Customer Reviews

The Black Parade

5 star:		(40)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I'll be the first to admit it: I was not a fan of My Chemical Romance. This was exactly the type of band I had taken to ignoring; it sounded like pop-punk, so it had to be worthless in my eyes. My Chemical Romance was nothing more than a derivative band with no identity, a group who were more interesting in vampires and selling T-Shirts than in crafting essential music. My disinterest was such that when told by a friend that the new single (the epic "Welcome to the Black Parade") was actually good, I distractedly listened to the first three minutes and said I liked them. After all, I couldn't be missing much, could I?

It turns out that I was missing a lot, and in writing this, I'm going to eat my words. It was easy to dismiss My Chemical Romance before, but now it will be impossible. With The Black Parade, an urgent, passionate, insane, awesome piece of music, this band has become essential to the musical landscape. This is an album for the ages.

The Black Parade is a concept album, and tells the story of a man known only as The Patient, a victim of cancer. The album starts with the Patient's death, spends its midsection ruminating on the life he left behind, and ends with his good-byes. It's a hugely ambitious work, and it would have been so easy for it to implode into a sloppy, incoherent mish-mash of "sensitive", junior high level poetry and forgettable power chords.

That's the kind of thing the old MCR would do. It's what characterized their first two albums, their Goth-oriented fashion sense, everything about them. But that's the thing about this album: more than anything, it's a coming out for the new My Chemical Romance--a glorious, unapologetically theatrical behemoth. The Black Parade of the title is as much a celebration of this new sound as it is a rite of passage for the deceased protagonist.

Here we see MCR dipping their toe into all sorts of musical styles. "Mama" starts out as a baroque number reminiscent of The Decemberists, before evolving into an exuberantly nasty cabaret number (complete with a cameo by Liza Minelli). "Teenagers" is a throwback to some of the best punk rock of the 70's. The lyrics may not exactly be poetry, but they don't have to be. The juxtaposition between the bombastic grandiosity of the musical arrangements themselves and the direct, bruising quality of the lyrics (Cancer's icky "I'm soggy from the chemo" sticks in the mind) make for a sort of abrasive splendor; this is possibly the most triumphant album about death and dying that has ever been recorded.

None of this would matter of course, if the music itself wasn't up to snuff. Here, frontman Gerard Way reveals a previously untapped musicianship, an ability to make the hugeness of The Black Parade's sound remain fresh through the use of diverse instrumentation and irresistible hooks (something The Killers failed to do in their similarly anthemic but overcooked sophomore album). It isn't every band that manages not only to stick a tra-la-la sing-along at the end of a song song, but dare you not to sing along with it.

And now, as the Patient joins his Black Parade, as the hype dies down, as the implications of this astounding achievement make themselves known, questions arise: was it a fluke? Did My Chemical Romance always have this untapped potential? And, perhaps most importantly: what's next? All I have to say is this: Gerard, the ball is in your court.

10/10

Okay, I'll be the first to admit... I had my hopes that this album would be amazing, but at the same time I couldn't bring myself to believe that My Chemical Romance could possibly exceed both of their previous albums. After I heard the rumors that the new CD's title would be "The Rise and Fall of My Chemical Romance", my hopes kind of fell into a rather large hole. You'd be amazed to know how something as small as a CD title can affect my brain--it seems silly, but I began to not expect much from them.

Finally, I heard about The Black Parade... my hopes skyrocketted because I started hearing more and more good things about the album. And upon purchasing it yesterday, it has not left my home, car, and work CD player. It's on constant repeat. I'm so, so, so happy to say that I was not disappointed by MCR. This album has only served to increase my absolute love of this band.

Okay. They've changed their sound. The music isn't as dark... but the LYRICS. The lyrics are still MCR. They still scream bloody murder WE. ARE. MY. CHEMICAL. ROMANCE. Even if the music or Gerard's voice are both different from their first two albums, who cares? The band is growing. I happen to like Three Cheers and Bullets equally. I don't think MCR would want to sound the same time after time after time... To me, an album is an expression of where you are in life at that particular moment. The lyrics and music SHOULD reflect this, and it shouldn't matter if it's creating a different sound or not. MCR's music is just about as much for them as it is for their fans, if not more. We should remember this as fans of their music and not write them off as complete has-beens because they've been featured on MTV one too many times. Just because they have a new sound DOES NOT mean they've sold out.

