Thirty Seconds to Mars - MTV Unplugged EP

I have to admit, I'm usually not the biggest fan of rock groups releasing live material to tide fans over to the release of their next album.

The versions of the tracks which fans have spent the last year or so ingraining into their consciousness are usually so close to the original studio takes to be unremarkable, or in the worst case scenario are frankly substandard and unreflective of the band's true quality.

30 Seconds to Mars are experienced in this respect - they've had their hits (their amazing version of Kanye West's Stronger), and their misses (Bad Romance...)

This MTV Unplugged EP lies firmly in the 'hit' camp though. The tracks are largely acoustic, but underscored with a sublime string section that brings out a kind of base, primal emotion in the songs.

Hearing Jared Leto's vocals soar on Hurricane and U2's Where the Streets Have No Name is truly inspiring stuff, a real reminder of the brilliance 30 Seconds To Mars can conjure up when they put their minds to it.

This Is War represented one of the best rock albums of the last few years, and with this EP acting as a kind of fitting epitaph to the era, it lies in the band's hands to deliver an equally fulfilling follow up.

The MTV Unplugged EP is available to download from iTunes now.