My Chemical Romance: From Bullets To Danger Days

If you were to hear two people talking of My Chemical Romance in the street, what would spring to mind? Five men in black soldier uniforms on a parade float? Four guys aiming brightly coloured ray guns at the sky? Or just a band with a goal of making music to be heard across the globe?

As an MCR fan myself, I like to look behind the image and hear in depth the music which they have created. From the dark lyrics ofI Brought You My Bullets, Your Brought Me Your Love to the catchy tunes of Danger Days: The True Lives Of The Fabulous Killjoys (the album soon to be released on 22 November), MCR have never ceased to amaze their fans with their guitar solos and lyrics that will make you feel like punching your fist in the air.

So let’s take a look at the music from I Brought You My Bullets, Your Brought Me Your Love to Danger Days: The True Lives Of The Fabulous Killjoys.

My Chemical Romance’s debut album I Brought You My Bullets, Your Brought Me Your Love was the first step to a worldwide success. The first track 'Romance' opens the album with the famous Spanish ballad that captures the element of the album; it soon blends into a dark lyrical story of two lovers who are torn apart by murder. Whether this is the concept regarded by the band it is unclear, but the fans can feel the passion in each song from the lyrics of ‘Vampires Will Never Hurt You’ to the heart-wrenching tune of ‘Demolition Lovers’, with references to zombie film Dawn of the Dead in ‘Early Sunsets Over Monroeville’ and the feeling of sorrow and mourning in ‘Skylines And Turnstiles’ written shortly after the events of 9/11. Yes, I Brought You My Bullets, Your Brought Me Your Love is a stunning album with elements of metaphorical vampires, feelings of love and loss, and the concept of an introduction to a story.

Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge, the second release from My Chemical Romance, is a much more different direction from their debut. According to front man Gerard Way, Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge is a metaphorical and fictional horror story depicting the story of a man who lost his lover to a gunfight and makes a deal with Satan in order to bring her back, a sort of sequel to the supposed concept of Bullets if you wish. The album opens with a tribute to Gerard and Mikey Way’s grandmother in the style of ‘Helena’, a beautiful song which begins to tell the story. The albums soon progresses with a punkish approach to the music and still the lyrics depict a story.

Through the album the lyrics move you in different ways from ‘Ghost of You’ that brings tears to the eye, to the all time famous ‘I’m Not Okay (I Promise)’ which has that strong punk vibe that makes you want to jump in the air. Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge does indeed hold that hard vibe that gave My Chemical Romance a boost to worldwide fame.

Thirdly The Black Parade possibly the bands most famous album, is a rock opera concept album telling the story of the mysteries ‘Patient’ who has cancer and is waiting for death to come and welcome him.

This album certainly does have that quality to it that makes it feel alive in the music and lyrics. Opening up with ‘The End’, the last words of the albums main character the Patient as his life monitor beeps in the background slowly counting the seconds to the end of his life. ‘Dead!’, the second track, opens with a hard riff and descends into a hard-rock song with a catchy solo and memorable lyrics. The rest of the album sways different emotions such as the title track ‘Welcome To The Black Parade’, an orchestral type song with that same hard-rock element that catches the attention, and ‘Cancer’, a heart-ripping song that you can feel touch your heart as Gerard sings the emotional lyrics to it. ‘Famous Last Words’, the second to last track (including the hidden bonus track 'Blood'), a song with a powerful message woven into the lyrics: "I am not afraid to keep on living, I am not afraid to walk this world alone," which leaves you with the impression that you can still fight through it all.

The Black Parade definitely deserves an honourable mention with its classic rock tributes and influences from bands like ‘Smashing Pumpkins’ and ‘Pink Floyd’.

Finally the forthcoming album, Danger Days: The True Lives Of The Fabulous Killjoys. This album has taken a very different direction in the musical styles of the band's previous albums, and it was almost frightening. However, the first single ‘Na Na Na’ proved to still have the bands strong will and drive in the music, with its catchy guitar intro, this song is the album in a nutshell. The albums opens with a broadcast by Dr. Death Defying (Voiced by Steve Righ? Guitarist for Mindless Self Indulgence) before giving way to 'Na Na Na'.

As this album has not yet been released, four songs have been given to the fans to get a taste of what to expect, with 'Na Na Na’s' raw concept, ‘SING’s’ message of raising your voice, ‘The Only Hope For Me Is You’ and the new lyrical themes and the power-driven ‘Save Yourself (I’ll Hold Them Back)’.

Danger Days: The True Lives Of The Fabulous Killjoys looks set to be the biggest comeback of MCR’s career after The Black Parade and it looks like to be the beginning of a new My Chemical Romance.