In hindsight, 1998 seems like eons ago. A time when the 'Titanic' soundtrack was the best-selling album of the year. It was also the year when Thirty Seconds To Mars began performing in Los Angeles. What started with heartfelt '90s alternative rock in the form of songs like 'Capricorn', led to the commercially successful album, 'A Beautiful Lie' in 2005, and finally to their latest release, 'This Is War'.

The band describes 'This Is War as their concept album. It's full of melodrama and meaning, innovation, and an altogether new path for the LA rockers. As front man Jared Leto says, "We spent two years of our lives working on [this] record, and it was us against the world... There were times that it was overwhelming. Everything that was going on was brutal? It was a case of survival, to tell the truth."

While his words may sound quite over-the-top and potentially pretentious, one listen to this album and it's clear that recording was a painful and intense process. You can moan all you want about Leto's emo screams and eye makeup, but you can hear the toll this album took just by listening to his voice.

Take songs like 'This Is War' and '100 Suns'. Some may say they are overdramatic with the ranting about a brave new world, beating hearts and believing in nothing, but these songs are actually quite touching if you pay closer attention. Don't let the Rescue 911-type intro featured on 'Hurricane' put you off, as the same applies to 'Search And Destroy' and 'Alibi'.

If you find some of Leto's other lyrics to be a bit dodgy, like in 'Stranger In A Strange Land', skip the song and move on to the more catchy single, 'Kings And Queens'. But be careful not to miss out on the hidden gems.

Instead of making a predictable album this time around, Thirty Seconds To Mars decided to take a different route. Not only did they team up with monks, as heard on 'L490', but they collaborated with their fans. Throughout the album, you can hear fans' voices singing choruses and contributing their piece to 'This Is War'. The band held an event called 'The Summit', where they invited fans to come and participate during the recording process, as well as encouraging them to send in photos of themselves, the best of which were chosen to feature on the cover of 2, 000 albums; now scattered here and there in CD stores throughout the world.

As this is a more mature album for Thirty Seconds To Mars, they may find that they will lose some of their emo-punk teenage fans, hence the album not heading straight to number one on the charts.

However, 'This Is War' should gain a much wider, and potentially older, audience. One thing is for sure, there are no Beautiful Lies on this album. It's all about exploration and discovery, and it's clear, that for them in particular, Thirty Seconds To Mars has uncovered the truth.