This Is War - 30 Seconds to Mars
User Score
7.4 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 105 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 80 out of 105
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 105
  3. Negative: 18 out of 105

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  1. Bocci_rose
    Jan 26, 2011
    10
    I love those albums you can listen to over and over and never get tired of them and this is one of them. The lyrics leave you breathless and the beat keeps you rockin! One of my top five favorite CDs! Check it out it is worth the time!!!!
  2. theahsanhaseeb
    Jun 27, 2012
    9
    Honestly, "A Beautiful Lie" was the best album the band has made. "This Is War" sounds like the band is trying to achieve a wider audience but it still amused me in a number of ways. "Hurricane" was my favorite song on the album and it is my favorite 30 Seconds to Mars song. Songs like, "Closer to the Edge", "Search & Destroy", "Kings & Queens" make you lose control and take you to a whole another level. I am still giving it 9/10 because the album has made me fall in love with progressive rock.… Expand
  3. StefanoF.
    Feb 2, 2010
    9
    Really like this album. Very good songs, Looking forward to see them live again!
  4. EmmaG
    Jan 8, 2010
    9
    This is War is a unique album, and 30 Seconds to Mars actually pulls it off. They won't just let themselves get lost in the mainstream, and I like that. They did a great job on this album.
  5. MarkF.n
    Jan 9, 2010
    10
    I completely disagree with all the so-called "professional" reviews. Just like with movies, they never really represent what the people truly feel. As "critics", I'm more and more convinced that they have to prove their "worth" by looking for the negative, even if it takes spin. Pretty sad. My favorite album of 2009, and I wouldn't be surprised if five years from now I'd consider it in my all-time top 10. Passionate and epic.… Expand
  6. HelenaS.
    Feb 2, 2010
    10
    The best album ever!!!!!
  7. JennyW.
    Jan 31, 2010
    10
    This is the first time I have ever not been able to stop listening to an album. I tried several times to change to a different playlist on my ipod. I failed each time. Nothing shook my soul like this new album: This Is War. Screw what the critics say. It has inspired me and left me with a sense of hope unlike any other album I've heard in a long time. I wait for the day I will hear a better album than This Is War (I can't help the way I love it. You can't help who, or in this case what, you love).… Expand
  8. EvanA
    Dec 9, 2009
    9
    The only album by 30 Seconds that I've ever listened to, but perhaps the best album I've listened to in 2009. The references to heroism and upcoming conflict make me think it's a concept album though- which is fine with me.
  9. MariaG
    Dec 9, 2009
    10
    It made me feel completely free and involved in the atmosphere like in the movies.
  10. dan52484
    Oct 12, 2010
    10
    30 seconds to mars' first album was awesome but very lost, however this album sucks and what makes it worse is that everybody likes it. asldfk lksajdf lasdfk ladsfkj asldfj
  11. vicky_g
    Jan 26, 2011
    9
    The last album by the misunderstood rock band is by far their best work .Lyrics that take you to a never ending journey of soul searching,music tha awakens you and provokes your hidden passions ,giving you the appetite for more and more.it;s truly an album i still can't stop listening to ,with edgy rock tunes (like " night of the hunter " or "closer to the edge" ), heart felt -but not teenage lollipop- ballads (like my favourite "alibi' ) and more to shake you and make you agree with me that 30 seconds to mars are what the future will bring..… Expand
  12. L490
    Oct 5, 2011
    10
    "This Is War" is definitely one of the greatest albums I've heard in a long time. It has masterfully combined meaningful and metaphorical lyrics with grandiose music and it all makes a masterpiece. You can literally feel how much work has gone into it and how much the band cares. I think the reason, why it sounds so BIG, is that they used live audiences (singing, clapping, stamping etc) in the process of recording the album and therefore you can literally feel the ENERGY. My biggest worry is â… Expand
  13. arran96
    Apr 6, 2012
    10
    All i have to say about this album is that it is awesome! It contains some of the best songs of 2009 and possibly the decade. 30 seconds to mars are one of those bands that get better with age and they proved just that with this 3rd offering.
  14. startaker
    Nov 28, 2012
    10
    Awesome album, awesome songs, awesomw lyrics, awesome guitar solos, AWESOME BAND! This album is my treasure. 'Alibi' is so emotional, and 'Stranger in a strange land' is EXPLOSIVE.
  15. unknown2000
    Apr 2, 2013
    10
    best best best best best concept album I've ever heard.........it's the first hard rock album to be a concept ,,,,actually 30 seconds to Mars are genius, no doubt.... I bet rolling stone billboard or other reviewing to feel such a fantastic album!!!!!

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
54 out of 100

Mixed or average reviews - based on 9 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 9
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 9
  3. Negative: 2 out of 9
  1. Slant Magazine
    60
    This Is War is made serviceable by its polished showmanship.
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  2. Spin
    30
    Playing to splintered attention spans, This Is War insistently splices bits of other artists' work into a facile crescendo of mega-angst and ephemeral drama.
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  3. The Guardian
    40
    Full of schlocky neo-grunge howls; trite, faux-rebellious, lyrics ("from the right to the left, we will fight to the death"); and dull stadium production from Flood and Steve Lillywhite, there's little artfulness among the ­frequent ­references to a vague burgeoning conflict.
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