Killjoys Make Some Noise, Because My Chemical Romance is back!

My Chemical Romance were thrown into fame with their hit 'I'm Not Okay (I Promise)' back in 2005, and took over the world with the epic rock opera 'The Black Parade' in 2006; a phenomenon that continued in a four year tour with media and social frenzies that drained their juices and nearly ended their career. Now in 2010 they're back with ray guns blazing with their fourth and most unique album 'Danger Days: The true lives of the fabulous Killjoys'.

To really enjoy 'Danger Days...' you have to listen to it with no preconceived thoughts and without comparing it to their past albums (in fact you shouldn't even look at 'Danger Days...' as an album, but we'll to that later). If you hold any of those thoughts before you listen to 'Danger Days...' it will be a disappointment.

My Chemical Romance broadened their musical horizons in 'The Black Parade' with heavier use of strings, brass and drums; this time the boys continue their development with turning away from the gusto affair that was the previous album and instead moved to the use of synths and experimenting with electronic sounds to add to their basic bass, guitars and drums.

The use of lyrics in this album holds a more direct message compared to how Gerard Way (Lead vocals) has previously written. His lyrics are known for deep metaphors and stories (metaphors and stories that were lost by some- the Daily Mail being a prime example), the songs aren't connected and hold their own growth and ideas as Way tones down his signature writing skills and ups his use of one liners and hooky choruses. His change of writing though doesn't disappoint and his lyrics adds to the music that will be running in your head and want you begging for more.

Now, to look at the album as a 'non-album'. My friend Jack and I were having a conversation about 'Danger Days..'. We both agreed that the songs were great and would be fantastic as shuffled songs on your ipod, but as an album it didn't flow like an album normally does, and that we agreed that was a major fault and brought our perception of 'Danger Days...' down; an album that we didn't hate but didn't love.

It was when we were debating the use of Dr. DeathDefying to being the only 'true concept' of the Killjoys is when I had a musical epiphany. Dr. DeathDefying is a Disk Jockey hosting radio transmissions, and radio stations don't play songs that flow, they don't play whole albums; they just play music. So it can be said that the album shouldn't flow like an album but instead flow like a radio show; and if that is the case 'Danger Days...' creates a whole new world of ideas and thinking outside the box. Instead of My Chemical Romance following mold of what a rock album 'should be' they created an album of what they want it to be. They just created music.

When you look at 'Danger Days...' as a separate piece of work from their previous albums, and you take away the idea of it actually being an album My Chemical Romance have in fact successfully created the album of the year.

Though this album might not get as much mainstream media attention as 'The Black Parade' (though it's still early days), 'Danger Days...' is a piece of art that has opened the flood gates to a revolution of the music industry, showing that mainstream music can still be different and dangerous.Art is truly the weapon and My Chemical Romance have created an atomic bomb.

Rating: 4 stars