the second studio album by American rock band Thirty Seconds to Mars, released on August 30, 2005 through Virgin Records. It was produced by Josh Abraham.
30 Seconds to Mars is the debut studio album by American rock band Thirty Seconds to Mars. It was first released on August 27, 2002, by Immortal Records and distributed by Virgin Records. The album was produced by Bob Ezrin, Brian Virtue, and Thirty Seconds to Mars, and was recorded in rural Wyoming during 2001 and early 2002. It had been in the works for a couple of years, with lead vocalist Jared Leto writing the majority of the songs.
Shannon Leto is an American musician best known as the drummer of rock band Thirty Seconds to Mars. He co-founded the group in 1998 in Los Angeles, California, with his younger brother Jared. Their debut album, 30 Seconds to Mars (2002), was released to positive reviews but only to limited success. The band achieved worldwide fame with the release of their second album A Beautiful Lie (2005). Their following releases, This Is War (2009) and Love, Lust, Faith and Dreams (2013), received further critical and commercial success. As of September 2014, the band has sold over 15 million albums worldwide.
"The Kill" (written "The Kill (Bury Me)" on the single and music video) is a song by American band Thirty Seconds to Mars. The song was released on January 24, 2006 as the second single from their second album, A Beautiful Lie. It was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and peaked at number 65 on the Billboard Hot 100.
"Capricorn (A Brand New Name)" is the debut song by American rock band Thirty Seconds to Mars. The song was released by Immortal Records on July 23, 2002, as the lead single from the band's self-titled debut album. The song was written by Jared Leto and was produced by Bob Ezrin, Brian Virtue and 30 Seconds to Mars. According to Jared Leto, the song is about a desire for renewal. "Capricorn (A Brand New Name)" first appearance was on the compilation Rock Tune Up #249 released by The Album Network on April 5, 2002.
American rock band Thirty Seconds to Mars has released six studio albums, three extended plays, eighteen singles, four promotional singles, one video album and seventeen music videos. The band was formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1998 by brothers Jared Leto and Shannon Leto, with Tomo Miličević joining the band later. The band's debut album, 30 Seconds to Mars, was released through Immortal and Virgin Records in August 2002 and peaked at number 107 on the US Billboard 200 and number one on the US Top Heatseekers, selling more than two million copies worldwide as of March 2011. The album produced two singles, "Capricorn " and "Edge of the Earth".
"Hurricane" is a song written by American rock band Thirty Seconds to Mars that is featured on their third studio album, This Is War. The song was written by lead vocalist and songwriter Jared Leto and produced by Leto, Flood and Steve Lilywhite. There are two versions of this song, one of which is included on the album and another which is a collaboration with rapper Kanye West, titled "Hurricane 2.0". "Hurricane" was awarded Best Single at the Kerrang! Awards 2011. The thirteen-minute music video, directed by Leto under the pseudonym Bartholomew Cubbins, garnered controversy when it premiered on November 29, 2010. It was banned by MTV because of its sexual content. An edited version, however, was put on heavy rotation on MTV2.
"Kings and Queens" is a song by American rock band Thirty Seconds to Mars, featured on their third studio album This Is War (2009). Written by lead vocalist Jared Leto across the United States and South Africa, the track was produced by Flood, Steve Lillywhite and Thirty Seconds to Mars. According to Leto, the lyrics of "Kings and Queens" explore the triumphant feeling of human possibilities. The melody of the song contains several qualities similar to that of 1980s adult contemporary musical works and is imbued with elements of progressive rock. The song was released as the lead single from This Is War on October 13, 2009.
"This Is War" is a song by American rock band Thirty Seconds to Mars, featured on their third studio album This Is War. Written by lead vocalist Jared Leto, the song was released as the second single from the album to American radio on March 8, 2010, and the physical single was released on March 26, 2010.
"Closer to the Edge" is a song written by Jared Leto and performed by American rock band Thirty Seconds to Mars. Produced by the band, co-produced by Flood, the track is the seventh track and the third single from their third studio album This Is War. It was released in the US on August 20, 2010.
Artifact is a 2012 American documentary film directed by Jared Leto under the pseudonym of Bartholomew Cubbins. It was produced by Leto and Emma Ludbrook through their production company Sisyphus. Artifact chronicles the modern music business as it charts the legal dispute between Leto's rock band Thirty Seconds to Mars and record label EMI, which filed a $30 million breach of contract lawsuit against them in 2008, after the band tried to exit its contract over a royalties dispute. Thirty Seconds to Mars is shown working with producer Flood to create the 2009 album This Is War, meeting with lawyers between recording sessions.
MTV Unplugged is an extended play (EP) and live album by American rock band Thirty Seconds to Mars, released in the United States on August 19, 2011 by Virgin Records. It features an acoustic performance taped at Sony Music Studios in New York City on May 13 of that year for the television series MTV Unplugged. The show's purpose is to present name artists, and feature them stripped of studio equipment. The performance was accompanied by musicians from the Vitamin String Quartet, a gospel choir and included the contribution of the band's fans.
"Up in the Air" is a song recorded by American rock band Thirty Seconds to Mars, featured on their fourth studio album, Love, Lust, Faith and Dreams (2013). Written by lead vocalist Jared Leto, who also produced the song with Steve Lillywhite, "Up in the Air" is an introspective and passionate track reflecting upon human consciousness. It marked a departure from much of the band's previous work as it incorporates a more electronic-influenced sound as well as elements from new wave music.
Love, Lust, Faith and Dreams is the fourth studio album by American rock band Thirty Seconds to Mars, released through Virgin Records in the Netherlands on May 17, 2013, in the UK on May 20 and in the US on May 21. It was their first album in four years, following This Is War (2009), as well as their last album released through Virgin.
"City of Angels" is a song by American rock band Thirty Seconds to Mars, featured on their fourth studio album Love, Lust, Faith and Dreams (2013). Written by lead vocalist Jared Leto, who co-produced the song with Steve Lillywhite, "City of Angels" was inspired by Leto's experience of living in Los Angeles with his family and was influenced by the city's culture. Imbued with elements of synthrock as well as music from the 1980s, the track was cited as an example of the album's variety and experimentation. It was one of the first songs to be written for Love, Lust, Faith and Dreams, but required a long period of time to record.
Into the Wild is an American documentary series written and directed by Jared Leto. The series tells the story behind the concert tour of the same name by American rock band Thirty Seconds to Mars, which propelled the group into arenas around the world and was certified by the Guinness World Records as the longest running tour in the history of rock music. The series is produced by Leto and Emma Ludbrook through the production company Sisyphus Corporation. Into the Wild premiered internationally on November 30, 2014, on the online platform VyRT.
America is the fifth studio album by American rock band Thirty Seconds to Mars, released on April 6, 2018 through Interscope Records. It is their first album in five years, after Love, Lust, Faith and Dreams (2013), as well as their only release for Interscope, following the band's departure from Virgin Records in 2014. It is also the final album by the band to feature lead guitarist Tomo Miličević, who left the band two months after its release.