Have there been many more purposeful opening lyrics to an album? When I hit play on Dec 8th 2009 I was already anticipating something special from my favourite band 30 Seconds To Mars but what followed was something truly special. The album was This Is War and it changed my life.
I'd been a massive 30 Seconds To Mars fan since 2007 when I discovered their album A Beautiful Lie and subsequently their debut Thirty Seconds To Mars . After seeing them live (19 shows later they're still my favourite band to see) and witnessing their connection to their fans 'The Echelon' I was convinced they were a special band. I'd closely followed their battle with their record company over their contract and their refusal to back down and "Shut up and make a record" (I highly recommend checking out their documentary Artifact about their battle for creative control and also featuring the hunt for the 'perfect' Christmas tree).
The first taste we got of the album was the release of it's first single "Kings and Queens". It's still my favourite song to this day. It was a breath of fresh air, soaring, beautiful and,well, perfect in every way.
The album is one of light and shade, the 'darker' songs like "Night Of The Hunter", "Hurricane" and "Stranger In A Strange Land" give an insight into the effect of the lawsuit dropped on them by their record label. But there is still a beauty in these, Jared's lyrics (as always!) hit home and provide solace to those of us feeling the same way.
Then there are the songs of pure joy "Kings and Queens", "Vox Populi" and the live favourite "Closer To The Edge" with lyrics about the "Defence of our dreams" and the never regretting "I will live my life". These songs still lift me no matter what kind of kicking my mental health is giving me. One of the standout tracks on the album is the haunting "Alibi". It begins almost fragile but builds to a defiant crescendo of "I fell apart but got back up again" reflecting my struggles at the time and search for hope.
Of course the album's title track "This Is War" says it all, a defiant rallying cry for us all to stand up for ourselves and what we believe in. When I'm in an arena and 1000s of other Echelon are chanting "Fight, fight, fight" it still gives me goosebumps all these years later.
I could write for hours about what "This Is War" means to me, the adventures I've had because of it, the people I've met and the light it has brought to me. I'll leave it here with a thank you from the bottom of my heart, for gifting us this masterpiece and giving hope to so many of us.
Whilst I am still fighting my war against myself I'm safe in the knowledge that I have the perfect soundtrack for it!
Thank you 30 Seconds To Mars.
Love Jen
XxxX
PS If you haven't listened to the album then for the love of god get your butts in gear and give it a listen!!!
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