My Chemical Romance
My Chemical Romance is a very theatrical rock band from New Jersey. They consist of four main members. Gerard Way, the lead vocalist. Frank Iero, the rhythm guitarist and a backup vocalist. Mikey Way, the bassist. The final main member is Ray Toro, the lead guitarist and supporting vocalist.
In 2001, Gerard Way was working in New York City for Cartoon Network. When the tragic events of 9/11 occurred, Gerard was right across from it and saw the whole thing. After he went home, he wrote a song. This song that he wrote would be titled Skylines and Turnstiles. After the events of that horrific incident, he knew that he needed to do something to bring much needed positivity into the world. The idea that he got was to start a band that would help people, so he called up some old friends.
One night at a party, the guys of My Chemical Romance met Frank Iero. Frank was a big fan of the band at the time of their meeting. He ended up joining the band and not long after that, the band would record their first ever album.
My Chemical Romance have four main studio albums and a small compilation album. In 2002 the band released their first album I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love. On that album they have the song that Gerard wrote about 9/11. They also have a song on this album called Early Sunsets Over Monroeville, which is inspired by the zombie movie Dawn of The Dead.
The band’s second studio album was titled Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge. This album’s cover is art created by Gerard Way. The song I’m Not Okay (I Promise) is off of this album and this song was what got My Chemical Romance more attention. Helena is another song that is featured on this album. This song is like a tribute song to Gerard and Mikey’s grandmother who passed away while they were on tour. Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge is a concept album that follows the story of a man who loses his wife and makes a deal with the devil to see her again. The devil tells the man that he can see his wife again if he brings him the soul of a thousand evil men. The man never got to see his wife again because he was the thousandth evil soul. There are many interviews where Gerard talks about the story of this album.
The third album was Black Parade. This album is an iconic album that will never grow old. Black Parade created even more success for My Chemical Romance and many fans believe that there will never be an album quite like it. This is another concept album that follows a cancer patient who is dying and reflecting on his life. This album was written when the band was going through a really hard time and they were even staying in a place that is allegedly haunted while writing it.
The fourth album from My Chemical Romance is titled Danger Days. This album is a little different than the first three when it comes to the mood of it. The first three were pretty dark, whereas this one isn’t. This album features the songs Na Na Na(Na Na Na Na Na) and Sing, these two songs have some of the most action pact music videos that I personally have ever seen. These videos together are like watching a short film. Danger Days is another concept album that follows a group of rebel called The Fabulous Killjoys. The album is their journey and what this apocalyptic/post fallout world is like. There also is an EP that goes hand in hand with this album. It’s called The Mad Gear and The Missile Kid.
The last album that My Chemical Romance released before their breakup in 2013 was a compilation album called Conventional Weapons. This album had a wild change in mood. Some of the songs you can listen to and rock out to and others can bring you to tears. Gerard was going through a really hard time around this time and the song The Light Behind Your Eyes was written for his daughter Bandit Lee Way in case anything happened to him.
My Chemical Romance broke up in March of 2013 and many fans were heartbroken. Frank didn’t even know that they were breaking up until the fans did when the band posted an announcement on their website that announced their break up. In 2019 My Chemical Romance posted some really cryptic symbols on their Instagram. Fans all over were wondering what it meant.
In the beginning of 2020, the band released two videos on YouTube. The first was titled An Offering. This video depicts a man with a skeleton face running in the woods and he ends up with a cult like group. This group is standing around a pentagram, which one of them stabs in the middle with a knife. The video ends and shows a new logo with a gig date and location. The second video is called The Summoning. This depicts a young man who is in his apartment and uses a Ouija board to try an ask if My Chemical Romance will get back together. While he is doing that, his tv goes to static and shows a new symbol. After that happens there is pounding on his door and he sees three men outside dressed as the bad guys in the Na Na Na and Sing videos. He runs away and goes through a bunch of different places. Each place has a bunch of hidden and not so hidden references to My Chemical Romance. The man eventually ends up in a room with the cult from the previous video. He then ends up walking out into a stadium. The Ouija board from early ends up at his feet and tells him yes, the band will get back together. The video ends with a bunch of tour dates.
On Halloween in 2019, the band got back together. They performed a show in Los Angeles at The Shrine and ended up having to postpone their tour for years because of Covid. Just in 2022, my Chemical Romance released a new song called Foundations of Decay and they concluded the long awaited tour. Here’s to a great new year for My Chemical Romance and their fans.
shansings: Music Blog 