10 Hard Rock Albums You Need To Listen To With Headphones

My Chemical Romance were on the upswing by the mid 2000's. After a bonafied hit album under their belt with Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge, the band could have either played off their initial success or follow the emo rock crowd into obscurity. Instead of doing what was expected of a band of their caliber, MCR pulled out all the stops for something no one had ever heard before.

The first time you hear the Black Parade is almost like an unbridled release of emotions, with every instrument shooting from the hip and hitting a bullseye. Structured as a concept album about a dying cancer patient, the entire record almost asks for some more theatrical sounds. As far as sonic touches go, this album is abound with great ideas, from the opening flatline frequency in "Dead!" to the apocalyptic sounding scream of "WAKE UP" towards the end of the song "Sleep."

When asked about the making of the record, the band talked about taking on the mantel of a band like Queen to tell their tale. It's a bold claim, but these emo poster boys walked away with a victory despite what any critic had to say. By all accounts, this album is pretty dark, but once you put your headphones on, this parade of death will make you feel more alive than most albums could even dare try.