My Bloody Good Review of My Chemical Romance

My Chemical Romance has been one of the most notorious emo/ pop punk bands of the 2000s. 

Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge was their second album released in 2004 and sent them to the charts. One of the songs “I’m Not Okay (I Promise),” was named summer jam of 2005. 

The band consists of Gerard Way, Mikey Way, Frank Iero, and Ray Toro. The band was formed in 2001 but did not sign with a label because they felt like the label did not understand them. They finally signed with Eyeball records after they saw them perform in a basement and released their first album “I Brought You My Bullets, I Brought You My Love.” 

MCR started doing basement shows and then went on tour in 2005 with the band The Used on the Taste of Chaos tour and it all started for them. At that time they also released a documentary called “Life on the Murder Scene.” 

My Chem just announced their 2026 The Black Parade Stadium Tour for the 30th anniversary of the album. I will be attending one of the concerts next summer and hope to review the show as well. 

I started listening to the band in junior year summer of high school after remembering the band having someone I knew before liking them. I had always thought they looked scary so I was massively intrigued especially by Gerard’s red eye makeup and greasy hair. I decided to listen to their other tunes and I was instantly obsessed. Since then they have been one of my top bands of all time. Three Cheers is number two in my MCR album list so I thought I should review it. Here is my full ranked list just in case you choose to listen. (Which I suggest you do.) 

1. I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love 

2. Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge 

3. Life On The Murder Scene (live album) 

4. Danger Days: The True Lives of The Fabulous Killjoys 

5. The Black Parade is Dead! (live album) 

6. The Black Parade 

Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge is really a story album. Gerard had the concept that the main character would do anything for his woman, especially killing a thousand evil men.

What I enjoy about this album is how visual it is, the details Gerard and the band put into their look and appearance during this era really emphasizes what they were going for. 

In this article I will be reviewing the album top to bottom; at the end I will be ranking them 13-1 backwards worst to best. This is also my Halloween time review so anyone reading happy Halloween!! 

Helena- Of their biggest singles of all time as well when released, Helena is about Gerard and Mikey’s grandmother’s death. Gerard felt bad for not being able to be by her side and this song really expresses his grief. The song starts with “Long ago” and ends with “So long and goodnight.” Which says a lot about what Gerard was feeling. The music video consists of a funeral scene where Helena comes back to life and dances through the middle of the church. After the video was released, the church it was filmed at, Immanuel Presbyterian Church, became famous for this. The song is so powerful throughout and I understand why it is such a hit for them. Helena was the first song by MCR I heard other than Welcome to The Black Parade, their biggest hit and what they are known for. 

Give Em’ Hell Kid- This tune became a live anthem once they released it. It is about just not caring what other people think, and “giving them hell” with them knowing they can’t be you. To me it is one of my biggest summer tunes ever, and I am surprised it wasn’t named one. 

To The End- To The End is about how the man would go to the ends of the earth to get his woman back. It represents the  concept of the album really well. This song isn’t in my top five although it is really hard to skip! 

You Know What They Like To Do To Guys Like Us In Prison

Warning: Capital Punishment and Dark thoughts 

There are many theories about this song. The real theme of this song is that the man is in prison for killing all the evil men and has many different interactions. This song is very angry because he just wants his woman back but goes to the slammer. One of the darkest thoughts he has is to just get the death penalty to get out of there. 

I’m Not Okay (I Promise)- Like I previously stated, one of their biggest hits in 2005. It is about a breakup and how Gerard is “not okay” but is okay after he was hurt so much by the girl. This is rumored to be about the ex he had at the time. The music video is a short film MCR made about being in prep school. 

The Ghost of You- My number one MCR song of all time. It hits differently every time. It is about the woman dying and the man seeing her ghost. Other than Helena, Ghost of You is one of the more heartfelt songs from Gerard. 

The Jetset Life Will Kill You- When I started listening to MCR, this wasn’t one of my chosen tunes to listen to. Although, throughout the three years of listening to them, I have found a love for it. Jetset Life is based on a drug dealer character’s life and what it can do to someone. One of the most notorious lyrics that fans love is “Check into the Hotel Bella Muerte.” No one really knows why everyone loves it but it is just a really cool line and how Gerard sings the line.

Interlude- This has to be in my top five of the songs on this album. This is an instrumental tune with Gerard whispering about angels in the back. It is super eerie and I just love it. 

Thank You For The Venom - “Give me all your poison and give me all the pills”. The line that made me love this song. Gerard’s emphasis in his voice in this song is like no other. Other than “I’m Not Okay,” this might be their angriest song voice wise. The primary theme in this song is that the man is always gonna stay with his woman once he gets her back. 

Hang Em’ High- As I previously said, the last song was the most angry. Hang Em’ High might have to be the loudest. In the beginning the drums start and then Gerard just starts shrieking. During the song Gerard’s voice against all the instruments screaming really makes the song what it is. This song is based on a movie by Clint Eastwood which I was interested to know. I always thought it was just about hanging someone in the daylight or the man making a killing. Very eye-opening to what Gerard had in mind for this song. 

It’s Not A Fashion Statement, It’s a Deathwish- The best part of the song is the beginning guitar riff and Gerard screaming, “For what you did to me, and what I’ll do to you, you get what everyone else gets, you get a lifetime AHH!” Like I previously said, a lot of the songs are what they are because of Gerard’s screaming vocals. After reading and hearing the lyrics for the 100th time, I made a connection that the “lifetime” could mean prison for the woman and not the man because of her possible crimes and it could be twisted. 

Cemetery Drive- The beginning drum pattern gets me every time. It is so catchy. Cemetery Drive is about the protagonist finding his woman dead in the bathroom. Very dark I know. I wish this one had a music video for how visual it is. 

I Never Told You What I Do For A Living- This was one of the songs I had on repeat in summer 2022. The main point of this story is that the protagonist never tells the girl what he does for a living; which is killing and now she is finding out. This album is darker than I thought. But I love it. 

Here is my ranking of all the songs on TCFSR 

1- The Ghost of You

2- Helena 

3- Thank You For The Venom 

4- I’m Not Okay (I Promise) 

5- Cemetery Drive 

6- I Never Told You What I Do For a Living 

7- You Know What They Do To Guys Like Us In Prison 

8- Interlude 

9- Hang Em’ High 

10- Give Em’ Hell Kid 

11- It’s Not a Fashion Statement, It’s a Death Wish 

12- To The End

13- The Jetset Life Will Kill You 

Cyclone Rating + Meaning- (Warning suicide mention) 

With my own Cyclone Rating I would give this album a 5.5. I sound very biased but honestly the connection I have with this album is so near and dear to my heart and from my teenage years. MCR will always be one of my favorite emo bands and in general that will never change. They stand for better mental health and caring about yourself even if their lyrics are deep and some people say “their music makes you suicidal.” They have impacted so many people’s lives with their lyrics, especially mine. This album will also always be a pop punk classic and for the next generations to come.