May 21, 2012

In 1999, Gerard Way had graduated from art school with a degree and zero job prospects. Two years later, the events of Sept. 11, 2001, were the catalyst that inspired him into doing something big with his life. Not long afterward, Way, his brother Mikey on bass, guitarists Frank Iero (formerly of Pencey Prep) and Ray Toro and drummer Matt “Otter” Pelissier had dubbed themselves My Chemical Romance (a reference to Ecstasy, a book by author Irvine Welsh), immersing themselves into New Jersey’s post-hardcore scene. Under the tutelage of Thursday frontman Geoff Rickly and Eyeball Records’ founder Alex Saavedra, the quintet recorded their debut album, I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love, an amalgam of hardcore thrash and pop hooks imbued with dark overtones. The album gained enough traction in the underground to get MCR signed to Warner Bros. in 2003, releasing their major-label debut, Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge, the following year. The band’s mix of hardcore, pop, metal and balladry—manifested on the disc’s biggest singles “I’m Not Okay (I Promise)” and “Helena”—was considered a post-emo landmark by fans and critics alike. That year, Pelissier was fired from the band and replaced by Bob Bryar, a former drum tech for the Used.

MCR’s next album, 2006’s The Black Parade, found them throwing away their formula entirely, choosing instead to explore idioms reminiscent of the classic-rock acts the members grew up on. (James Dewees of Coalesce, the Get Up Kids and his solo vehicle Reggie And The Full Effect augmented the band on keyboards for the extensive international touring regimen behind Parade.) After making significant headway in the creation of their fourth album, Bryar left the band in early 2010, setting back the disc’s completion. Gerard Way told AP in 2009 that his goal was “to drive everything so far into the sun that the rubber off the tires is shredded, the engine blows up and everyone—our fans, our peers, ourselves—should feel like we’re not going to do another record.” Listeners have no reason not to believe him.