My Chemical Romance was formed in 2001 following the attacks on the twin towers, which deeply affected lead singer Gerald Way. As is the way for many young bands, they disbanded in 2010.

The True Lives of My Chemical Romance (2014. 316 Pages) is the unauthorised biography of the band, written by Tom Bryant. The book is subtitled The Definitive Biography, because although it is not strictly authorised it was written not only with the blessings of the band, but also with extensive input from them.

The book follows their formation in Jersey, heavily influenced by both the hard rock and British indie scene, the band gained early success, before breaking through to international fame with ‘I’m not OK’, an excellent song which still sits on my iPod.

At its lowest level it packs the book with the facts and figures about the band, its members, tours and albums, but because of the band's input it becomes so much more. Although shy and somewhat reserved in private life, Ways angry and anguished persona on stage drew on a specific zeitgeist among disaffected youth. Often erroneously described as an Emo band, their influences and attitudes did not support this label.

Before their dissolution they would release four studio albums, I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love (2002), Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge (2004), The Black Parade (2006) and Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys (2010), but the extensive touring and pressure placed on the band meant that whilst they burned brightly, it was only for a short time.

Bryant was able to create the book, not only from new material, but also from his numerous interviews during their career. The book contains fourteen pages of colour plates, mostly showing their evolving look.

What raises the book above the usual bio is the extensive research which Bryant has done for the individual band member’s backgrounds, which goes a long way to explaining the look and sound of the band. He also does not shy away in his descriptions of the band's highs and lows, from the joy of being young men, seemingly and effortlessly having the world at their feet to the cost on Way and his developing alcoholism.

Overall, I think fans of the band will find this an insightful, honest and sympathetic chronicling of the bands rise and fall which does not whitewash some of the less than pleasant sides of being in a band.

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Charles Packer