Number Four - My Chemical Romance

The latest release from the "Conventional Weapons" release series does not fail to please the ears. After the ballad heavy "Number Three", "Number Four" returns to gritty guitars, fast drums, and Gerard's screaming and shouting.

• Kiss The Ring maintains that dark, yet fun vibe that MCR loves to use. It's upbeat and it's in your face. It makes you want to shove a fist in the air and shout along to the lyrics. The guitar line grabs your attention by leading into the song, with a defined yet distorted sound. The solo during the bridge is also spot on, with a very subtle yet effective addition of flange on the guitar.  Gerard Way's vocals are as distinct as ever, combining moments of smooth singing with rough screams. The song almost has a Brit-rock vibe to it, with the style of the vocals and the guitar line as well. The mellowing of the second verse offers a nice opposition to the rest of a very loud and driving song. All in all, a very enjoyable and well done song. 5/5
• Make Room!!!! continues the fast paced feel of most of the songs from the "Conventional Weapons" series, with the drums keeping the rest of the instruments on the speeding train that is MCR. Both of the songs on this release begin in a similar fashion, with rockin' guitar lines leading into pounding drum rhythms, but have different sounds all over the place. The backing vocals on the chorus of Make Room, for example, give the impression of a choir standing behind Way as he belts out the vocals. The vocals throughout the song come in fast and intense bursts, giving the song a ferocious and driving sound. The bridge, however, is where the song becomes interesting. It lets off the gas a little bit, and slowly begins to build up. The most interesting part is when the vocals come in, because Gerard eventually begins to repeat the line "Everybody wants to change the world, but no one, no one wants to die", which is also found in the bridge of their song "Na Na Na". It seems that MCR really liked the bridge of Make Room, and decided to either build another song around it or add it onto the preexisting idea of "Na Na Na". I really liked hearing this, because it gave me some insight into the song writing process that MCR goes through. 5/5

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this release. The songs were great additions to my library, and I highly recommend them to any MCR fan. If you would also like to hear my thoughts on the other releases in the "Conventional Weapons" series, then check them out here on the blog! Much thanks