I digress. The effort put into this album is apparent from the very beginning as you tear off the wrapping and take your first glimpse at the album's enchantingly beautiful artwork. The amount of work that went into creating this concept must've been brilliant--it just looks perfect. The music itself gives off this air of being reborn, or that no matter what situation you're in, there's always hope for you. That death (The Black Parade?) is something to never fear because it's only the beginning of something new. The lyrics still speak to us of death and darkness and blood, but, again, they give us faith. We'll make it through this thing we call life. Death isn't as scary as you think. Don't worry anymore.

I just want to say, this album is a great way to start off as an MCR fan. If you've never listened to them before, or only heard one or two songs off their other albums--now's your chance to hear one of the best things they've ever done. You won't be disappointed. I promise.

MCR has done a fine job channeling Queen through a Green Day megaphone. Kudos to these Jersey Boys for showing that relevancy doesn't mean you have to abandon the past. Derivative, nope; (re)inventive is probably a better way to describe this solid album. The special edition packaging is pure brilliance. The pseudo-daguerrotypes and the graphics accompanying the lyrics add to the overall feel of the album and are as integral to the album as the music itself. Black Parade demonstrates that MCR is more than a gothic token act for the TRL crowd. Bravo.

This is probably the most sraight up cd I've ever bought. It makes cry and feel stronger at the same time! It gives you courage to be different, and to be someone you really want top be.The booklet that cam inside it is really inspirational.

My Chemical Romance is by far one of the best bands out there, and this album proves it. You can see how much this band put into their work and how empowering everything is. I have this limited edition version of the Black Parade and it is amazing. The extra cards are so cool and the booklet is hard to put down. Then there's the cd...oh the cd. It's one of the best cd's I own and it really shows MCR's growth.

The End- A great opening that shows you just what to expect in the other tracks

Dead!- One of my favorite MCR songs ever. It has a great beat that never gets old

This is how I Disappear- Amazing song, It sounds really cool towards the end

The Sharpest Lives- I love this song! Great lyrics and also a good beat

Welcome to the Black Parade- This is the definition of a rock opera. It has all sorts of different parts to it that makes it so epic.

I Don't Love You- Such a sad song, watch the music video and see how emotional Gerard Way (the lead singer) is. so sad! (I love Gerard!!)

House of Wolves- Another of my favorite songs, it is so energetic and lively!!!

Cancer- Also sad, not one of my personal favorites but it is a really beautiful song

Mama- A different song, but still awesome. It sounds so cool...enough said

Sleep- Very, very sad. Especially when you hear a man at the end say "I can't even wake up." *tear*

Teenagers- The chorus of this song is so addictive. It's a song that make you want to get up and jump around...

Disenchanted- Yet another sad song with a little bit of a faster pace. I can't describe this song really, just listen to it...it's good.

Famous Last Words- WOW!!!!!!!!! Most definately the BEST SONG EVER!!!! My favorite song by MCR!! In the lyrics, music, and video they are really giving it there all.

Hidden Track: Blood- A hilarious song that has sort of the music style like Mama in a way.

My Chemical Romance is an amazing band. At first I hated them, thinking that they were just some Green Day wannabe's because they dressed like them and now had the same producer. But I never listened to them and I was so0o0o0o0o0o0o0o wrong. They are totally different in a good way, and I love both Green Day and My Chemical Romance. They have incredibly enchanting lyrics and riffs that just blow me away. They are not emo, or goth. They consider themselves punk rock or simply just rock for the most part. Don't judge them before you listen to them with an open mind. Just listen and you'll see....

Honestly, I was never a MCR fan. Far from it actually. I was very down on them because I perceived them as just another whiny emo band like Fall Out Boy or Panic at the Disco. Boy was I wrong. I saw them open up for Linkin Park in Projekt Revolution 2007, and their performance was so good, that I actually went out and bought this album to give them a chance. Since I bought this album, it has become one of the favorites in my collection, second only to Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon", LP's "Hybrid Theory", Alice in Chains' "Jar of Flies" and The Chili Peppers' "Californication". Being a fan of both classic rock and hard rock/metal, this record was a great fusion of modern and classic styles and techniques.

