Review of MCR's The Black Parade

Well…here’s my review of MCR’s The Black Parade…F&F(1^st & foremost), I wud like 2 say it rocks!!! Though MCR has been given many labels by the press including “Emo Rock”, “Alt. Rock” & other such annoying names, one indisputable fact is that this band has enjoyed great success since they broke into the mainstream scene few yrs ago.

Well, enough blabbering….here’s d review….like the past albums, this is a concept album. It is based on the final moments of “The Patient”, a young cancer-stricken person whose final seconds in his life comes to him as his strongest memory-->a parade his father took him to when he was a child. He reviews his life & realises he has wasted much of it & wishes he could have another chance. A parade? Death? Hence, “The Black Parade”!!!

The album begins with (ironically) “The End”. As the familiar sounds of a hospital heartbeat monitor (I’ve been watching 2 many medical dramas) greet the listener, the singer & lyricist, Gerard Way’s vocals starts to invite you to their world (the album). Then, the loud chorus gets right to you & you’re ready 4 d rest of the album!!!

Songs like “Dead!”, “The Sharpest Lives”, “Welcome To The Black Parade” and “Teenagers” virtually blow you away with their loud, catchy chorus, great lyrics & fantastic melody. One particular favourite of mine is “Teenagers” (yes, that’s us). Check out this line: “Teenagers scare the living shit out of me”. This song’s chorus is really catchy & would do wonders as a sing-a-long. On “The Sharpest Lives”, Gerard Way hints at his past life (with drugs) with the lyrics: “I've really been on a bender and it shows/Give me a shot to remember” & shows regret thru: “The sharpest lives are the deadliest to lead”.

Next up, “Welcome to the Black Parade”, a song which is receiving heavy rotation round d globe. It begins with the haunting notes of a piano then slowly progresses (with the guidance of Gerard’s vocals) & the real fun begins….the rich music switches over to fast, upbeat electric guitar sounds & (once again) a catchy chorus. MCR really has a knack for rich music & catchy choruses! Gerard singing “We’ll carry on” is already enough to entice listeners (including me) into singing along with him.

“House of Wolves” is about one’s absence of morality in dis world (check out him singing “S.I.N I S.I.N I S.I.N I”-->Sin, I, Sin, I). “Cancer” is a ballad bout “The Patient” bidding goodbye to his relatives (Call my Aunt Marie/help her gather all my things and bury me in all my favourite colours/My sisters and my brothers, still, I will not kiss you/because the hardest part of this is leaving you.) “Mama” transports us to an Eastern European battlefield, with an ethnic gypsy ambience. Just watch out for the part where he screams “Mama”-you wouldn’t want yr speakers 2 explode. Liza Minelli “lends her vocals” by singing 2 lines in the song only to be replied by Gerard’s scream.

Overall, dis is one heck of an album! From d 1^st song 2 d last song (a hidden track), it grabs you & entices you 2 sing about issues such as death & wat follows it. If u buy d CD, pls wait about 1_1/2 minutes after d 13^th song cos there’s a hidden track. It’s worth it! Dis song(“Blood”) is really catchy (2 me)! One WARNING though: pls try 2 listen 2 dis album d 1^st time with yr headphones! Itz REALLY LOUD so unless u kno which songs 2 turn d volume down, pls dun play it on yr radio or yr parents will strangle u (unless they’re MCR fans whereby they’ll still strangle u so dat they get their hands on dis CD).

The Verdict: 9.9/10

Oh, ya, I wan 2 c comments bout dis review….k? Too long? Needs more detail? Album suggestion 4 another review? I’m nt suitable 4 dis? Comment!!!