Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge

Twenty-plus years after the Misfits terrorized New Jersey, their Garden State descendants My Chemical Romance embrace the goth-punk revival in style. Sweet Revenge has the same shout-along choruses, speedy drums and horror themes that fueled Glenn Danzig's old outfit, but it also adds cool metal licks and a sneaky sense of humor (see the thrash-cabaret hybrid "You Know What They Do to Guys Like Us in Prison"). And thanks to frontman Gerard Way's endearing warble, standout tracks such as "Helena" and "I'm Not Okay (I Promise)" come off as more emotion-driven than shock rock. In any case, Revenge is a hell of a good time.