MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE / Living With Ghosts (2016)

The version of The Black Parade included in the same package as this is no different from its original release.

Feel free to check the link below, if you’re curious about that masterstroke.

These rough mixes and live demos very blatantly contain the DNA of numerous songs on Parade and Conventional Weapons. That’s appropriate, as they were recorded during the sessions that birthed both of those albums. They’re all very sloppy, but that is admittedly part of their charm. I have to wonder if Gerard was intoxicated during some of these takes. It’s definitely possible. The best track isolates the most satisfying part of Welcome to the Black Parade; it’s as if they chose to crawl inside an orgasm and have a dance party there for four minutes. It consistently defies the lyrical expectations you’ve unknowingly held for over ten years and I adore every second of it.

I’d say if you’re only a Revenge and Parade kind of person, this is an easy pass. If you own and love everything...fire at will.

Songs of Note: The Five of Us Are Dying [Rough Mix]; Not That Kind of Girl [Live Demo]

2 (Really Not So) Sad Motherfuckers out of 5

MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE / I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love (2002)

Astoundingly competent burnished brass tones sell this entire effort as the soundtrack to a Silent Hill game that sadly never was. If you know the history of the band well enough you’ll be aware of the concrete origins of some of these songs. This can result in three-fold meanings dancing before your eyes as you settle in for a listen. Some long-form song-craft is dabbled in and the best delivers a slowly decaying lament whose bitter-sweet beauty grows in equal measure to its desperate raggedness. Being pre-Revenge and out of print makes it a hidden gem by default, but the quality really does justify that label, handily.

Songs of Note: Skylines and Turnstiles; Early Sunsets Over Monroeville

4 Foolish (But Entirely Necessary) Escapes out of 5

MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE / The Black Parade (2006)

"Death is a crutch for me and mine..."

The immense power of this album stems from the paradoxically simple conceit that the process whereby life is mulled over, mourned, and punished on the deathbed of those afforded such a contemplative time is directly parallel to being brave enough to engage in a life of self-examination and change. You don’t need to be imminently dying to gaze across your own personal abyss and finally take on the weight of your mistakes—address your regrets head on. The crutch can be thrown away and seen as motivation instead of an easy escape.

"I've no right to be called by that name."

"THEN LIVE. AND, RECLAIM IT."

Songs of Note: Disenchanted; Famous Last Words

5 Confident Marches Into The Unknown out of 5

MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE / Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge (2004)

Some people are never going to understand what Gerard Way et al. brought to the world. That isn’t an empty teenage retort. I’m over 30 for fucks sake. This was envisioned as a concept album but became fractured somewhere between thought and execution. The cracks were filled with raucous anthems and a smidgin of their own flavor of cabaret before being brought to life by impassioned screams. MCR were never content with delivering songs to keep you sobbing in the corner. They wanted you to rise up and kick life’s ass all the way across the ball room.

Those who get it know that it’s not just about what MCR brought to the world, but what they’ve kept in it.

Songs of Note: It's Not a Fashion Statement, It's a Fucking Deathwish; Cemetery Drive

4½ Forcibly Vacated Graves out of 5

MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE / Conventional Weapons (Number One-Five) (2012-2013)

Releasing songs monthly on vinyl sort of pisses me off. These are supposedly the link between The Black Parade and Danger Days, but the only truth to that is a shared lyrical refrain in a vaguely Days-ish song. Otherwise, these are front-packed with kick-ass songs that hearken more to the Revenge era than anything. There’s a bland track or two but they don’t bring down what is on all other accounts a fun collection with miles more meaning and verve than Days pretended to muster. These might get a CD release, and as good as they are, probably aren't worth buying twice. Wait, or burn (legally).

Songs of Note: Boy Division; Ambulance

3 Expertly Tailored Coffins out of 5

Nutted by NEG

MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE / Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys (2010)

This isn’t a concept album. It’s barely cohesive at all. Shit isn’t even very consistent. Whole lot of reckless abandon, dash of the mushy crap, little bit of 80s flair, and even some pure nonsense. Fuck, they left off the best song from these recording sessions. This is a goddamn mess of an album from a band that’s usually very consistent and inspiring. But.....why do I listen to it so much? Because sometimes you just have to shake your ass and bang your head, even if it doesn’t make much sense. Every album doesn't need to be The Black Parade. Stop expecting the world; start living a life others want to be a part of and will remember fondly.

Songs of Note: Bulletproof Heart; Save Yourself, I'll Hold Them Back

2 Hollow-point smiles out of 5

Nutted by NEG