Although the artwork for the album Heartwork is similar to the artwork for The Used’s previous album In Love and Death, the sound and structure of the album itself is very different. Heartwork opens with the previously released single “Paradise Lost, a poem by John Milton.” This song gives a preview for the rest of the album, incorporating the pop punk sound shown in the chorus with singer Bert McCracken’s incredible lyrics and raspy screams in the second verse. The song also has a subtle reference to a previous The Used song. The next song, “Blow Me”, has lyrics that are clearly about murder and morals, and McCracken’s screaming in “BIG, WANNA BE” makes the song motivational. Then, with “Bloody Nose”, the lyrics get personal with rhetorical questions like “do I deserve what’s coming?”. Heartwork is a very drum based album, as proven with the incredible drum sequences in “Wow, I Hate This Song” and “Gravity’s Rainbow”. “My Cocoon” and “Heartwork” are short track that make perfect interludes for the album, and the band brings in more unique sounds with “Cathedral Bell” and “Clean Cut Heals”. In addition, “Clean Cut Heals” has an incredible chorus.

Now, for the song everyone is talking about: “1984 – infinite jest”. McCracken makes a reference to My Chemical Romance with the lyrics “the prettiest corpses, the real black parade”, as well as a reference to The Used’s previous album Imaginary Enemy. And the whispered line “ignorance is this” repeated in the chorus brings the song to a new level of amazing.

All 16 tracks in Heartwork are masterpieces. The last five songs were not mentioned in this review, but that doesn’t make them any less amazing. Go listen to the full album to have an out-of-body experience only created by albums produced by a band with real talent, like The Used.

Most fans are familiar with My Chemical Romance’s fourth album, Danger Days, but not the lesser known compilation album Conventional Weapons. Released as a series of singles in 2012 and 2013, this album was originally Danger Days and was the last release of studio music before their hiatus. The songs were recorded in 2009. The album consists of ten tracks, each paired up into A-sides titled Number One through Five and accompanied by a different weapon. And every track is incredible. “Boy Division” is an explosive start, with captivating lyrics that revolve around death, and its accompanying song “Tomorrows Money” includes a vocal effect on Gerard’s voice during some lyrics that adds to the chaotic feel of the song. “AMBULANCE” starts off with a gospel sound, but quickly evolves into rock, and the lyrics “they’re teaching me to kill, who’s teaching me to love?” from “Gun.” make a bold statement about the government. Number Three takes on a sadder sound, with songs that will make many fans cry tears laced with eyeliner. In contrast, “Kiss the Ring” is another song that encompasses the idea of a rebellion, and the track “Make Room!!!!” repeats lyrics from “Na Na Na”. At the end, Number Five brings back the softer sound, and marks a perfect end to Conventional Weapons.

Awsten Knight, the lead vocalist of Waterparks, jokingly issued a challenge to the fans on twitter: 20,000 retweets and he would drop a new album. Awsten had severely underestimated the size of the bands fan base, however, as this was achieved quickly. As a result, Awsten threw together a collection of nine demos to release on Soundcloud, titled 1 (A Collection of Unreleased Home Demos, This is Not G, or Even an Album, Shut Up Enjoy) The titles include years ranging from 1994 to 1998. Some tracks on this are clearly demos, but others, like “Glitter Times (1997 DEMO)” and “Sorry As I’ll Ever Be (1997 DEMO)”, are completed enough to be single songs, or maybe even part of an album that Waterparks is currently developing. The track “Noise (1997 DEMO) is upbeat and positive, with a fast drum beat from Otto Wood, where “Lemonade (1988 DEMO)” takes on a new sound that verges on the edge of screamo music. “Last Heaven (1996 DEMO)” bears a resemblance to a previous Waterparks song, “We Need to Talk”, but has more positive lyrics. “Teenager Jealousy (1997 DEMO)” is an incredible demo that includes the lyrics “You don’t see me making out with Geoff or maybe I’m just doing friendship wrong” that sent the fans into a frenzy. The song includes a commentary from Awsten when the music pauses and he says “I redact what I said here”. This demo album also has a track titled “LIFE IS PUKE (20,00) (1995 DEMO)” where Awsten talks about getting 20,000 retweets and opens by calling the fans “assholes”. The singer’s relationship with his fans is borderline bullying, but they all love him for it. In conclusion, this demo album has given Waterparks fans a look at the future of the band, and it couldn’t be brighter.

Following I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love, punk-rock band My Chemical Romance released their second album. Titled Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge, the cover is graced with the incredible artwork design of MCR frontman Gerard Way. Depicting both love and death, the artwork’s juxtaposition perfectly sums up the album. Three Cheers opens with the iconic song “Helena”, inspired by Gerard and Mikey Way’s grandmother. Other iconic songs include “I’m Not Okay (I Promise)”, which is an anthem for struggling teenagers, and “You Know What They Do to Guys Like Us in Prison”, which is about… well, I think you can guess. Songs like “Cemetery Drive” and “Thank You for the Venom” are just some examples of how the band presents dark topics and incredible lyricism with an upbeat rhythm that will make the audience want to join guitarist Frank Iero on stage, jumping around and screaming. Much like the first album, these songs rely heavily on the instrumentation, showcasing the talents of the other band members and enforcing their punk-rock genre. And if the album wasn’t powerful enough, some songs are accompanied by well made music videos with relevant storylines. These music videos prove that Gerard not only had the ability to present raw emotion with his voice but also with his facial expressions, so well that he could be an actor. In conclusion, Three Cheers is a masterpiece that deserves to be played at top volume on repeat. Listeners might find that their favorite songs are the more underrated ones like “To the End” or “The Jetset Life is Gonna Kill You”. Now, in the words of MCR, “so long and goodnight”.