Black Parade, The (Parental Advisory) [PA] - My Chemical Romance > Reviews > When the "emo-kids" mature a little...

Author's product rating:   

Originality	Definitely a cut above the rest
Lyrics	Thought-provoking
Quality and consistency of tracks	A couple of weak links
How does it compare to the artist's other releases	Outstanding
Value for Money	Good

Advantages:	poignant concept, intelligent lyrics, upbeat tunes .
Disadvantages:	some people could find the death/illness theme a little overwhelming .

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

Before hearing "The Black Parade", I wouldn't particularly class myself as a MCR fan. To be honest, they just sunk into the background for me with all the other "emo" bands that were around at the time. However, I was directed to "The Black Parade" by my best mate who, like me, had no particular interest in that kind of music.

What intrigued me first all, was the concept of the album; the young 'patient' dying of cancer. It intrigued me, but also made me wonder if I wanted to listen to something that could potentially be quite depressing having lost people to the same illness in the last year. Interestingly, though it did make me think of my lost loved ones, it didn't particularly bring me down. The whole theme is handled well with sensitivity and empathy. I was somewhat impressed with the tracks from first listen. The tracks were not dark, downbeat and depressing, but in some cases uplifting and poignant. It's easy to see why "Welcome to the Black Parade" was a hit. Stand out tracks for me were "Cancer" (a track that never fails to bring a tear to my eye), "Sleep" and "I Don't Love You (I love the expressiveness of Way's voice; makes the track that little bit more sincere). All emotive, heartfelt songs, cleverly disguised with upbeat and sometimes anthemic tunes that could get you dancing.

It's easy to overlook MCR as just another rock band aimed at all the "emo-kids", but "The Black Parade" highlights how talented they are, right from Gerard Way's intelligent and heartfelt lyrics, to music that sounds like it's inspired by great bands such as Queen and The Doors (The verses in "Mama" being reminiscent of "Alabama Song" for me). Not just and album, but a rock opera in the making!

I'd recommend this album to anyone who enjoys their emotive lyrics with a hint of grandiose entertainment.