My Chemical Romance - The Black Parade
October 24, 2006
Reprise/WEA
Rating: 5.4/10
While not on the level of Brand New hype, My Chemical Romance has created quite a buzz for their new album, The Black Parade. As of right now (OCT 19), "Welcome to the Black Parade" is #3 on Billboard's Modern Rock Track, #71 on Billboard's U.S. Hot 100, and #1 on the UK Singles Chart. The single is gaining more plays each week on radio. The album is being set up to be a huge commercial success.
On first listen, my first impression was: this is not that good. It's especially not that good compared to all the hype it's received and it's definitely not near as good as Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge. Just because they've had a little mainstream success, I'm willing to say that I am a fan of TCFSR. The Black Parade just comes off as trying way too hard to be something it's not. Decent it is, but epic it is not. I was actually expecting this to sound more "bigger", but it really isn't. Maybe I was wrong about the arena tours thing.
Contrary to a lot of other albums, TBP actually gets stronger as the album goes on. This is saying something because the album starts off very weak. The first four tracks are incredibly forgettable. Luckily, "Welcome to the Black Parade" is next and everything from there is uphill (excluding "Teenagers"). If MCR discarded those first four songs, this album would be better tenfold. The piano in "Cancer" is a nice touch and it's easily one of the better songs on the album. "Teenagers", on the other hand, is one of the worst songs MCR has written. Maybe one of the worst songs I've heard all year. It's that bad. Check these lyrics...
"The boys and girls in the clique / The awful names that stick / You're never gonna fit in much, kid / But if you're troubled and hurt / What you got under your shirt / Will make them pay for the things that they did"
I'm sorry. Those lyrics just seem way too geared to the Hot Topic angry, goth kid scene. "Disenchanted" is the next track and it's a much different story. One of the more solid songs on TBP. Ofcourse, maybe it's because it follows one of the worst songs I've heard in awhile. "Famous Last Words" closes out the album and I can't help but think that if MCR went in the same direction as this song throughout the entire album, TBP could be huge. Alas, they didn't and while TBP will go on to sell many copies, the quality is just not up to par.
The Black Parade could've been a monster, but about 4-5 songs just brought this album down. The songs that are good, are very solid. It's just not enough to save the album.
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