30 Seconds to Mars were almost destroyed by a legal battle.

The group admit their future was in doubt when Virgin Records and EMI Music sued them for $30 million in 2009, citing breach of contract, and because the sum was so huge, the band had no choice but to fight the case in order to save their futures.

Frontman Jared Leto told Noise11: ''The last record we had quite a few problems. We battled our record company. They sued us for $30 million. We made a film about it called 'Artifact', a documentary that is coming out later this summer.

''It was mind-blowing, The number was too big to conceptualise it but it was very real. Not only was there the financial risk at stake but there was the risk of losing our careers. We felt we had an important and just fight. I am glad we stood up for what we believed in. Ultimately we were victorious and we are here. The story went exactly as it was supposed too''.

After resolving the case amicably, the band began work on their new album 'Love Lust Faith + Dreams' and say it was much easier to make than its predecessor, 'This Is War', because the pressure from the legal battle had lifted.

Jared - who is joined in the band by his brother Shannon Leto and Tomo Milicevic - added: ''This album was really great. It was wonderful to make an album without the pressures of battling an entire industry.

''We had been on the road for two and a half years and played far too many shows but we learned a lot and we took what we learned back into the studio''.