Review Summary: It's fine I guess. Nothing matters, like, when we die anyways.
My Chemical Romance hit the ground running. They kicked up some dust following
I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love, but
Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge was where the group started to take shape. The perfect combination of a Queen-like stage presence with just enough punk to get the crowd going was their winning formula. They were the “it” band of the 2000’s.
Sweet Revenge was probably their magnum opus as a band. It summed up most of their aspirations in terms of sound, lyrics, and style. A record defined by a pop shell and rotten emo core pushed the genre to new heights. Aside from mainstream attention,
Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge did a lot more for the band outside of music than anything else, which is a mostly unintended consequence. That being said,
Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge is arguably among the most interesting records from 2004.
Sweet Revenge was desperate to capture that ‘big record’ feel. Gerard Way commented in one of the groups interviews that the album was to relay some epic tale of an undead man collecting souls as payment to meet his lover again. It’s easy to see where the captivation comes from. The narrative direction, music, and style all reflect a dramatic gothic flair. I’m mostly surprised at how they didn’t overdue the record with such a tall tale.
Revenge clocks in around 40 minutes with just 13 tracks.
Three Cheers also takes a big step away from
I Brought You My Bullets in the process. They lack the raw edge of the previous record, which is a good thing. My Chemical Romance never quite fit the mold of a credible hardcore punk band. The polished sound suits the vocalist and group a lot better than doing their best to imitate Black Flag.
The music doesn’t suffer from it though. Despite leaning away from their punk roots, they opt for a more palatable version of their previous sound. The music isn’t as riff heavy; however, there are a few vicious chops dealt by Way and co. ‘I Never Told You What I do for a Living’ is a vicious track with a crunchy riff to back it up. The song, serving as the closer, sums up how the male figure interprets his killing spree. It’s a pretty interesting song contextually. “And we'll all dance alone to the tune of your death. We'll love again, we'll laugh again. And it's better off this way,” sums up how his victims death result in their life as a couple. The crunchy beating riff, pick slides, and enormous breakdown come together nicely in this track. I would regard it as my personal favorite from listening.
‘I’m Not Okay (I Promise)’ is the sweeter side of
Revenge. Serving as one of the album’s more popular singles, ‘I’m Not Okay’ tells an angsty tale of a relationship. The biggest problem with the track is how unfitting it is. ‘I’m Not Okay’ doesn’t fit well in the mood or tone of
Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge. Its lyrics and atmosphere clash with the “plot” and mood the album tries to accomplish. It’s hard to see where an undead bounty hunter looking for souls needs to revisit high school. ‘The Ghost of You’ is a somber addition to the lineup. It mostly deals with the subjects accepting death, but the dramatic vocal display from Gerard Way sell this song unimaginably. It really makes a big difference. On paper, the song is really just a passable alt-rocker, but Way takes a dynamic standpoint in delivery for this track. The atmospheric guitar that jumps to 11 once the bridge kicks in plays on the bands good understanding of diversity.
That brings us to some of the records problems. There are a handful of songs that sound out of place. ‘To the End’ sounds a lot like a Panic! At the Disco song. When coming off of ‘Helena’ and ‘Give ‘em Hell, Kid,’ ‘To the End’ jumps in with a different tone and texture to the rest of the album. The song is supposedly about the protagonists victims, but it’s also a reference to a Blur song and short story (Rose for Emily). There’s a lot going on with the song and it ultimately falls out of line. ‘The Jetset Life Is Gonna Kill You’ is about the vocalist’s drug abuse. They tried to write it in a way that fits with the narrative, however, the song is meant to be a depression in the overall theme. The protagonist (or Gerard Way in this case) is casting negativity over their current living situation. He doesn’t want to die young and live for his loved one, but then we have the story about collecting souls. Don’t we want the protagonist to collect souls? Isn’t he supposed to see her again? Didn’t he already die? Why does she want you to stop killing? The song, obviously, makes a lot of plot holes.
Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge has enough positives to balance its negatives. Although at times redundant, it’s dynamic and interesting enough to keep the album moving. It’s easy to hear where the pop appeal comes from. Over the years it has gone on to be massively overrated, overplayed, and misunderstood, but that comes from people who generally miss the point altogether.
Three Cheers isn’t my personal taste. I enjoyed the album a lot more than I thought I did, but I won’t be playing many songs on the way home. There are a few (which I will list in my standout section) that I’ll keep, but the album didn’t do much for me personally. I’d still recommend the album. It’s far from lazy, especially compared to my previous review. I can’t help but feel
Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge did more for MCR commercially than anything else. The music isn’t that big of a step up compared to the hype and “legend status” it currently holds. The hype really kills the album, especially for newer listeners. If you haven’t listened to My Chemical Romance before and turn on this album, you’ll be disappointed if you followed any hype. It’s really, plain and simple, an okay album.
Standout Tracks
I Never Told You What I do for a Living
Thank You for the Venom
The Ghost of You
Helena
