WHEN MY Chemical Romance scrapped their first attempt at their fourth album, it was because their singer Gerard Way felt it lacked "greatness"> It meant starting again, forcing fans to wait four years for The Black Parade's successor.

These days, rock has become so cynical that there are bands who release albums in halves, mere months apart, lest people lose interest. For them, waiting years just to imbue something with "greatness" is insane. It's also why they have reason to fear people losing interest in them.

The overnight queues at Hammersmith Apollo that preceded My Chemical Romance's first UK show in over two years, however, suggest people will wait for something if it's special. And, in Danger Days..., MCR have created something very special indeed.

It's hard to think of another band currently operating on as many levels as My Chemical Romance. More than just an aural experience, Danger Days... exists in its own technicolor world. It's one of muscle cars, ray guns, deserts and Mad Max futurism - all preposterous looking in print but so encompassing on the record that the album inhabits its own imaginative environment. Some bands are content to make music, here My Chemical Romance have created their own universe of characters, companies, mysterious DJs and science fiction news reports. On its own, Danger Days... is a sensational record; as the centerpiece to a grander vision it's glorious.

After The Black Parade's claustrophobia, Danger Days... is the antithesis. It's the sound of a band full of fun and confidence - so much that, in Planetary Go!, they effortlessly pull off a synth-punk dance track as though it's their stock in trade. Everywhere on this record there are giant choruses and perfect melodies: SING, The Kids From Yesterday, Na Na Na, the list goes on. DESTROYA is a brooding assault of jungle drums fed through a bubblegum machine, Party Poison is a thrilling punk ride S/C/A/R/E/C/R/O/W, meanwhile, a song so simple yet charismatic that it's imposible to resist.

Rock 'n' roll used to be about greatness, about escape and heroes. Once, you could get lost in an album, entangled in its world. It's been a long time since that has been the case. Danger Days... will change that.

DOWNLOAD: S/C/A/R/E/C/R/O/W, DESTROYA.
FOR FANS OF: Green Day, David Bowie
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