Covering every album, every line-up, every controversy and every story, this is the ultimate guide to MCR. From the Attic Demos and The Black Parade to reunions and rivalries, this book has it all.
Metal Hammer Presents: My Chemical Romance
Editor letter
IN THE BEGINNING… • Grunge was dead. Nu metal was bloated. Indie rock was predictable. At the turn of the millennium, rock’n’roll needed a revolution.
NEW Romantics • In 2001, in the aftermath of a nation-afflicting tragedy, one young man and his friends began a journey that would change the course of alternative music.
JERSEY? Sure! • New Jersey has long been a hotbed for punk and rock. In 2003, we got Thursday singer Geoff Rickly to give us the lowdown on the new NJ explosion – including an unkown band named My Chemical romance.
New Jersey THE FACTS
THE Icon • My Chemical Romance’s mercurial leader became a beacon for an entire generation of disillusioned music fans.
I BROUGHT YOU MY BULLETS, YOU BROUGHT ME YOUR LOVE (EYEBALL, 2002) • The MCR saga officially got underway with a raw and promising debut.
THE SONG • VAMPIRES WILL NEVER HURT YOU
THE VIDEOS
CHEMICAL EQUATION • The key ingredients that go into making your favourite New Jersey rock stars.
DC HARDCORE • Comics, movies and metal legends… for their first full Metal Hammer Feature in early 2004, My Chemical Romance laid their foundations bare.
THE SHOW MUST GO ON • Well, they didn’t land that Iron Maiden tour, but in January 2004, MCR obliterated London’s tiny Barfly venue. Here’s what went down…
THREE CHEERS FOR SWEET REVENGE (REPRISE, 2004) • Punk rock, goth schlock and a touch of flamboyance collided on MCR’s era-defining breakthrough.
THE SONG • I’M NOT OKAY (I PROMISE)
THE VIDEOS
THE Dynamite KID • Frank Iero’s grounded, DIY ethos was the missing ingredient that ignited the band.
GOING UNDER GROUND • In mid-2004, with the global domination that was to come just a murmur on the horizon, we followed MCR around the UK for one of their very first Metal Hammer features.
THE PEOPLE VS. • It’s not just us journos that get to grill the greats. In November 2004, the lads popped by Hammer Towers for our classic Spanish Inquisition feature, fielding questions from… YOU!
LIKE CLOCKWORK • In April 2005, we made a little bit of history by awarding My Chemical Romance their first UK cover. It was one hell of an experience…
BRAVE NEW WORLD
NOBODY EXPECTS THE SPANISH INQUISITION
MURDER BALLADS • NEO-GOTH GREATS
THE FACTS
rOAD WArRiOrs. • When Hammer was invited to join Gerard et all on 2005’s incarnation of the Vans Warped Tour, we could hardly refuse…
BATTLE LINES • With world domination well on the way, Hammer got its biggest taste yet of the MCRmy’s increasing power when we caught up with the guys on tour in the UK in late 2005.
MASTERS OF CEREMONY • GERARD’S REQUESTS THAT FANS KEEP THEIR TOPS ON WAS A UNIQUE AND WELCOME LIVE TRADEMARK. HERE ARE SOME SLIGHTLY WEIRDER ONES FROM THE WORLD OF ROCK’N’ROLL
Tatts Life • When Frank Iero gave us the lowdown on the issues behind his ink.
Death Becomes Them. • With The Black Parade about to drop, we headed to the 2006 Reading Festival to find a band in somewhat morbid mood.
THREE CHEERS FOR SWEET RELIEF • WHEN MCR’S WORK HAS FLIRTED WITH DEATH
LIVE AFTER DEATH • HERE’S WHAT HAPPENED WHEN MCR TOOK TO THE STAGE SOON AFTER…
THE BLACK PARADE • Punk rock, goth schlock and a touch of flamboyance collided on MCR’s era-defining breakthrough.
THE SONG • WELCOME TO THE BLACK PARADE
THE VIDEOS
THE Guitar GEEK • Gerard Way may have been the focal point,...