In 2006, My Chemical Romance channeled its inner Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band with its critically acclaimed rock opera The Black Parade. The band traipsed around the world, bringing the story and all the drama that comes with it to fans with much pomp and circumstance.

But on Danger Days: The True Lives of Fabulous Killjoys, My Chemical Romance does away with the theatrical aspect of The Black Parade and returns to its roots of straightforward pop-punk with a dash of emo. Frontman Gerard Way still provides flair through his vocal delivery, but the overall direction of the album is laid-back and caters to the average listener, rather than the inner thespian.

Danger Days runs through consistent pop-punk tracks with the occasional anthem or ballad thrown in. “Na Na Na (Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na)” is catchy, barreling along at breakneck speed with Way’s voice on the edge of strain and setting up the type of sound that is going to be present on the rest of the album. Extravagant backing vocals coupled with distinct tempo changes at the chorus are common on every track of the record.

However, this songwriting style does not get stale because of the anthemic nature of many of the songs, especially right off the bat with “Bulletproof Heart” and “Sing.” “Bulletproof Heart” is classic My Chemical Romance songwriting with its chorus of “Gravity don’t mean too much to me/ I’m who I’ve got to be/ These pigs are after me” combined with bridges and other significant changes in tempo.

“Sing” provides a sprawling track that seems like it could be lifted from The Black Parade, with cathartic lyrics, a sing-along chorus and soaring power chords. Despite the almost uplifting feel of the song, it also shows what is wrong with a good number of the tracks on Danger Days. “Sing” is four and a half minutes, and eight of the 15 tracks on the album clock in at more than four minutes. After a while, it starts to wear thin, as many of the songs seem needlessly extended with multiple choruses and multiple repeated bridges.

The band does incorporate some dramatic flair with the insertion of skits at various junctures of the album. “Look Alive, Sunshine” kicks off the album as a dark intro by painting a bleak description of the state of the world, while the seventh track, “Jet-Star and the Kobra Kid/Traffic Report,” echoes the sentiment of the first skit and serves as a segue into “Party Poison,” which is the most radio-friendly track on the album. The 14th track, “Goodnite, Dr. Death,” features a single voice eerily talking before “signing off,” which leads into a concert band’s rendition of the national anthem.

While many of the songs do have a ballad- and anthem-like feel, Way and the rest of the band amp up the intensity near the end of the album with “Destroya” and closer “Vampire Money.” Both are dark and edgy tracks that seem to draw greatly from metal influences. Way essentially shouts his way through “Destroya” while it builds to the chorus. “Vampire Money” lacks the edge of “Destroya” but still has an intensity through Way’s haphazard delivery.

Overall, Danger Days is a solid pop-punk album. It is most definitely not The Black Parade in terms of grandeur, but My Chemical Romance puts together a solid followup, changing up style while keeping ideas intact.

RATING: 3 stars out of 5

dgallen@umdbk.com