Customer Reviews

The Black Parade

5 star:		(162)
4 star:		(41)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(13)
1 star:		(21)

 

 

New Jersey has been the breeding ground for some very interesting and disparate musical sounds. Musicians like Springsteen and Bon Jovi paved the way for the hard working, blue-collar musical pedigree that symbolizes Jersey's everyman roots. Work hard, work often, and make music you enjoy. My Chemical Romance is a band whose work ethic and energy match that of their musical talent. Incorporating sounds from three generations of punk, rock, metal, and pop and even a bit of Broadway,"The Black Parade" delivers dark and morbid with enough punch and emotion to make it a record that needs to find a way into your collection.

The themes of death and dying are frequent on this album, especially in the first few tracks. The opener "The End" is a bombastic track that could have fit perfectly on Pink Floyd's "The Wall". It's symbolically abrupt ending segues into the energetic and fast-paced track "Dead". Heavy guitars propel the metal pounding of "This is How I Disappear" and continue on the gothic and melodic sound of "The Sharpest Lives". First single "Welcome to the Black Parade" showcases the signature sound of the band: loud, melodic, and anthemic. Though death is a constant in each track, ironically, so is life. Vocalist Gerard Way and company lace each track with enough melody and spirit to break through the dark themes.

Toning down with Way's emotionally pained vocals of "I Don't Love You", MCR kicks the guitars back up with the bass-driven hard sound of "House of Wolves". "Cancer" has a haunting and depressing chorus,"The hardest part of this, is leaving you.." but is a beautifully bitter look at a man dying in his hospital bed. "Mama" is another great track, starting with a jaunty melody that kicks into a lively chorus. "Sleep" doesn't really stand out, but "Teenagers" and "Disenchanted" are quite impressive. "Famous Last Words" is one of the best tracks on the album, blending multiple musical styles into a cohesive and entertaining mix that ends the album on a great note (there is a one minute long, bizarre and Beatle-esque hidden track called "Blood").

Clocking in at just over 52 minutes, "The Black Parade" is a wonderful collection of tracks. Elements of bands from Kiss to Queen to Green Day are clearly present, but so are shades of Broadway and opera; clearly My Chemical Romance has a sound incorporating many musical influences. The record's production values are solid; Frank Iero and Ray Toro's guitars are right in your face but Way's vocals get buried at times. Though dark thematically, emotionally, and lyrically, this album has enough life and commercial viability that it should meet with the same success as "Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge". Fans of the band will find plenty to enjoy, and this could be the album that breaks them into the mainstream. For these Jersey boys, though, I think they will be quite content building their fan base the blue-collar way, one grand album at a time. Highly Recommended.

A.G. Corwin
St.Louis, MO

Some people crack me up; punk rock is over thirty years old and we hear the same old arguments. They are selling out! It's poppy! WTF? Punk music CREATED what "pop" music would become--it was a way to sell mediocre bands for massive amounts of money, a.k.a. the Ramones and the Sex Pistols. And do not even try to argue that these later bands were musically talented. They were fun, but they were not Mozart. God. So please, do not even bring these "sell out" arguments into analyzing The Black Parade.

MCR was out to sell an album, but they were out to sell a GOOD album; they were out to make a musical composition. The Black Parade flows, and it all works together. It is not one or two good songs and a bunch of filler. It has a theme, and the music is correlated and emotional. Is it as dark as their other tunes? Probably not, but who the hell cares? Why do we have to be "as dark" in our music as humanly possible? What's wrong with a little bit of sweet melancholy?

Music isn't about being an identity or a culture. It's about making music. If it sells records, it doesn't mean its a bad album either. If you can listen to The Black Parade five times in a row and still not have it memorized, and still find yourself impacted emotionally, its a five star album. I think I've listened to this piece 8 or 9 times and I'm still loving it. So Buy it. Or download it. Whatever you do, don't knock on it because it wasn't what you expected.

If it wasn't what you expected that should be a GOOD thing. It means a band is experimenting, and MCR is taking this in a good direction. They're more developed than they used to be, and they're more musically complex. If a band isn't experimenting, they're dead.

(Note: Copy and pasted from my review on the limited edition. I figured this is the CD people will be looking at mostly, since it's the less expensive version. I have both versions, though, and, let me say, the limited edition is well worth the money. Feel free to ask me any questions you may have about it if you need to. I've pretty much examined the entire thing about a gazillion times by now, lol.)

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.

My Chemical Romance, love 'em or hate 'em, has a sound which is unmistakable. When I first opened this record, it was different from the others, no doubt, but it would have been impossible to not hear "MCR" from every angle. With that said, the album is rather different from past releases.

With the third studio release of the band, you can hear a maturity that was missing before. While many songs are still jumpy and poppy, there's a somberness to be found in a lot of the lyrics, as well as in some of the slow songs they do.

"The Black Parade" is actually an album centering around cancer patients (hence the new haircut of lead singer Gerard Way). It's truly sad and beautiful. While there are a few moments where, lyrically, the songs tend to stray from perfection, they really are well-written, pulling at your heartstrings and keeping you listening.

Technically, "The Black Parade" is amazing. The first recording with a new drummer, you can tell Bob really fits in as percussion. Mikey Way, the bassist, is still lounging in the background with a really understated part in the songs, and his brother Gerard shows more vocal prowess than before, maneuvering through note patterns he wasn't capable of conceiving of before this album. Where the real talent begins to show, however, is in guitarists Frank Iero and Ray Toro, who, together, make parts that sink together flawlessly, and Toro's solos suddenly became blazing. He's proving himself something of a virtuoso with this album.

