My Chemical Romance's 2002 debut, was a particularly strident entry in that shifty genre of bands, slamming together elements of emo, hardcore, and even metal. Rightly signed to a larger label (In this case, Reprise Records), MCR has returned in 2004 with Three Cheers For
Sweet Revenge. With the aid of production major-leaguer, Howard Benson, they've edited the slightly rookie excesses of the band's first album. This resulting in a pretty damn good relentless product. Ghosts wander in this Sweet Revenge, and the blood-stained lovers on it's cover are no joke. ".....Throttle the ignition, Would I die for you, Well here's you answer
in spades.....Got you in my sights", singer Gerard Way wails in
Hang 'Em High. There is also a cinematic
concepting here - The story of a man, a woman, and the corpses of a thousand evil men... the liners intone. You Know What They Do To Guys Like Us In Prison begins, "In the middle of a gunfight, in the center of a restaurant, they say come with your arms raised high". The cut is claustrophobic, messy, and juiced with adrenaline, like the Tokyo crime caper shootout, it was probably inspired by. Picture antiheroes leaping sideways with twin pistols blaring - in slow motion of course - and you've almost got it. Put an old "At the drive - in" record in the background, and suddenly you're shot in the arm, and down to your last clip. This cd combines treble - kicking production, constant hyperness, "Get to the next note now" instrumentation, and great thematic songwriting. Three Cheers teams with the influences Mcr shares with their peers, but recent efforts from fellow travelers such as The Used and Thursday, don't have the same furious immediacy or coarseness that makes them so appealing. My Chemical Romance seems to have built - in restrictive bindings that prevent them from flying
off the handle quiet - loud screamo stereotyping , or
odd bird stopovers into choral parts or
maudlin piano. Something Like "Ghost Of You" might slow the pace, but it doesn't touch the railing guitars or explosive drumming. Album highlights include the propulsive chain shots "
Give 'Em Hell Kid" and "To The End", where layers of vocals increase urgency of modernist emo. There's no question that Three Cheers surpasses
MCR's first album by a landslide. Expect nothing but extremely amazing music from this cd.
Example:
It's Not A Fashion Statement, It's A Fucking
Deathwish from Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge.
Hip hip hooray for me, You talked to me, But would
you kill me in my sleep, Lay still like the dead, From the razor to the rosary, We could lose ourselves and paint these walls in pitchfork red, I will avenge my ghost with every breath I take, I'm coming back from the dead, Would I take you home with me, I'm taking back the life you stole.....