Daveportivo's Cultural Evaluation Facility

2004 saw Slipknot cast of their Nu-Metal past with the ambitious statement of intent Vol III: The Subliminal Verse, Mastodon set their stall out with the brutal and brilliant Leviathon (two albums I've discussed previously). Elsewhere Dave Grohl reaffirmed his hard rock credentials with Probot and Velvet Revolver did there best to destroy the legacy of Guns and Roses with the turgid and the criminally overrated (at the time) Contraband. However when it came to heavier music the real noise was being made by the post-hardcore acts with Lostprophets achieving commercial dominance with Start Something, and this years entry spear heading the genre which would dominate the headlines and magazine front pages for the next three years.

So you guessed it right? Well if you didn't there's a fair chance you won't be happy:

I'm sure a vast majority of over grown teenagers are outraged by my selection of Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge but if you really can't see past genres you need to grow up and open your mind. That said Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge is one of the weakest albums on the countdown, and not one of my favourites, I prefer the sublimely ridiculous Black Parade with it's OTT theatrics and sheer ballsiness. Yet when telling the story of the 21st century heavy rock scene it's impossible to ignore this album, as it encapsulated emo's moment in the sun. This was the moment when the emotional charged post-hardcore sound struck a chord with a million agnsty teens. The scene leaders would soon evolve and expand their sound, but this was as relevant as pure screaming hardcore music would ever get. In 2004 you either loved MCR and emo or you hated it, and lets not pretend, whatever side of the fence you were on (and I was a hater back then) it was a hell of a lot of fun. It sparked endless debates, it drove people wild, and it galvanised a generations of fans who had very little to be passionate about. Metal in the 21st Century has sorely lacked heroes and in MCR and Gerard Way hard rock was given the biggest Hero and biggest Villain it could have possibly hoped for.

Musically Three Cheers For Revenge was an absolute riot, a non stop assualt of screaming, thrashing and menical laughter. The album was deeply flawed, it was so painfully one dimensional it hurt, but back then MCR weren't worried about that they just wanted to rock as hard as they could, as loud as they could, and as fast as they could, with as much emotion as they could possibly muster. While Three Cheers... desperately needed to change gears, and show off the dramatic flair and theatrical frivolity that made The Black Parade so indispensable, it more than got the job done. "Give Them Hell, Kid" and "Thank You For The Venom" were unstoppable hardcore riots, "You Know What They Do To Guys Like Us In Prison" showed MCR's potential with it's over the top story telling and it's unabashed pomposity, and of course"I'm Not Okay (I Promise)" was the anthem that the scene needed and the world demanded. Whether you ridiculed it or scream it at the top of your lungs, you couldn't avoid it. With "Helena" MCR showed they had true stadium potential and while "Ghost Of You" highlighted their weakness and core sloppiness. Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge could be loved and hated in equal measure, but more importantly it was visceral and thrilling when the rest of the hard rock world was anything but.

The Metal Time Line (so far):