My Chemical Romance- The Media-proclaimed saviors of rock hailing from the Garden State, offer up an impressive sophomore release. I read the previous review on the album and felt it did little to no justice to reveal to the readers the circumstances that brought about such an ambitious album from an aspiring band. So here's the story of MCR prior to Three Cheers.
Extensive touring and the pressure to put out a sophomore release began to take its toll on MCR. Most noticeably, the singer, Gerard, was not dealing with the surging fan base well. Being from New Jersey, I remember seeing MCR rock out in the early days, and it was obvious that Gerard was heavily under the influence while on stage. Turns out, Gerard felt the need to drink his confidence in order to 'perform'. This had two draw backs: one, Gerard had to take downers to sleep after shows which are very dangerous when mixed with alcohol and two, the band's performances were lacking. After the cycle took its toll, Gerard realized his problem and sought help. After and during rehab Gerard had the idea to make the next album a concept one. The main story is a Bonnie and Clyde like couple, and how the wife dies and the husband barters with the Devil to see his wife again. The Devil tells the man to acquire 1,000 souls of men, and he will be able to see his wife again. As you can see, the ambitious story was a huge leap from the band's previous lyrical content.
Unfortunately, tragedy struck in 2 forms. The original drummer for MCR left the band and MCR was left to find a replacement, who later became Bryar who they met on the Used tour. The second was much more serious, as Gerard's loving grandmother passed away. This fuels Gerard's lyrical flames, as his grandmother had taught him how to sing and draw, two of the things Gerard loved most to do. Thus, the story of Three Cheers now had a plotline, but Gerard used personal pain to infuse emotion into the story.
Just as Gerard had stepped up his lyrical game, so had the rest of the band with their musical competence. Most noticeably, Ray Toro has now become a formidable lead guitarist, with interesting and diverse riffs, and some neck breaking solos.
And So that brings us to the actual cd, Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge.
1. Helena - Written in memory of his grandmother, Helen, the lyrics and vocal lines are the obvious highlights here. Soft introduction, with a nice waltz-timed chorus, great intro song.
2. Give 'Em Hell Kid - One of the more 'punkier' feeling songs, beginning with the running bassline intro. Decent song, though not one of my favorites.
3. To The End - Awesome guitar intro and interludes with a nice little solo, with a nice little keyboard synth lead part. Very catchy, very bouncy. Great lyrics too. A semi showcase that MCR can now go slightly more poppy while still rockin'.
4. You Know What - One of my favorite songs. A jazzy introduction, and slow building verse that turns into a frenzied solo by Toro. An obvious highlight on the album.
5. I'm Not Okay(I Promise) - The single. A good pop-punk song, but that's not really what MCR is best at.
6. The Ghost of You - Ah, the power ballad. And for that matter, a GOOD power ballad. Nicely written guitar parts, and a very catchy chorus. Great track
7. The Jet Set Life - Picks up where the previous track left off, but brings it with some gusto. Great song, another one of my favorites. Love the lyrics, 'Check into the Hotel Bella Muerte'" Fantastic.
8. Interlude ' Well written guitar, where Gerard tries to show range'average but easily skipped.
9. Thank You For The Venom - Stellar guitar intro, with some of the hardest hitting lyrics on the album, and the best solo(IMO).
10. Hang 'EM High - My Favorite Track. Jazz/Western intro, with an absolutely chaotic verse and then a catchy chorus. What MCR is all about.
11. It's Not a Death Wish - Great track, with strong guitar intro and great chorus. Nice non-linear song construction.
12. Cemetery Drive - If you aren't bobbing your head by the drum beat, what will make you. Slightly more poppy song, but still enjoyable.
13. I Never Told You - Confusing at first, but after a couple spins my second favorite track. The breakdown is the perfect way to end the album. 'And never again, never again'"
So there you have it. Overall, I'd give this album a 4-4.5 star range(out of 5). Compared to the last album, MCR sounds more mature, but slightly more poppy. There live show has improved greatly, so I highly recommend you check them out. To give you a feel for my musical tastes, MCR would probably be on the poppier end of my tastes. In 2004, this was definitely one of my favorite releases, and I definitely recommend you pick up a copy.
themarsvolta