The musicians do a great job with this one, the drums are crisp and perfectly timed, with some quite original fills, the guitar has a great tone that reminds me of Brian May of Queen, the Bass is understated, but drives the song without being overpowering, and Gerrard Way's lyrics and vocals are nothing short of poetry. The mixing on this album is professional grade, which is more than I can say for a lot of other bands. The instruments work in harmony to produce a unified sound as opposed to sounding like they're competing with each other, and never does one overtake the others to any unreasonable extent. Truly a very well produced record. So, with that said, on to the actual "track by track" review.

Track 1) The End.
A pretty good opening track. The heart monitor that starts the CD out as well as the rather macabre lyrics really set a good tone for the rest of the album. What really impressed me about this track was the transition to the next one "Dead!". It was such a flawless transition, that I actually backed up the entire track to listen to it again! Unfortunately the track its self is a little on the short side, so only 3/5 because of that. Otherwise a pretty good opener!

Track 2) Dead!
One of my perennial favorites, it has a great, upbeat verse and chorus, which are juxtaposed to the, again, rather macabre lyrics for a strange, but kind of cool effect. One of the best things about this track is the guitar riffs and solos. Being a guitarist my self, there are few things that make me happier than my favorite instrument played well. One of my absolute favorites, 5/5.

Track 3) This is how I Disappear
Another good track. This one is a bit harder edged than the previous two, and offers a slightly more "hard rock" side of MCR. Good, and still macabre, lyrics plus a driving drum beat and guitar/bass riff make this a good tune worthy of a listen! 4/5.

Track 4) The Sharpest Lives
Another harder edged track. Don't be fooled by the seemingly inconsequential opening lyrics, this track rocks. Hard. This was the track that really got my attention when they played live, and was a track i listened to nightly in my first year of college. The real highlight of this track is it's arrangement, there are so many layers and nuances to this song, that it still offers new twists and turns even after well over 75 listens (not counting the ones where I just pressed the "back" button to start the track over!) Another favorite, 5/5.

Track 5) Welcome to the Black Parade
Here we are, the big one! The title track! Most of the time, in my experience, the title track is never quite as good as I think it should be given its prominence on the album. Not so here! The opening, with its emotional vocals and soaring guitar riffs brings to mind vintage queen and the main verses and choruses of the song combine drum rolls, riffs, layered vocals, synth, and even a brass section to create what I can only call an anthem. To put that in perspective, the only other anthems that come to mind readily for me are Journey's "Don't stop Believin'" and Metallica's "Enter Sandman", esteemed company! From the beginning "militarily march" like drum rolls, to the swelling ending, this track's a real gem! 5/5

Track 6) I Don't Love You
A good track. A ballad with enough catchy hooks to stock a tackle shop. The best part of this song for me are the lyrics which are masterfully written. Combine that with what (and I'm dubious to say this, but darn it, I will anyway!!!) sounds like actual, real gut wrenching emotion from Gerrard Way, and you have a great song! Another one of my favorites on the album. 5/5.

Track 7) House of Wolves
This may be my favorite track on the album. The riffs scream classic rock, while the vocals and lyrics are uniquely MCR. A classic song structure with 2 choruses, 2 verses, a bridge and a outro/solo, follow the blueprints for a hit to the tee. My favorite part of the song is, hands down, the outro/solo, where the guitarist absolutely wails on the guitar with Gerrard doing what he does best on this album, rocking! hahaha! 5/5.

Track 8) Cancer
Wow. Another slow song, and one of the saddest songs I personally have ever heard. The song, as the title would suggest, is about someone dying of cancer. Gerrard's imagery in this song makes it nothing short of heartbreaking (and I don't even have a family member I've seen die of cancer. I can't imagine how those who have had that experience would be affected by this song.) The only complaints I have about this song are that it's a little short, and that since it's so sad, I actually avoid it, which is sad, since musically and lyrically it's a good song. 3/5.

Track 9) Mama
This track is very interesting. It starts out with bomb blasts and gun fire in the distance. The song is written from the perspective of a soldier who has gone to hell, and is writing a letter to his/her mother. The song is quite nihilistic, and morbid even for MCR's standards. Musically the song's great, combining key and tempo changes, unconventional rock instruments (accordion, violin) as well as the talents of Liza Minnelli. The song's lyrics are actually quite controversial, which is actually a turn off for me. If there are two things I can't stand when I'm trying to enjoy my self, politics and religion, and this song (depending on how you take the lyrics) has some of both. If you don't mind these things in your songs, that's great for you, but for me, they bring an otherwise good song down from the level of some some of it's peers on the CD. 4/5 for me.

