My Chemical Romance

My Chemical Romance is arguably one of the most influential bands of the early 2000s, garnering a gigantic loyal fanbase over the years who do everything from following their tours to supporting their causes in public demonstrations.

When the native New Jersey band disbanded back in 2013, followers believed it was the end of an era, but that proved untrue with a powerhouse reunion in 2019. And now, the long wait for more dates is over as Way, along with his brother Mikey and bandmates Ray Toro and Frank Iero are back with a vengeance.

My Chemical Romance started as the brainchild of lead singer Gerard Way. In the aftermath of the 9/11 attack, the vocalist was inspired to write about the event and start a band with guitarist Toro, his brother Mikey on bass, Iero on rhythm guitar, and original drummer Matt Pelissier.

My Chemical Romance released its first album, I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love, in 2002. While it wasn’t a major hit, it used the music to cultivate a fan base following via MySpace. These efforts plus solid touring performances led the band to sign with Reprise Records in 2003.

In 2004, MCR’s second studio album, Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge, climbed to a respectable position on the Billboard charts, peaking at #28, and went platinum within the year. Pelissier departed soon after the record’s release, so Bob Bryar took over behind the drum kit.

Over the next two years, My Chemical Romance opened for bands like Green Day on the American Idiot Tour and Fall Out Boy on the Warped Tour. With a robust following, the band was ready to amp things up.

In 2007, the band released its magnum opus concept album, The Black Parade. This rock opera centers around a central character dying of cancer. The band staged powerful events like a hosting live gig using a pseudonym that almost resulted in the audience revolting and a releasing faux parade of black-robed marchers.

Not only did The Black Parade solidify My Chemical Romance’s burgeoning cult following, it was a huge commercial success. The album debuted at #2 on the Billboard charts and went on to go triple platinum in both the US and UK.

Mistreated and misunderstood by some media outlets, Gerard Way and his band had to overcome controversies generated by misinterpretation of MCR’s lyrics. After releasing their fourth album, Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys, in 2010, the band would release a series of singles over the next two years compiled as the Conventional Weapons album.

Then, almost without warning, My Chemical Romance amicably broke up. But by 2019, a surprise show in LA signaled a reunion tour. COVID-19 postponed it in 2020, but now the boys are back and ready to take the world by storm.

With the initial material preceding the band’s formation, after holding auditions at Howard’s abode, McCracken was invited along and he was so impressed with the quality of songs they had already worked on that he agreed to join. Shortly after this, they decided upon the band name Used, a reflection of the hardships that they had faced as individuals and the feeling they had been left with. With everything in place, the band went ahead and recorded “Demos from the Basement” and sent it to Goldfinger frontman John Feldmann. So enthused by what he had heard, Feldmann made it his mission to find them a label. In 2001 the band signed with Reprise Records.

Finding out there was another band in existence with the same name, the band added prefix ‘the’ and would become known as The Used. In 2002 they released their debut self-titled album produced by John Feldmann. Certifying gold, the album featured the singles “A Box Full of Sharp Objects”, “The Taste of Ink” and “Buried Myself Alive”. Off the back of that album, the band were invited to play at Ozzfest, Projekt Revolution and Warped Tour.

In 2004, tragedy struck as McCracken’s then girlfriend died of an overdose while pregnant with his child. His angst fed into their second album released later that year, “In Love and Death” as an open dedication to her reflected in the track “Hard to Say”. The album also produced the singles “I Caught Fire” and “All That I’ve Got”.

Two years later Steineckert announced his departure from the band as he went on to join punk band Rancid and was replaced by Dan Whitesides. Spending the majority of 2007 touring on Taste of Chaos and Give it a Name festival before releasing their third album “Lies for the Liars”. The album featured the popular tracks “The Bird and the Worm”, “Pretty Handsome Awkward” and “Liar Liar (Burn In Hell)” and peaked at number five in the US Billboard charts.

In 2011 McCracken and the band set up their own record label called Anger Music Group in conjunction with Hopeless Records, giving the band an opportunity for more room for creative control. It was through this label the band released their fifth album “Vulnerable” in 2012.

Though The Used may shy away from the term ‘emo’ band, none-the-less the band capture extravagant and expressive music producing catchy anthems which forever induce fond memories.