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Rating:
The concept of this "coming from Mars" already implies diversity, alienation, and estrangement from the affairs of the world and brings us back to the atmosphere of Bradbury's Martian Chronicles. At first glance, the sound is very "nu-metal" or, better yet, with a more current definition, "emo-core", a new generation musical genre. Neo-romantic, neo-gothic, very "screaming". They arrived in Italy with the classic academic delay, about two years after the album's release.
Rarefied atmospheres, alien invasions, hidden fears. Desperate escapes, wars between worlds, landings on Mars, interspatial departures. All this was in the first album: instead, this time the alien is much closer to us. Indeed, it is inside us. These days we can see on the main music networks in "heavy rotation" the music video for "The Kill", inspired by Stanley Kubrick's Shining (Overlook Hotel). The band members stay at this hotel and are haunted by their respective alter-egos, dressed to play at a 1920s party, populated by identical twins. The entire track is focused on the fear of oneself and one's inner shadows, with a psychological conflict so strong it drives to suicide ("Come break me down - Bury me, bury me - I am finished with you"). "A beautiful lie", the title track, is a kind of anthem to lies, ambiguity, the willingness to mask the past by playing with the truth. Through the grandeur of "From Yesterday" (the beginning is a clear reference to U2) we encounter the mystical crisis: indeed, singer Jared Leto questions an undefined but very powerful entity, that is, the one who "has the world on his face" ("On his face is a map of the world").
The most recurring and recognizable sounds are powerful guitar riffs, alternating with a voice now velvety and languid, now broken by genuine cries of anger, pain, despair, impotence. They sound good, reminiscent of several other bands already heard, such as Evanescence, Linkin Park, Incubus, they could also be defined as a "sugarcoated version of Tool"; they move from extreme hard as in "Attack" or "Battle of one" to the poignant ballad of "A modern myth" made very elegant by strings and acoustic guitar. In "R-Evolve" they seem like the thoughts of a death row inmate, reflecting on what they've done and why, indeed, they've never lived a real life. And they invoke execution to free themselves from themselves ("It's time for execution; it's time to execute"). Jared Leto's band (a familiar face, co-star in films like Alexander and Lord of War) is making headway: in the USA 30 Seconds to Mars have been famous for a few years already, they will probably find fertile ground in Europe as well.
Tracklist Lyrics and Samples
01 Attack (03:09)
I won't suffer, be broken, get tired, or wasted
Surrender to nothing, and give up what I
Started and stopped it, from end to beginning
A new day is coming, and I am finally free
Run away, run away, I'll attack
Run away, run away, go chase yourself
Run away, run away, now, I'll attack
I'll attack, I'll aa-WHOOOAAAAAAAAA
I would've kept you forever, but we had to sever
It ended for both of us, faster than a-
Kill off this thinking, it's starting to sink in
I'm losing control now; without you I can finally see
Run away, run away, I'll attack
Run away, run away, go chase yourself
Run away, run away, now, I'll attack
I'll attack, I'll aa-WHOOOAAAAAAAAA
Your promises, they look like lies
Your honesty, like a back that hides a knife(knife)
I promise you (promise you)
I promise you (promise you, promise you)
That I am finally free
Run away, run away, I'll attack
Run away, run away, go chase yourself
Run away, run away, now I'll attack
I'll attack, I'll attack, I will attack
Run away, I'll attack, I will attack
Run away, I'll attack, I will attack
Run away, I'll attack, I will attack
Run away, now, I'll attack, I'll attack, I'll aa-WHOOOAAAAAAAAA
Your promises
(promises, promises)
I promise you
(promise you)
I promise you
(promise you, promise you)
02 A Beautiful Lie (04:05)
Lie awake in bed at night
And think about your life
Do you want to be different?
Try to let go of the truth
The battles of your youth
’Cause this is just a game
It's a beautiful lie
It's a perfect denial
Such a beautiful lie to believe in
So beautiful, beautiful it makes me
It's time to forget about the past
To wash away what happened last
Hide behind an empty face
Don't ask too much, just say
'Cause this is just a game
It's a beautiful lie
It's a perfect denial
Such a beautiful lie to believe in
So beautiful, beautiful it makes me
Lie....Beautiful
Everyone's looking at me
I'm running around in circles (baby)
A quiet desperation's building higher
I've got to remember this is just a game
So beautiful, beautiful...
