My Chemical Romance!!!

My Chemical Romance are:
Gerard Way - Vocals
Ray Toro - Guitar
Mikey Way - Bass
Frank Iero - Guitar
Bob Bryar - Drums

Lifting their name from the cult description of Irvine Welsh's novels, My Chemical Romance is emerging as one of the most promising young bands in recent musical memory. Their sound, distinct and fresh, pledges allegiance to everyone from Iron Maiden and The Misfits to Morrissey and At The Gates. Having a live show that explodes with energy and leaves a footprint in the face of all things in it's way, My Chemical Romance has spent 2003 trekking around the United States numerous times and traveled to Europe to do a string of dates in the UK, Germany, Holland, & Spain. This has given the five lads a chance to further hone their skills and craft, all the while connecting with fans on an international level. It all seems like quite a feat for a little band from Newark, NJ. The chronicle of My Chemical Romance is a twisted voyage through many years of grimy New Jersey suburbs. The five members have been very loose-knit friends since their high school years. There were many incarnations of local bands throughout that time, but never the combination that left that feeling of satisfaction they were striving for. As high school ended, the band members were scattered in all different directions in a search to find out what they would become. This left some attending school, while others went instantly into full time jobs. Over the years, the guys stayed in contact with each other. "I was doing animation in New York City, living in my mother's basement," states Gerard, "and I was really starting to question the direction of my life. So I called Matt, who'd been asking himself a lot of the same questions. We decided we would get together and play some music." After writing a song, and getting together with Matt, Gerard decided it was time to move forward. "The song, 'Skylines And Turnstiles,' came out pretty good. So I decided to call Ray, who is the best guitarist I know." The three of them spent the next few months in what was considered "a constant state of seeing what would happen." The result of this was another demo, recorded in an attic in the winter of 2001. "Things started moving rather quickly after that," explains Gerard. "Mikey heard about what we were up to and wanted to be a part of it. My brother didn't really know much about being a bassist, but he knew that was what we needed, so he learned to play almost overnight. We are all very impressed." After being picked up by the New Jersey independent Eyeball Records, My Chemical Romance marched into a studio in upstate New York to record their debut album in May of 2002. Still feeling incomplete, the band recruited Frank to fill out their sound. Tracking the record in just over two week's time, My Chemical Romance was all ready to go. What they never saw coming was that their ability to write songs would touch the hearts and souls of nearly everyone they came across. In 2002, Eyeball Records (the New York-based indie that Thursday had recorded for) released My Chemical Romance's debut album, I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love. The album was often compared to Thursday -- a comparison that, for various reasons, was inevitable and unavoidable. Both bands were from New Jersey, both had recorded for Eyeball, and both combined punk-pop's musical aggression with introspective, confessional lyrics. Plus, I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love was produced by Geoff Rickly, Thursday's lead singer -- add all of those things up, and there was no way that My Chemical Romance was going to escape Thursday comparisons. But Thursday isn't their only influence; reviewers have cited the Smiths, Morrissey, the Cure, and the Misfits as influences. And Way has even cited British heavy metal icons Iron Maiden as an influence. Lyrically, I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love is as dark as it is introspective and cathartic; Way has been quoted as saying that the band's lyrics were a great way for him to deal with the problems he had been going through (which included severe depression and a serious illness in his family). The 2002 release included Way and Pelissier's first song, "Skylines and Turnstiles," and many of the album's other song titles were equally intriguing, including "Honey, This Mirror Isn't Big Enough for the Two of Us," "Drowning Lessons," "Headfirst for Halos," "Our Lady of Sorrows," and "Vampires Will Never Hurt You." I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love was released in July of 2003. With the release of incendiary second album 'Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge,' New Jersey's own My Chemical Romance has consolidated a reputation for brilliant, biting and boundary-leaping rock and roll that first came to worldwide attention with their 2002 Eyeball Records debut 'I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love.' Featuring thirteen new originals written by the band, 'Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge' is an impressive leap forward for a group that's been constantly on tour for the better part of 2 years, winning a fanatical following across North America and Europe, both as headliners and co-billed with The Used, Taking Back Sunday, Story Of The Year and a host of others. 'We had to pull ourselves off the road to get fully focused on the album,' explains vocalist Gerard Way. 'We put ourselves under a lot of pressure to exceed what we'd done the last time around, which was a good thing. But at the same time we allowed for the music to evolve and grow. We experimented a lot, tried a lot of new things.' Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge explodes with what Way calls 'violent, unsafe pop music.' Produced by Howard Benson, whose work with legendary Motorhead was a major influence on My Chemical Romance, the album tells a hair-raising story in song. 'Half of it is about making a deal with the devil' says Way. 'The other half is taken from our experiences as a band.' With tracks ranging from 'I'm Not Okay (I Promise)' and 'The Ghost In You,' to 'You Know What They Do To Guys Like Us In Prison' and 'I Never Told You What I Do For A Living', its up to the listener to distinguish which half is which in some of toughest, most convincing modern rock in recent memory. The tale of My Chemical Romance, with a name inspired by author Irvine Walsh, starts in the grimy New Jersey suburbs, where the group had formed a very loose-knit friendship since high school. After graduation, they spread out but stayed in contact, eventually reforming around new music. After being picked up by the New Jersey independent Eyeball Records, My Chemical Romance cut I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love in just under two weeks. The result was one of the best debuts of the year and led to a major label deal with Reprise and a flurry of touring offers. 'We've basically been on the road ever since,' Way continues. 'Finally, when we could take the time to develop the songs and story, we got back in the van again and drove out to Los Angeles to record. Part of the reason was we wanted to take our own equipment, and part of the reason was we wanted to get some of that energy carrying into the studio.' Working closely with Benson, who aside from Motorhead, has produced hit music for Hoobastank, POD and others, the group took two months to craft the music and tell the story of Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge. 'It started out as a complete concept album,' Way continues. 'But as we went along we realized that our own lives were mixed up in it, so we started writing ourselves in the story.' In the same way, My Chemical Romance gets deep inside their own sound on 'Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge'. While echoes can be heard of everyone from Nick Drake to Trent Reznor; Iron Maiden to Morrissey and beyond, it's the band's own distinctive and original vision that pulls together this high impact collection. Simply put, Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge is the album to beat for 2004. What now? 'We're already back on the road,' laughs Way.'We'll be on the VANS WARPED TOUR and over to Japan and back to the UK where we got a great reception. Then, on from there, we've really made a lot of progress in the past year, and had a lot of fun. We're committed. Why stop now?' My Chemical Romance did not take these opportunities to appeal to more fans than they expected very lightly. From swaggering to leaping, the band set out to grab people by the throat, scream until they listened, than explode in their face with unprecedented energy and performance that would not be ignored. They have something to say and want you to listen. The cool darkness of Gerard's lyrics & vocals may leave you to think of Nick Cave, Greg Dulli, or a young Reznor, while the wall of sound behind him will seal the coffin of what was. From "Demolition Lovers" and "Early Sunsets Over Monroeville," to the big rock of "Headfirst For Halos" and "Vampires Will Never Hurt You," My Chemical Romance really does have something to say. They will prove that in music, is life. And this life is darker than any New Jersey shore could ever be. Just listen for yourself.