"A Beautiful Lie, the second studio album from 30 Seconds To Mars, was recorded in five different countries over a period of three years, in order to accommodate vocalist/guitarist Jared Leto's acting career. Yet the album is anything but disjointed. On the contrary, it's more consistent than its predecessor, 30 Seconds To Mars, as well as more confident, more personal (lyrically), and generally more mature. True, A Beautiful Lie relies heavily on Leto's dynamic vocals to lead the way. But lead single, "Attack," illustrates the more stripped down, radio-friendly sound of the band perfectly - as do tracks "The Kill," "Was it a Dream" and "From Yesterday". The band conjure up some slower, more kaleidoscopic moments ("A Modern Myth," for example), but A Beautiful Lie is largely a punchy project with a frisky mid-tempo pace and an engagingly sonorous aura. The only criticism would be the choice of Bjorks "Hunter" as a song to cover: 30 Seconds To Mars are very far from doing the song - or themselves - justice here. However, the newly enhanced version of the album, with its re-recording of the "The Kill" and DVD featuring live performances and MTV2 moments, help make up for any occasional blips." --Danny McKenna
