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The hard edged rock sound that drove 30 Seconds to Mars on their self titled debut returns on their sophomore effort “A Beautiful Lie”. Fronted by actor turned singer Jared Leto, who’s known best for his roles in movies Panic Room and Requiem for a Dream, brings his intense vocals, backed by a guitar driven band, who’s rock sound seems to compliment Leto’s vocals nicely. Even if the band’s lead singer might double as a Hollywood hunk, the band hasn’t let that distract them from recording an album with a handful of very impressive tracks. The album opens with the hook driven single “Attack” which soars sonically with processing mixed and forceful vocals. Next up is “The Kill” a track the immediately harkens back to late 90’s alternative rock, reminiscent of Black Lab or even Smashing Pumpkins. The album then moves into “A Beautiful Lie” which could easily be the next single, and quite possible a hit at alternative radio. At times this album can tend to run together, latter tracks in the album lack the distinctive features that make the opening tracks so noteworthy. Nevertheless, this album is still worth a listen, and in time could gain some attention with a little radio play.