My Chemical Romance Will Reissue The Black Parade Sessions With New James Jean Art

Twenty years after The Black Parade, My Chemical Romance are returning to the album’s world through a collection they describe as “everything we finished during those sessions.” Announced on 9 September, the project revisits the band’s third album, the 2006 Reprise release produced by Rob Cavallo and the band and home to “Welcome to the Black Parade,” “Teenagers,” and “Famous Last Words.”

The announcement includes three new pieces by artist James Jean, whose visual language defined the album’s original presentation. “We asked James Jean to revisit the world of The Black Parade and create three new pieces of art,” the band wrote on Instagram. Their message ended with “Thank you for marching with us. To the death! MCR.”

What remains unspecified is the music itself. No tracklist has been shared, so it is unclear which recordings will be newly available. The band’s Warner store shows a heading for “The Black Parade 20” but no products beneath it. A formal title, date, formats, and ordering details have yet to be confirmed.

The sessions have been opened once before. The 2016 tenth-anniversary edition, The Black Parade/Living With Ghosts, paired the album with an 11-song companion of demos and mixes, including an early version of “Welcome to the Black Parade” titled “The Five of Us Are Dying,” live demos of “Mama” and “Disenchanted,” two versions of “House of Wolves,” and a rough mix of “Emily.” That release set a precedent for putting unfinished work next to the original record. The new collection appears to extend that approach, though whether it will go beyond what Living With Ghosts already exposed is the central question.