30 Seconds to Mars rises from 'War'

30 Seconds to Mars drummer Shannon Leto is matter of fact about EMI Virgin's former multi-million-dollar lawsuit against his band for failing to deliver the third of five albums. The suit was eventually settled and 30 Seconds to Mars re-signed to Virgin Records. But without that tumultuous time, Leto said the band's new record, "This is War," wouldn't have come out as well as it did.

"Yeah, we were being sued for $30 million," Leto said via telephone from a gig in Houston. "There was a lot going on. We were getting a new president. We'd be in the studio and running out to watch the debates. That was exciting. It was an important time. We were going through personal changes. Each of us was evolving in our own kind of way.

"What's great about the album is it represents that time pretty well. There are moments of heartbreak on the album, and there are moments of celebration, and that's basically what we went through."

Most importantly, Leto explained, "This is War," which features the five-minute single "Kings and Queens," captures the personality of the band members and the essence of 30 Seconds to Mars.

"It's our most honest album," Leto said quietly. "It's our most raw, poignant album. We recorded it in my and my brother's (lead singer/actor Jared Leto) house. Everything you hear is unique in sound because it's all been recorded there. Being home like that, instead of a studio, was a much more intimate experience. Much more special. We'd wake up, go to the studio and lay down anything we felt like we needed to lay down for the song.

"There were moments of relaxation but moments of stress, too. We had the monkey on our back of the record label suing us for $30 million. That was a pain in the a--. It kind of interrupts somewhat of a creative experience. At the same time, it added to it as well. Without that, I don't think the album would sound the way it does."

But Leto said fans can expect something a little different on "This is War," which hit stores last week. The group’s first two albums--2002's self-titled set and 2005's "The Beautiful Lie"--were filled with sweeping, epic rock tunes. This one, thanks to producers Flood (U2, Nine Inch Nails) and Steve Lillywhite (Rolling Stones, Travis), has a little different flavor.

"We have one song literally with a microphone in a room and Jared playing the piano and singing and Tomo is playing guitar," Leto said about guitarist Tomo Milivecic. "That's how we recorded it. When we listened back to it, we could hear dishes being washed in the background. We just left it. We left it raw like that.

"We had another song, which was more electronic, which was filled up with keys and synths and drum loops and all sorts of things that we created. Another song, that's more anthemic, is called 'Vox Populi,' which kind of shows what we did with the 'summit' that we came up with, which we had people fly in from all over the world to participate in this album. They would chat, stomp, clap, yell, hoot and holler, and that song really represents that really well."

Some fans were able to hear the album prior to its release when the set was leaked online. Leto said that has its good points and bad points.

"We know [who leaked it] and it's a bummer," Leto said. "It's a bummer. It's a bum-mer. But at least it wasn't leaked a couple months ago, which can work out. People get to hear the songs before the show and recognize what's going on.

"Actually, it's pretty amazing, man, I have to say," he added about 30 Seconds to Mars' current run of holiday shows. You'll just have to see the live show. People have to check it out. It's a lot different from our past shows, the last album cycle. It's pretty amazing. It's more intimate in a way and it kind of reflects the album. It's honest, vulnerable and exciting and spontaneous and we have the theatrics going on. It's cinematic. It's pretty cool what we're doing. This time, we want to bring the audience closer to the live experience. There's some things we're gonna do to support that thinking."