How an Extreme Metal Band Surprisingly Inspired My Chemical Romance's Epic 'Black Parade' Tour

The inspiration for My Chemical Romance's epic "Long Live": The Black Parade Tour came from an unlikely source several years before the first show of the run.

Vocalist Gerard Way revealed the unexpected band that helped form the tour's identity during MCR's Thursday night headlining slot at the Sonic Temple music festival in Columbus, Ohio.

Extreme Metal Band Inspired My Chemical Romance

My Chemical Romance are currently in the middle of year two, celebrating the 20th anniversary of their The Black Parade album. The tour is set in a fictitious world and includes multiple supporting characters in addition to the band.

Each night, the band plays the entire 2006 album from front to back while putting on something akin to a musical stage show. That is then typically followed by a short encore set of songs pulled from other MCR albums, where the band performs out of character.

This allows Way to address the crowd as himself and to give some insight into how the lore-heavy tour was put together.

During the Sonic Temple encore set, he started talking about going to see Texas death metal band Frozen Soul open for Napalm Death several years ago.

READ MORE: See + Hear Gerard Way's Brutal Guest Turn on Frozen Soul's 'No Place for Warmth'

"That night I saw something really special. I saw Napalm Death play and I'd never seen Napalm Death before. And then Barney [Greenway, Napalm Death vocalist] said something that, I know it's the name of the record, but anyway, he said, 'man is the apex predator.' I wrote that down and I put it on the bulletin board."

Way was referring to Napalm Death's 2015 album, Apex Predator – Easy Meat. The album centers on the concept of man destroying itself and civilizations.

The Timeline of Way's Napalm Death Story Shows Extensive Planning Behind Current Tour

As Way continued telling his story, it became clear how much that night impacted the show fans had seen that night at Sonic Temple.

The "Long Live": The Black Parade tour is set in a fictitious world called Draag that is run by a heinous dictator. Shows have featured everything from a clown "blowing himself up" wearing an explosive vest to a mock execution.

"It (Greenway's message) made me think a lot while I was working on 'Long Live.' And that it is man who destroys the world."

While My Chemical Romance's "Black Parade" tour started in 2025, it seems as though Way was potentially planning the whole thing years before the first show.

Setlist.fm shows that Napalm Death hasn't played the title track from Apex Predator – Easy Meat since 2018, although the band did tour with Frozen Soul in 2022. It's likely that Greenway had referenced the album and it's theme onstage while Napalm Death performed a different song off that album.

My Chemical Romance are off the road until the European leg of their tour begins in Liverpool on June 30.

My Chemical Romance 2026 Tour Dates

June 30 — Liverpool, U.K. @ Anfield Stadium
July 04 — Glasgow, U.K. @ Bellahouston Park
July 08 — London, U..K. @ Wembley Stadium
July 10 — London, U.K. @ Wembley Stadium
July 11 — London, U.K. @ Wembley Stadium
July 15 — Florence, Italy @ Visarno Arena
July 18 — Madrid, Spain @ Iberdrola Music
Aug. 09 — Flushing, N.Y. @ Citi Field (with Franz Ferdinand)
Aug. 13 — Nashville, Tenn. @ Nissan Stadium (with Pierce the Veil)
Aug. 18 — Washington, D.C. @ Nationals Park (with Modest Mouse)
Aug. 21 — Detroit, Mich. @ Comerica Park (with Iggy Pop)
Aug. 24 — Minneapolis, Minn. @ Target Field (with Sleater-Kinney)
Aug. 27 — Denver, Colo. @ Coors Field (with The Breeders)
Aug. 30— San Diego, Calif. @ Petco Park (with Babymetal)
Sept. 06 — Phoenix, Ariz. @ Chase Field (with Jimmy Eat World)
Sept. 12 — San Antonio, Texas @ Alamodome (with The Mars Volta)
Oct. 21 — Hollywood, Calif. @ Hollywood Bowl
Oct. 23 — Hollywood, Calif. @ Hollywood Bowl
Oct. 24 — Hollywood, Calif. @ Hollywood Bowl
Nov. 7 — Incheon, Korea @ Paradise City Korea
Nov. 10 — Singapore, Singapore @ Singapore Indoor Stadium
Nov. 14 — Manila, Philippines @ Philippine Arena
Nov. 17 — Bangkok, Thailand @ Impact Challenger Hall 1
Nov. 19 — Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia @ Bukit Jalil National Stadium
Nov. 20 — Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia @ Bukit Jalil National Stadium

Love My Chemical Romance's The Black Parade album? Here are a few other punk and emo releases you should check out that are just as solid

25 Amazing Pop-Punk + Emo Albums With No Weak Songs