The Black Parade

When I was in middle school, if you were a loser who didn't like radio pop/rap but was too wimpy to listen to actually out-there music, you either listened to nu metal, or this. I cringe when I look back on my nu metal phase, but I'm glad I at least wasn't into this. I can't stand this overdramatic theater kid bullshit. Rock operas in general were one of the worst things to ever happen to the history of music. And it's even worse when they're made by bands who make music for teenage girls with a persecution complex. I hate the forced over the top dramatics, the attempts to be anthemic. The melodrama. I know I keep saying this but way too many albums on this user list are so full of these overblown theatrics. Everything about it is just so fake. I also hate that people call this "pop punk" when it's anything but. Not even remotely punk and not even remotely fun, or catchy. It takes itself way too seriously. The fact that this album (and MCR in general) has been rehabilitated in the eyes of the public is a travesty. Let's just admit it's pathetic bullshit for teenage girls and nothing more.

So, someone’s already deep-dived into 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die - heard Pink Floyd's The Wall, heard several Queen albums, heard punk-rock, heard Franz Ferdinand, heard Muse - and then nominates The Black Parade as a missing entry on that list? I know this album means the world to a certain generation, but musically, The Black Parade just brings nothing new. This is Queen cosplay with Offspring power chords, Boston-style layering, a Franz Ferdinand strut, and some Muse-lite drama. Just a (black) parade of overused tricks and predictable songwriting. For all the volume and ambition, I didn’t hear much originality. I get the nostalgia, but on musical merit alone, I can’t say this belongs on the same shelf as the albums it imitates. It’s not offensive or unlistenable, it’s just not necessary. At least not outside its original moment.

Too bored by this record to even write a proper review. I will mostly cut and paste quotes from its Wikipedia page, then... " Dan Martin from NME compared the album to Green Day's American Idiot, positing that "it's a piece of work that will challenge every preconception you ever had about the people who made it." " Er... sorry to rain on your (black) parade, but every preconception I had about that sort of overblown-to-ridiculous-proportions "emo rock" have just been confirmed when I spun this record filled to the brim with saccharine vocal lines -- which I did not merely find quite flat on a harmonic level, but also often actively annoying in their forced delivery -- whether screamed or sung. Guess that critics praising this thing, whether now or at the time, have been impressed by the rock opera storyline and the admittedly significant seventies influences (a bonus half-point for that). But in doing so, they sort of hailed this record as a platonic ideal for the "emo" tag that can't possibly represent the whole picture. More quotes to finish, not joining the wagons of critics heaping praise on this record: " The Observer gave the album a one star review, saying, "...it reeks of a band with ideas above its station."  Theon Weber of Stylus praised the album's use of Queen influences, but went on to summarize the album as "...a goofy record of bubblegum punk, with Queen lapping at its edges and enough good tracks to justify the smattering of empty screamfests." " Empty screamfests. Couldn't have phrased it better myself. 1.5/5 for the purposes of this list of essential albums, rounded up to 2 6.5/10 for more general purposes. Number of albums from the original list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 465 Albums from the original list I *might* include in mine later on: 288 Albums from the original list I won't include in mine: 336 ---- Number of albums from the users list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 19 Albums from the users list I *might* select for mine later on: 31 Albums from the users list I won't select for mine: 63 (including this one) ------- Émile, j'ai enfin trouvé le temps de te répondre ! Désolé pour le retard ! Va voir sous la review du "Funeral Dress" de Wussy au dessus !

Sorry but I always hated MCR for some reason, even saw them live once supporting muse and my opinion didn’t change, can see why a lot of folk like them, and probably would hate my Favourite band, but sorry can’t give this more than a 2.

Couldn’t get more than 4 songs in before I was sickened by how terrible the music is.