Review Summary: A huge step down.
This Is War is a successful blend of their previous album’s alternative rock, and their self-titled album’s spacy/progressive tendencies. The album ambitiously crashes in (after the unneeded intro ‘Escape’) with the obscure ‘Night of the Hunter’. Immediately evident is the band’s direction toward electronic-infused rock. With bopping synthesizers and the tom-toms smashed as loudly as possible, the song prompts the listener to jump along. Combined with smooth guitars and a loud delivery from Jared Leto (the lead vocalist) during the chorus, ‘Night of the Hunter’ is one of the best songs. Another excellent mix of previous sounds is found in, ‘Search and Destroy’. The song is less aggressive than the previous album, but the spacey synths in the verse combined with the shimmering guitars in the chorus converge in a decent, if mundane fusion.
Ultimately, This Is War is a decent blend of old and new. It is a little rough on the edges, but this is to be expected from a band continuously evolving. This could have been an album for the ages, but too many inconsistencies have robbed the band of a classic release. The singing can be quite lazy, riding off the coat tails of the chants coming from his fans which he refers to as his “cult”. Any theatrical capabilities he once had are massively reduced, though rear there end in the odd song, Stranger In A Strange Land. Another problem I find in the album is how songs are at odds with each other. There’s variety indeed, but the collection feels like a handful of singles rather than a full album. Half of the songs are cringe inducing as well, whether it be lyrics, obnoxious chant uses, lazy singing, or corny sections. The only thing giving a sense of completion is bright melody work combined with effectively catchy choruses, and effects added on top are obnoxious. From the literal call of a bald eagle, to a We Will Rock You type drum section - let’s not forget the endless yell-singing from the “cult” - the album is overblown and try hard.
Whereas Thirty Seconds To Mars once wrote mesmeric songs with ease, this album is simply an attempt at repeat success. The most compelling songs are Kings and Queens and This Is War because they give the vibe of From Yesterday. You’ll find that half the album attempts to repeat that formula, but often fails to produce anything that doesn’t sound artificial. Hurricane is one of the only truly ambitious songs here, a pop song, something the band don’t regularly write. Aside from that, the album is full of use once, and throwaway after songs.
