Album Review: Thirty Seconds To Mars - Love Lust Faith + Dreams

When Thirty Seconds To Mars first broke onto the music scene, it was as a four-piece: more Jared Leto and his backing band. Nowadays, trimmed down to a three-piece, they have evolved into one of the strongest alternative rock bands around. Love, Lust, Faith + Dreams is the fourth studio album by Thirty Seconds To Mars and it's less abrasive than its predecessor – 2009's This Is War. The entire album ebbs and flows, with delicate moments sitting alongside Jared Leto's impassioned pleas.

Although lyrically strong, third track Up In The Air loses its edge due to an annoying overuse of synths. City Of Angels is a reflective ballad that echoes U2's Where The Streets Have No Name, while Tomo Miličević's guitar solo in The Race is capable of blowing the listener's head off. Becoming a completely different track two-and-a-half minutes in, Do Or Die then comes full circle and returns to its foundations. Penultimate track Northern Lights is the standout; it contains all that makes Thirty Seconds To Mars great – powerful vocals, clever lyrics and classy musicianship.

This is not Thirty Seconds To Mars' best album, but it's not terrible either. Love, Lust, Faith + Dreams is patchy, containing both highlights and lowlights. However, the band still somehow manage to maintain their quintessential sexy, smooth-yet-gritty rock sound. Although at times it's still like the Jared Leto show, Love, Lust, Faith + Dreams is the perfect album to introduce a friend to Thirty Seconds To Mars. But then be sure to let them loose on the band's back catalogue.