Overall, there can be no mistake: if you don't like My Chemical Romance at all, you won't like this. It does have their signature sound. However, if you're a fan (or just open) you have to try this album. It's beautiful, poetic, and fun, and the talent behind it is amazing. This album will stand the test of time.

This CD is nothing short of a masterpiece. The concept flows seamlessly from one song to the next as it examines the life of the "Patient." I bought this the week that it came out and I have listened to it every day since, sometimes multiple times! Many times when I listen, I still find new things about it that I didn't pick up on previously--new meanings, new instrumental sounds, etc. It is one of the few CD's that I own on which I like every single song. This band really took out all the stops with this one! I would not compare it with any of their previous work, because there is no comparison; I own all of their CD's, and I like the other ones, but this one truly is the best. It shows a level of depth and maturity that is lacking on the others. Gerard's voice has developed and he pushes it to the top. No question about it---5 stars!!!

Is the word 'Masterpiece' an overstatement here? I don't know why this album has divided MCR fans down the middle and gotten mixed reviews. All I know that it's my first exposure to them and I think this album is brilliant akin to the likes of Sgt. Pepper (The Beatles), The Joshua Tree (U2), or Morning View (Incubus).

That's a lot to say coming from someone who shudders at the idea of paying money for a punk, goth, or emo record. I can't tell if MCR is any of those, or a combination of them, or an aberration of them. The only thing that resonated with me before the first listen is that the lead singer is an Iron Maiden fan. I like the Beatles and Metallica, and have never listened to anything like this in my life.

The main thing about this band is that they have passion. The Gerard Way (vocalist) screams, cries, seethes, and basically slops heart-on-the sleeve emotion all over the whole thing with either unbridled abandon, or the best damn artificial angst I've ever heard - probably a little of both. The guitars churn, the lead solos bleed, the drums incite rage. The lyrics are gut wrenching, the concept is dark and beautiful.

Rarely does a modern record coax such strong feelings out of me. The sad parts bring tears, the biting humor is laugh-out-loud, and the hope and anger surge through every song.

Brilliant. Absolutely Brilliant. If you haven't yet, you owe it to yourself to get this, and join the Black Parade.

'The Black Parade' has been out for almost a year, and it has not lost one single spark. This album holds meaning and truth towards topics that some other so-called punk rock bands never dare touch apon, and My Chemical Romance have topped off their previous records with one of the most amazing pieces of art I have ever had the pleasure of listening to. Despite their 'EMO' appearance, My Chemical Romance / 'The Black Parade' have proven all people wrong with their deep, thought out lyrics and the perfect ending to an out of this world album, the track 'Famous Last Words' with the fist-pumping, sing-a-long chorus that will always remain in your heart after listening to it: 'I am not afraid to keep on living, I am not afraid to walk this world alone.' With this album, My Chemical Romance have showed a maturity and caring that I have never seen in any other band, and it shows 100%. They re-created themselves, they toured non-stop, and it looks like they're here to stay. My Chemical Romance are definitely worth the listen, and it's a mystery of what's to come next.

Let me just start by saying that about a month ago I HATED My Chemical Romance. Really hated them. I wrote them off as unoriginal and generally untalented. Then my friend played me the Black Parade. I couldn't believe it. I heard Pink Floyd, David Bowie, Queen, The White Stripes, Dream Theater, Thin Lizzy, but all in a way that was not simply ripping them off, but paying them homage in an exciting, beautiful way. This album instantly went to my favorite albums of all time list. For the past couple of years, it's been The White Stripe's "Elephant", Green Day's "American Idiot", and now My Chemical Romance's "The Black Parade". It rocks...so hard. So, so hard. If you like to be rocked and/or rolled, I highly recommend you purchase The Black Parade immediately.

Yeah, okay so I haven't listened to MCR's other cd's, but this concept album is awesome! Sure, I heard a little bit of Pink Floyd in there, and
some oddly familiar sounding riffs from the 70's, but it's catchy and it
ROCKS - if you don't mind the dark theme, which I do not take too seriously. The producer of Green Day's 'American Idiot' produced this piece of work too, no doubt his influence is here, but if MCR was encouraged by their record company to make an album that appealed to the
masses, with the dark theme about death, not everyone would want to sing along with "You're Dead! No one ever had much nice to say, I think they never liked you anyway!" But I do.

Blasting everything at peak volume and squeezing in bombast until the seams are nearly bursting, Gerald Way and My Chemical Romance revisit everything that was great about the seventies and eighties. "The Black Parade" pays homage to everyone from Queen (the title track), Pink Floyd ("Mama," with Liza Minelli adding an over-the-top cameo, sounds right off "The Wall") and Alice Cooper (the whole idea of death as a macabre reason to party loud) without losing the band's identity.

One of the coolest things about MCR is that - even through the bombast - they never lose track of a good melody. The title track turns back the clock to a childhood memory as viewed from the deathbed. "Cancer" is the kind of song Bob Ezrin and Alice Cooper would have had a field day with; the only thing missing is a kiddie chorus and this would have been a Kiss song. "Teenagers" is an hysterical sing-along with a really dark underbelly. It's hard to tell where the truth ends and the punchline starts, which is what makes it truly great.

Like "American Idiot," Green Day's masterwork from 2004, "The Black Parade" is a slice of living in the USA in the post 9/11 world. Darkly funny and obsessed with death while celebrating life, My Chemical Romance are maturing at a rate that is near astonishing. "Disenchanted" and "Famous Last Words" are the kind of songs I would have expected from a band after a couple of decades and not on their third album.

"I am not afraid to keep on living,
I am not afraid to walk this world alone.
Honey, if you stay I'll be forgiven.
Nothing you can say can stop me going home."

It's enough to bring a tear to your eye and pull out that old double vinyl copy of "The Wall." I think these guys are officially my new favorite band.