Conquistador (Thirty Seconds to Mars song)

"Conquistador" is a song by American rock band Thirty Seconds to Mars, featured on their fourth studio album Love, Lust, Faith and Dreams (2013).

Written by lead vocalist Jared Leto, who also produced the song with Steve Lillywhite, "Conquistador" features combative lyrics and call-and-response verses.

[2] "Conquistador" was officially revealed on March 18, 2013, at a press release for the announcement of the band's fourth album Love, Lust, Faith and Dreams.

[3] In the weeks preceding the album's release, the band promoted a Twitter hashtag, namely #MARSmay21st, to which, on May 2, 2013, it successfully reached the worldwide trending topics on the social platform.

[4] Jared Leto explained that Thirty Seconds to Mars were "very excited" to release the song and to show the "flip side of the coin" to "Up in the Air", the album's lead single which had a more electronic-influenced sound.

[13] In a preview of the record, Jeff Benjamin from Fuse felt that the track is "self-detonated with the band's recognizable alt-rock bombast, complete with soaring violins," and noted that it "closed with a massive, stadium-filling chorus, delivered in [Leto's] famous screamo vocal.

[13] Kaitlyn Hodnicki from Stature magazine described the song as a "sleazy rock stomp" that works "perfectly" with drummer Shannon Leto's "addictive beat", with lead guitarist Tomo Miličević delivering "one of his best riffs so far".

[15] Alex Lai from Contactmusic gave the song a positive review, calling it a "thumping anthem" which is "instantly grasped" with the various chanted vocal parts.

[6] Brent Faulkner from PopMatters felt that the song "reveals" the total picture of the album, noticing the "dirty guitars that rock from the onset".

[18] Adam Silverstein of Digital Spy named it a stand-out track from the album and felt that songs like "Conquistador" "power up the vibe".

Ashley Zimmerman from the New Times Broward-Palm Beach felt that "everyone got even more amped" as the band performed songs like "Conquistador",[25] while Ed Masley of The Arizona Republic deemed it a highlight of the show.