Its sound follows the experimental direction found on some of the band's previous work, incorporating elements of art rock and electronic music.

The album saw a new direction taken by the band, employing darker lyrical themes, a louder sound and "much more electronic and experimental, with lots of vintage synths.

[6] Leto began writing for the album in December 2011, and by the time the band started the recording sessions for Love, Lust, Faith and Dreams in April 2012, he had amassed a total of 50 songs.

[14] The artwork for Love, Lust, Faith and Dreams features Damien Hirst's 2011 gloss-on-canvas work, entitled "Isonicotinic Acid Ethyl Ester".

[26] Emily Zemler from Billboard praised the stylistic variety and experimentation, writing that the album "invests itself fully and artfully in its own vision" infused with "an even fuller sense of grandeur than heard on past releases", and "offers an opportunity to explore the boundaries of rock".

[12] AllMusic senior editor Stephen Thomas Erlewine acknowledged the band's musical adventurousness, describing the record as "galvanized for the present, pushing its thick processed guitars, chanted choruses, and clanging keyboards to the forefront, flirting with taboos underneath its shining surface".

[27] Andy Ritchie of Rock Sound complimented Jared Leto's vocal performance and the group's musicianship, praising the "massive choruses" and "titanic climaxes," and stated that the album reaffirms that Thirty Seconds to Mars is in a class of its own.

[32] In a four-and-a-half star review, Ryan Jones of Alternative Addiction commended the album's lyrical content and musical style, calling the new sounds "deep and plush", and wrote that the "entire record feels like an amazing journey".

[37] Ian Winwood, writing for Kerrang!, found the album "lavish but not cloying, expansive yet often economical, approachable without being familiar", calling it a "release that defies genre" and deeming it as a "grand achievement befitting this most grandiose of bands".

[30] Kyle Anderson of Entertainment Weekly gave the record an "A−", writing that it displays "throbbing modern-rock anthems" which "offer visceral, hands-up hedonism", although he found the album's narrative inexplicable.

[29] Dan Slessor of Alternative Press commended the band's capacity for writing "titanic choruses full of sweeping drama in a manner that is almost untouchable", but felt that with "shorter songs and more restrained production" the album lacks the "epic quality" of its predecessor This Is War.

[44][45] Love, Lust, Faith and Dreams received a nomination in the category of Best International Rock/Alternative at the 2014 Echo Awards, but lost to Outlaw Gentlemen & Shady Ladies by Volbeat.

[47] Love, Lust, Faith and Dreams was nominated for Best Album at the 2014 World Music Awards, but lost to Coup d'Etat by G-Dragon.

[49][50] In the United States, Love, Lust, Faith and Dreams debuted at number six on the Billboard 200, selling 53,000 copies in its first week of release according to Nielsen SoundScan.

[59][60] During its first week, the songs "Conquistador" and "City of Angels" appeared in lower regions of the rock chart due to strong digital sales from the album.

[64] In Portugal, Love, Lust, Faith and Dreams debuted at number three behind Daft Punk's Random Access Memories and The National's Trouble Will Find Me.

[65] After fluctuating down the chart, the album reached the top spot on the issue dated July 15, 2013 and was certified two-times platinum by the Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa (AFP), with sales of over 40,000 copies.

[67][68] Love, Lust, Faith and Dreams also reached the top ten in Austria, Italy, Poland, Switzerland, Canada, Finland, Norway, Spain, Czech Republic, Estonia, and Ireland.

[69] All tracks are written by Jared Leto, except where notedCredits adapted from Love, Lust, Faith and Dreams album liner notes.