Born from the anguish Gerard Way felt after September 11 and his desire not to waste his life, My Chemical Romance started in 2001 when Gerard Way and Matt Pelissier recruited Ray Toro, and Mikey Way to record demo's high up in Matt Pelissier's New Jersey attic. MCR has stayed in the air throughout their rapid fire global musical career. From the very beginning the American rock band has worked fast and furious.

My Chemical Romance - Hot on the First Strike

"The next thing you do should always make the last thing seem unimportant." Gerard Way

Born from the anguish Gerard Way felt after September 11 and his desire not to waste his life, My Chemical Romance started in 2001 when Gerard Way and Matt Pelissier recruited Ray Toro, and Mikey Way to record demo's high up in Matt Pelissier's New Jersey attic. MCR has stayed in the air throughout their rapid fire global musical career. From the very beginning the American rock band has worked fast and furious.

My Chemical Romance - Rapid fire releases

Within a year of forming the group signed with Eyeball Records and released their first album I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love in 2002. An underground hit in 2002 this album has sold over 300,000 copies in the U.S. alone as of February 2009 and has the distinction of being the only My Chemical Romance album without a Parental Advisory warning. By offering free music downloads provided through PureVolume and their internet social networking sites My Chemical Romance built their underground fan base by making technology work for them. Dark lyrics about criminal lovers, vampires and the undead thrilled their fans.

Their first major label release, Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge, was released in 2004, after signing with Reprise Records which they have continued to work with for all their subsequent albums, and brought them into the mainstream music scene. The album spawned the hit singles, Thank You for the Venom, The Ghost of You, I'm Not Okay (I Promise) and Helena. After the bands return from Japan in 2004 Matt Pelissier left the band and was replaced on the drums by Bob Bryar. Their third album, The Black Parade, released in 2006 has been referred to as a rock opera about a man who dies from cancer and his reflection on life after experiencing the afterworld. It hit #2 on Billboard 200 and the UK Albums Chart. The album has gone platinum in both countries and received a Grammy nomination.

Touring the world

My Chemical Romance has an extensive touring history and the shows sell out quickly. First appearing in 2005 with the 11^th Annual Vans Warped tour the band went almost immediately into their first headlining tour to promote Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge. The dark uniforms, use of makeup and dramatic staging began with this tour and culminated in their 2007 The Black Parade World Tour with the use of pyrotechnics. During a one-off show in London in 2006 black robed people paraded around the Hammersmith Palais before the concert and once in the sold out hall the crowd was told My Chemical Romance would be replaced by The Black Parade. After a few minutes it was obvious that the MCR was performing under The Black Parade pseudonym as a marketing ploy for the upcoming release of their third album, The Black Parade. This extensive drama drew criticism as well as rave reviews. The most ambitious of their tours the Black Parade World Tour consisted of 132 performances worldwide. Physical injuries, food poisoning and band member family emergencies have required cancellations of a few My Chemical Romance concerts but on the whole the band has delivered by drafting temporary replacements and going on with the show in true stage tradition.

Into the future

The fourth album by MCR was predicted in May 2009 to be ready for release early in 2010. Gerard Way has stated the album will be a rock album without all the theatrical hoopla of the last two. The band has expressed the desire to capture the garage feel and energy of performing live on the as yet un-named album. Way has hinted that this album will be My Chemical Romance's defining work.

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