“Phenomenon” is the only way to properly sum up the band’s 2006 release, ‘The Black Parade'. The meticulous and theatrical concept album captured the hearts and minds of many an alienated teenager. Lyrics and lore were dissected one piece at a time by dedicated fans, and the 133-show tour was revolutionary, with the band literally embodying The Black Parade: the fictional marching band at the heart of the album. The success found in this era essentially left the band with two options for their future: milk ‘The Black Parade’ for all it was worth, or pivot their artistic direction completely for their next album.
My Chemical Romance chose the latter. The reality was that the band had been stuck in their association with ‘The Black Parade’ for so long that it had caused complete creative burnout, and if there was any chance of them moving forward, they knew they had to switch things up. So, after infamously “killing off” The Black Parade in Mexico City, the writing process began for their fourth album.
From the beginning, however, they were faced with one major issue: the band was never supposed to continue past 'The Black Parade'. They had no clear plans or artistic direction moving forward, which worked against them from the start. The initial idea was to make something completely unlike anything they’d done before: an album that felt authentic, raw and true to who My Chemical Romance were as people. No more characters and costumes, no more lore – just a straight-up rock record.
Funnily enough, this proved almost impossible for them to do. It went against every instinct the band had as songwriters, as storytellers, and caused more harm than good to their dynamic. That was until a little song with a big title was written. ‘Na Na Na (Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na)’ was a real creative springboard moment for MCR, and, according to frontman Gerard Way: “the momentum that we needed to dig deep and record another album.” That’s how ‘Danger Days’ was born.
‘Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys’ is a dystopian rock opera that is sonically a lot more electronic and upbeat than MCR’s previous bodies of work, though their witty lyricism and unusual melodic structure can still be clearly identified. Despite their original plans, the band did not hold back on the storytelling front, leaning into it heavily through music videos, merch, teaser clips that sent fans into an absolute frenzy, and even a comic book miniseries penned by Way.
The album detailed the experiences of a rebellious gang, The Killjoys, living in a post-apocalyptic and, at the time, futuristic California in 2019. It followed each band member’s Killjoy alter-ego: “Party Poison” (Gerard Way), “The Kobra Kid” (Mikey Way), “Jet Star” (Ray Toro) and “Fun Ghoul” (Frank Iero), in their fight against the ruling corporation Better Living Industries (or BL/ind), narrated at intervals by radio DJ “Dr Death Defying” (voiced by Steve Montano).
Most critics reacted positively to ‘Danger Days', with some viewing it as a fresh new twist to MCR’s previous alternative rock efforts, and others seeing it as a project that felt naturally and confidently grown from ‘The Black Parade'. But one criticism became harder to shake: for some, ‘Danger Days’ did not feel like a My Chemical Romance album. It was missing the edge, the unashamed confrontation with darkness that had run throughout their whole discography and enticed so many fans along the way. This would prove to be the album’s fatal flaw: failing to impress some of its most important critics – the fans.
Whilst some fans were simply overjoyed with the band’s return, many long-term marchers in The Black Parade found the band’s new artistic direction jarring and unexpected. It wasn’t that they disliked the album necessarily, but more that they couldn’t connect to it in the same way. ‘Danger Days’ was all about looking outward and banding together to fight this larger evil, in direct contrast with the stark and often lonely thematics of MCR’s previous album.
In a way, it felt as though the fans were being told to move on from the very thing that had brought them joy a little too early. Just because the band were sick to death of ‘The Black Parade’, didn’t mean the fandom were, or ever would be. That context made ‘Danger Days’ a difficult sell from the start. It had no hope of achieving the same immediate cult-classic status, and MCR’s split in early 2013 served as the final nail in the coffin. The band’s final album never had the time or space it needed to grow, with the focus instead swung to mourning the band’s more iconic and treasured years.
But now that MCR are back together and celebrating the 15 year anniversary of arguably their most underrated album, is it finally time to give ‘Danger Days’ a second chance?
For one thing, the fans have been absolutely starved of new MCR albums, with no studio album release since their debut as The Fabulous Killjoys in 2010. It seems that the re-issue of the album with its extensive list of bonus tracks and live performances is likely to receive a warmer embrace than the original release, as fans scramble for any scraps of new music that they can get their hands on.
More than that, however, enough time has passed since ‘Danger Days’ first graced our headphones that the album’s themes are more likely to resonate now than they did back then. The fandom has grown up: gone are the eyeliner-wearing, rebellious teenage army that beheld the rise of ‘The Black Parade', and in their place are a group of nostalgic adults with significantly more experience under their belt. These fans have had far longer to mourn the end of 'The Black Parade' era, followed by the joy of MCR’s reunion, and so are likely to be more open to a tonal shift from the band and more excited to embrace a different legacy of songs and characters.
Outside of personal growth, a lot has changed both socially and politically in our society since 2010. We’ve lived through a pandemic, for one thing: a time that feels eerily predicted by the album’s timeline and apocalyptic themes. This alone gives the album a more relatable quality for many, hopefully leading to a more passionate and forgiving attitude towards this project as a whole.
A time was always going to come when the MCR fandom could grow to appreciate what a masterpiece ‘Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys’ is, its only real issue being how ahead of its time and place the album was. The ‘Danger Days’ stans have always been a passionate bunch, and with the album’s upcoming re-release, they’ve finally been handed the fuel they needed to set the fandom on fire, just as the Killjoys would have wanted.
This, coupled with the band themselves finally showing the album some love through release parties and its further incorporation into their ongoing ‘Long Live The Black Parade’ tour, is certainly setting it up for success. It’s been a slow burner, a success story 15 years in the making, but it’s finally time for The Black Parade to don their masks and coloured hair dye.
“Killjoys, make some noise” – it’s about to be a ‘Danger Days’ summer!
Rachel Furnish
Image: ‘Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys (Deluxe Edition)’ Official Album Cover