Welcome to the Black Parade

Alright, let's get one thing straight. I'm not a teenager, nor am I angst ridden. I'm not deep and dark. Well, not anymore. I'm not a social outcast and I don't wear black lipstick. I'm a Midwestern housewife in love with My Chemical Romance. This goes to show that anything goes when it comes to music this darn good.

Judging from their last album, I had high expectations for their newest, The Black Parade. And although I would love to be able to categorize them with all the other Pop/Rock Bands out there, I just couldn't do it. My Chemical Romance is in a league all their own. Beginning with The End, an epic throwback to Meatloaf theatrics, the album starts on a high and glides through with each and every song. For those who feel angst ridden, misunderstood, or just want to rock out, this album has it all. The melodic hard rock is easy on the ears. The lead singer, Gerard Way, weaves a story with every track on the album. Welcome To The Black Parade, the quasi-title track is grand to say the least, and is a heavy contender as a throwback to Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody. Every "scene" (as I like to call it) is full of excitement and is captivating from beginning to majestic end. This New Jersey based punk/pop/rock group has paid attention to every detail on each track to be sure to grab the listener's attention and hang on to it until the grand finale, Famous Last Words. There is a hidden track after that which is explicit, Blood, which is creepy in a western saloon kind of way.

House of Wolves with its thumping beat is very reminiscent of the early Sex Pistols tunes that I'm sure in some way have influenced MCR (so much less typing with acronyms). Way has a mysteriousness of him that is hard to pinpoint both lyrically and emotionally. His vocals are non comparison. The music is in its own atmosphere, especially that of Cancer. If I had to choose a song that seemed to pale in comparison to the others it would have to be Teenagers. The song was too similar to background music I would hear when Scooby and Shaggy were running from some kind of monster or ghost. It seemed to be too hokey and really could have been done without. Kind of like teenagers in general, the song didn't know where to go and gave the impression that it knew exactly what it was doing. It didn't. Luckily, it was in the middle of the album and easily avoided with a flick of a button.

Other than Teenagers, the rest of The Black Parade is a stellar album. And so here I am, baton ready, to join the Black Parade. I sure hope they accept housewives with coupons.