Description
Thirty Seconds To Mars – This Is War – Double Vinyl Record and CD
Thirty Seconds to Mars’ This Is War, released on December 8, 2009, is the band’s third studio album and widely considered one of their most ambitious and transformative projects. Coming off the success of A Beautiful Lie (2005), which had propelled them into mainstream rock with hits like “The Kill” and “From Yesterday,” the band faced enormous pressure during the making of This Is War. Much of that pressure came not only from their growing fame but also from a highly publicized $30 million lawsuit with their label, EMI, which dragged on for years before being settled. That legal battle, along with personal struggles and a desire to push their creative boundaries, became the crucible out of which this record was forged.
This Is War captures a moment of defiance, reinvention, and existential reflection. The title itself reflects both the literal conflict with their record label and the internal wars the band was fighting—against expectations, against creative limitations, and against the uncertainties of life in a rapidly changing world. Jared Leto, the band’s frontman, described the album as being about “survival” and “the human struggle.” The record’s lyrics consistently return to themes of resistance, faith, doubt, transformation, and resilience, giving the album a philosophical weight that matched its dramatic sonic scale.
This Is War marked a significant evolution for Thirty Seconds to Mars. While still rooted in alternative rock, the album expanded into arena rock, electronic, and experimental territory, blending soaring guitar lines with heavy use of synthesizers, tribal-style percussion, and massive, chant-like vocals. Songs like the title track, “This Is War,” and the explosive “Kings and Queens” embody that shift, building anthems designed to fill stadiums with communal energy. The album is also notable for its use of crowd participation: the band organized “The Summit,” a series of recording sessions where fans were invited to sing and chant, and those recordings were woven into tracks like “Closer to the Edge” and **“Vox Populi.” This gave the album a literal sense of community and collective struggle, tying its themes of unity and resistance to its very sound.
Some of the album’s most enduring tracks highlight its wide emotional range. “Kings and Queens,” with its soaring chorus and triumphant instrumentation, quickly became one of the band’s signature songs, embodying hope and transcendence. “Closer to the Edge” is a cathartic anthem about taking risks, embracing life, and facing mortality, with a euphoric quality that resonated with fans worldwide. On the darker side, “Hurricane” (particularly the version featuring Kanye West) explores themes of desire, destruction, and human weakness, pairing cinematic production with haunting vocals. “Alibi” and “Night of the Hunter” provide more intimate, emotional counterpoints, showing the album’s depth beyond its bombast.
Visually and conceptually, This Is War also stood out for its presentation. The band released the album with 30 different cover variations, each featuring a close-up photograph of a fan’s face (including some celebrities), emphasizing the collective and participatory spirit of the record. The imagery of war, survival, and human resilience extended to the band’s tours, which were massive multimedia productions filled with symbolic visuals and fan interaction.
This Is War was praised for its ambition and scope, though some reviewers found its bombastic style polarizing. Commercially, it was a major success, debuting in the top 20 of the Billboard 200 and producing some of the band’s biggest hits. Over time, it has come to be seen as a defining album in Thirty Seconds to Mars’ career—both as a creative statement and as proof of their ability to transcend challenges and reinvent themselves on a global scale.
In the larger arc of their discography, This Is War represents the moment when Thirty Seconds to Mars fully embraced their identity as arena-filling rock visionaries, blending music, visuals, and fan participation into a multimedia experience. It cemented their reputation as a band that thinks on a grand scale, turning personal and professional struggles into anthems of survival that resonated deeply during the turbulent late 2000s.
Brand new, never played and still sealed in the factory plastic
Track Listing
Escape
Night Of The Hunter
Kings And Queens
This Is War
100 Suns
Hurricane
Closer To The Edge
Vox Populi
Search And Destroy
Alibi
Stranger In A Strange Land
L490
Compact Disc
Escape
Night Of The Hunter
Kings And Queens
This Is War
100 Suns
Hurricane
Closer To The Edge
Vox Populi
Search And Destroy
Alibi
Stranger In A Strange Land
L490
