CD Fast Facts:Artist: My Chemical RomanceAlbum: The Black ParadeHighlights: Dead!, House of Wolves, Mama, and Teenagers

Having a beautiful array of guitar riffs and solos, bass and drum beats, and an almighty roar, New Jersey’s own My Chemical Romance rose to number one on the U.K. charts with their latest album titled, The Black Parade.

This is their third album, yet it is their second to be released on the major-label, Reprise Records. The Black Parade is a darker and different album than the previous two, and shows how My Chemical Romance has matured and transformed. Three albums that were influenced to make this album were Queens’ “A Night in the Opera,” The Beatles’ “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band,” and Pink Floyds’ “The Wall.”

With 14 tracks on the album, including a hidden track, The Black Parade is a concept album with the story line of a man, The Patient, who is dying of cancer. As he lies on his hospital bed, he remembers his father taking him to see a parade when he was a child. He then envisions death coming for him as The Black Parade, which portrays My Chemical Romance in this epic album. The entire album was also being streamed on their website five days before the actual release on October 24th, and is still currently streaming.

“The End.” is a short opening track that definitely gives you an equally combined vibe of Queen and Pink Floyd. The piano and guitars work beautifully together which makes this intro just absolutely amazing. Frontman Gerard Way sings and screams out with a powerful tone, just like Roger Waters of Pink Floyd in “In the Flesh?” from The Wall.

In the beginning of the track titled “Dead!” we hear the tone of the heart monitor explaining that The Patient’s heartbeat had stopped beating and had just died. The guitar solo in this song is awe-inspiring and explodes with the drumbeats and cymbals beautifully.

Their first single, “Welcome to the Black Parade,” which was available to download on iTunes a month prior the release of the album, introduces what The Black Parade is really about. The way the drums are performed in the beginning and end give a feel of a marching band performance, along with the piano tune, the blasting sound of horns, and a guitar solo with the touch of Queen once again.

“Mama” has a polka-ish vibe going on and is sung a bit whiny to represent a young adult’s cry to his mother. It is supposedly sung by a soldier’s perspective with lyrics like “I’m writing this letter and wishing you well. Mama, we all go to hell. Well mother what the war did to my legs and to my tongue,” and “But the sh** that I’ve done with the f*** of this gun, you will cry us to rise up alive.” Not only does Way’s voice sound distressed, but it flows well with the many string instruments being used. This track also features singer and actress Liza Minnelli, singing a sorrowful, melancholic two-line chorus, and has her crying mournfully at the end of the track.

“House of Wolves” is an insanely, upbeat song, which really lets the bass guitar stand out for once. The drumming is just brilliant along with the vocals. In the beginning of a song titled “Sleep,” there is a tape recorder being played over and over again, describing an experience that the band had gone through during the recording of this album.

“Cancer” is a two-minute song which explains The Patient’s thoughts and emotions about his dying of cancer. The lyrics and the vocals make this a very emotional song and if listened to, thoughts of a loved one comes to mind-be it a family relative or a friend.

“Teenagers” is obviously a song about teenagers; nonetheless it’s about the violence that exists between teenagers. Probably the most shocking lyric in this track is, “But if you’re troubled and hurt, what you got under your shirt, will make them pay for the things that they did.” It is very bold of the band to put that lyric out in the open, just praying that it doesn’t give their audience the wrong idea, and start slitting wrists.

The hidden track titled “Blood” is a hilarious tune that doesn’t start until one minute and 30 seconds into the track. The lyrics paint a picture of doctors and nurses drinking gallons of blood in a hospital. “Grab a glass because there’s going to be a blood,” advises you to join in on the blood drinking.

If this sounds like your cup of tea (or cup of coffee) and you have 13 bucks to spend for this tasteful piece of music to feed your soul with, then purchase The Black Parade. This album is sure to catch new fans and will most likely keep their dedicated fans from the start.