30 Seconds to Mars broke out big with the new direction they took on “This Is War.” With a more progressive rock sound and darker lyrics on this third album they reached a broader audience that couldn't get enough of it. Experiments they took in the studio paid huge dividends. Asking a thousand fans to record the chorus on a song or teaming with The Killers front man Brandon Flowers and Kanye West on the hit “Hurricane” really expanded their artistic sensibilities.