(It's a beautiful lie
Beautiful, beautiful
It's a beautiful lie
Beautiful, beautiful
It's a beautiful lie
Beautiful, beautiful)
It's a beautiful lie
It's a perfect denial
Such a beautiful lie to believe in
So beautiful, beautiful it makes me
(Shoots himself)
03 The Kill (03:51)
What if I wanted to break
Laugh it all off in your face
What would you do?
What if I fell to the floor
Couldn't take all this anymore
What would you do, do, do?
Come
Break me down
Bury me, bury me
I am finished with you
What if I wanted to fight
Beg for the rest of my life
What would you do?
You say you wanted more
What are you waiting for
I'm not running from you
Come
Break me down
Bury me, bury me
I am finished with you
Look in my eyes
You're killing me, killing me
All I wanted was you
I tried to be someone else
But nothing seemed to change
I know now, this is who I really am inside
Finally found myself
Fighting for a chance
I know now, this is who I really am
Come
Break me down
Bury me, bury me
I am finished with you, you, you
Look in my eyes
You're killing me, killing me
All I wanted was you
Come, break me down
Break me down
Break me down
What if I wanted to break...?
04 Was It a Dream? (04:15)
Your defenses were on high
Your walls built deep inside
Yeah I’m a selfish bastard
But at least I’m not alone
My intentions never change
What I want it stays the same
And I know what I should do
It's time to set myself on fire
Was it a dream?
Was it a dream?
Is this the only evidence that proves it
A photograph of you and I
Your reflection I’ve erased
Like a thousand burned out yesterdays
Believe me when I say, "goodbye forever,"
It's for good
Was it a dream?
Was it a dream?
Is this the only evidence that proves it
A photograph of you and I
Whoa yeah! Whoa…
Was it a dream?
Was it a dream?
Is this the only evidence that proves it
A photograph of you and I
(A photograph of you and I)
Was it a dream?
Was it a dream?
Is this the only evidence that proves it
A photograph of you and I
A photograph of you and I
A photograph of you and I
... In love...
05 The Fantasy (04:29)
With the lights out it’s a little less dangerous
Even with a stranger never gets painless
Don’t be afraid (afraid, afraid)
Every time I think I’m gonna change it (think I'm gonna change it, think I'm gonna change it)
It’s driving me (driving me) insane (insane)
(Yeah, yeah, yeah)
Do you live, do you die, do you bleed
For the fantasy
In your mind, through your eyes, do you see
It’s the fantasy
Maybe tonight we can forget about it all
It could be just like heaven
I am a machine
No longer living, just a shell of what I dreamed
(Yeah, yeah, yeah)
Do you live, do you die, do you bleed
For the fantasy
In your mind, through your eyes, do you see
It’s the fantasy
Say it, say it, say that you believe
Say it, say it to me
Do you live, do you die, do you bleed
For the fantasy
Automatic, I imagine, I believe
Do you live
Do you die
Do you bleed
For the fantasy
Do you live, do you die, do you bleed
For the fantasy
In your mind, through your eyes, do you see
It’s the fantasy
Automatic, I imagine, I believe
Automatic, I imagine, I believe
Say it, say it, say that you believe
(Automatic, I imagine, I believe)
Say it, say it to me
(Automatic, I imagine, I believe)
Say it, say it, say that you believe
(Automatic, I imagine, I believe)
Say it, say it to me
Automatic, I imagine, I believe
I believe, I believe, I believe
06 Savior (03:24)
Until you crash
Until you burn
Until you lie
Until you learn
Until you see
Until you believe
Until you fight
Until you fall
Until the end of everything at all
Until you die
Until you’re alive
Don’t save me, don’t save me, cuz I don’t care
Don’t save me, don’t save me, cuz
I don’t care
Until you give
Until you’ve used
Until you’ve lost
Until you lose
Until you see, how could you believe?