Track 10) Sleep
A good, fairly straightforward rocker. The intro sounds almost arabic, which is quite an interesting twist, especially for a band like MCR. That being said, this is probably one of my least favorite songs on the album. Don't get me wrong, the song is still good, but the other songs with it on the album seem to stand out much more and have many more defining characteristics than this one. 3/5.

Track 11) Teenagers
One of my favorites, and a perennial radio favorite. This song rages against society's need for conformity. Again, this song has some of the greatest hooks and is almost too catchy for it's own good. The stripped down parts of this song, again, bring to mind Queen songs such as another one bites the dust, and the rock oriented choruses do justice to the modern-classic rock sound of the album. Overall a great song! 5/5.

Track 12) Disenchanted
The last real ballad on the cd, and another possible contender for my favorite song on the album. This song evokes as much emotion as "Cancer" for me, but it's a different type of emotion. This song brings up more personal feelings and momories, and less empathic feeling. The song somehow brings me bittersweet memories of my friends, who have since left for different colleges and places, as well as thoughts on my own life and the the general lives that make up the human race. Very disparate evocations I know, but that's what makes this song great, the ability to bring up so much emotion from different places at the same time. If you really want something to think about, this is the song for you. 5/5.

Track 13) Famous Last Words
Another rock oriented track that I would say verges on anthemic, especially toward the end in the refrains. This song is the last full song on the album, and what a great ending song it is. Throughout the album, the songs have been quite dark and nihilistic (appropriate for a concept album about death, but still quite morbid none the less)this song is the first one (maybe with the exception of some parts of "Welcome to the Black Parade") that seems hopeful. the words and music both have an air of "pushing on" and continuing, working through the dark times to reach something better. A great song and, yet another of my favorites. 5/5

Track 14) Blood
This mini track serves as a sort of outro for the cd. It's all in the style of a 1920's standard, even the recording process was changed to make the song sound like it was playing from an ancient phonograph. The lyrics are quite possibly the most morbid on the album, but somehow seem less substantial than the rest of the cd, probably because of the "campy" nature of the song. An ok attempt as a song in the vein of the Offspring's "When You're in Prison", but to me, it doesn't really feel as much like a legitimate part of the album, as a bonus easter egg. 2/5

So there it is. I know I sound like a "fan boy" with this review but trust me, I was MCR's biggest critic before I listened to this album. For a person as stubborn as me to go 180 on his opinion is nothing short of miraculous, so please do your self a favor and give this one a chance to win you over too.

I admit I have not been a My Chemical Romance fan since the beginning, but they have definetely grown on me since I first heard them. This cd overpowers the previous ones with songs that help through the toughest times like Cancer, or songs that you just want to get up and dance to like The Sharpest Lives. Even the 72 page booklet was hard to put down, with the making of the cd, their traumatic events at The Paramour, and how each song came about in the making. This is definetely a must have for any My Chemical Romance fan.

I LOVE this album, I have read other people saying that this is not the real MCR, well people change, their music change, this is the REAL MCR everything they have done has been the real MCR. You can tell in this album how much has changed and how much is the same. It is probably my favorite of their albums. The band playing + Gerard's voice + the lyrics makes this album great, (great is even an understatement their are no words to describe this). Some awesome tracks to highlight are DEAD!, House of Wolves, MAMA!, Teenagers, and Famous Last Words.

I've been an MCR fan since the beginning, and this album is by far the best produced one yet. I highly suggest paying the extra couple of dollars for the snazzy black velvet case version that contains extended notes and artwork.

Themes of love, fear, sin, death and redemption march heavily in The Black Parade to the tune of soaring guitar solos and piercing operatic anthems. The sheer magnitude and over-the-top theatrical flair is impressive, calling on influences that span three decades of the best in classic rock, brit pop and alternative music. My Chemical Romance draws you down into the murky depths of one mans psyche as he battles a cabaret cast of personal demons in the underworld, desperately seeking redemption. The rock opera closes on a grand, soaring note as the "patient" is ressurected, having faced his fears and finally conquered them.