30 Seconds to Mars Readies Sophomore Set

That half-minute to the Red Planet known as 30 Seconds to Mars (Ok, really bad pun. Sorry.) is just about ready to release their second album. Due out August 16, "A Beautiful Lie" clocks in at only 39 minutes, yet the band describes in the linked article just how much work went into the album.

We've put in endless days and nights shedding buckets of blood, sweat and tears," the band writes on its official Web site. "We've traveled to four different continents, five different countries, seven different studios and many more f***ed up places inside ourselves during the making of this record."

FYI: The band's lead singer, Jared Leto, was an actor on My So Called Life, Panic Room and Alexander. However, for those of you who are not a fan of the slashies (actors/musical performers), don't fret. If the debut album was any indication, this band rocks and has surely earned its street cred.

Recorded in Los Angeles, New York and South Africa, "A Beautiful Lie" will be led later in spring by the single "Attack." The album also features such cuts as "The Kill," "A Modern Myth" and "The Story."

The band's self-titled 2003 debut debuted at No. 1 on Billboard's Top Heatseekers chart and No. 107 on The Billboard 200. It has sold 102,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.