Until you’ve lived a thousand times
Until you’ve seen the other side
This is my chance, this is my chance
Don’t save me, don’t save me, cuz I don’t care
Don’t save me, don’t save me, cuz
I don’t care
Until the truth becomes a lie
Until you change, until you deny
Until you believe
This is my chance, this is my chance
I’ll take it now because I can
This is my chance, I want it now
Don’t save me, don’t save me, cuz I don’t care
Don’t save me, don’t save me, cuz
I don’t care
Save me, save me, save me
Save me, save me, save me
I don’t care
07 From Yesterday (04:07)
He's a stranger to some
And a vision to none
He can never get enough,
Get enough of the world
For a fortune he'd quit
But it's hard to admit
How it ends and begins
On his face is a map of the world
(A map of the world)
On his face is a map of the world
(A map of the world)
From yesterday, it's coming
From yesterday, the fear
From yesterday, it calls him
But he doesn't want to read the message here
On a mountain he sits
Not of gold but of shit
Through the blood he can look
See the life that it took
From the council of one
He'll decide when he's done
With the innocent
On his face is a map of the world
(A map of the world)
On his face is a map of the world
(A map of the world)
From yesterday, it's coming
From yesterday, the fear
From yesterday, it calls him
But he doesn't want to read the message
He doesn't want to read the message
Doesn't want to read the message here
On his face is a map of the world
From yesterday, it's coming
From yesterday, the fear
From yesterday, it calls him
But he doesn't want to read the message here
From yesterday,
From yesterday,
From yesterday, the fear
From yesterday,
From yesterday
But he doesn't want to read the message here
But he doesn't want to read the message here
But he doesn't want to read the message here
08 The Story (03:55)
I've been thinking of everything
I used to want to be
I've been thinking of everything
Of me, of you and me
This is the story of my life
These are the lies I have created
I'm in the middle of nothing
And it's where I want to be
I'm at the bottom of everything
And I finally start to leave
This is the story of my life
These are the lies I have created
I created
And I swear to god
I've found myself
In the end
In the end
This is the story of my life
These are the lies I have created
09 R-Evolve (03:59)
A revolution has begun today for me inside
The ultimate defence is to pretend
Revolve around yourself just like an ordinary man
The only other option to forget
Does it feel like we’ve ever been alive?
Does it seem like it's only just begun?
To find yourself just look inside the wreckage of your past
To lose it all you have to do is lie
The policy is set and we are never turning back
It’s time for execution; time to execute
Time for execution; time to execute!
Does it feel like we’ve ever been alive?
Does it seem like it’s only just begun?
Does it feel like we’ve ever been alive inside?
Does it seem like it’s only just begun?
It’s only just begun
The evolution is coming!
A revolution has begun!
(It has begun!)
The evolution is coming!
A revolution has, yeah!
The evolution is coming!
A revolution has begun!
(It has begun!)
The evolution is coming!
A revolution has, yeah!
(Revolution…)
11 Battle of One (02:47)
Try and stop me
Try and save me
I want to fall...
Try and crush me
Take me, teach me
I want to fall
I want to fall
I want to fall...
I want to fall
I want to fall
I want to fall...
12 Hunter (03:56)
If travel is searching
And home whats been found
I'm not stopping
I'm going hunting
I'm the hunter
I'll bring back the goods
But i don't know when
I thought i could organize all freedom
How American of me
This is soon
You figured it out, didn't you?
You could smell it
So you left me on my own
To complete the mission
Now I'm leaving it all behind
I'm going hunting
I'm the hunter
I'm the hunter
I'm the hunter
You just didn't know me [x6]
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Other reviews
By pk1986
"The songs flow quickly, and it almost seems like you’re unaware of listening at full volume with headphones."
"The video for The Kill won the MTV2 Video Music Awards for best video, while From Yesterday is the first American video in history to have been broadcast in China."
By PunkPrincess
The greatest strength lies in the originality of the melodies that fit perfectly with the voice of the frontman Jared Leto.
Depth is rare nowadays in music, and if you come across a good album that won’t change the history of music but is well made and with some good messages to convey, why throw it there in the murky sea of today’s music?
By Taurus
The ten tracks are as dull as the music market can offer.
They can’t break away from the usual rhythms, melodies and they repeat endlessly, quickly tiring.
