After months of secrecy, New Jersey’s My Chemical Romance have finally revealed the title and track listing of their forthcoming album: The Black Parade, which will be released by Reprise Records on October 24th. The title is the name of the quintet’s alter ego on their new record, explains lead singer Gerard Way. “This was a really difficult album for us to make,” he says. “And there was a certain point where it was so dark for us that it felt like we really needed to become much more than brothers — we needed to become a new band.” The phrase also refers to the basic premise of the record — an epic, theatrical concept album about mortality. “I’d like to think that when you die, death comes for you however you want,” Gerard says. “It’s your strongest memory from childhood or adulthood. For the main character on this record, The Patient, his strongest memory is his father taking him to a parade when he was a child. So when death comes for him as he’s dying tragically in a hospital, it comes in the form of a black parade.” The band — which also includes guitarist Ray Toro, Bassist Mikey Way, guitarist Frank Iero and drummer Bob Bryar — have been writing songs that appear on The Black Parade since the release of their platinum 2004 album Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge, which has sold more than two million copies worldwide. The quintet began recording in April with noted producer Rob Cavallo (Goo Goo Dolls, Alanis Morissette), intending to make the album that this incendiary, volatile band will be remembered for. “We all have records that shaped our formative years,” says Mikey Way. “When you hear a song, it shoots you back to a moment in time. We want this album to do that for people.” Fans got a sneak peak at the album’s first single — “Welcome to The Black Parade” — when My Chemical Romance performed live during the MTV Video Music Awards’ “Red Carpet on the Rock” pre-show event on August 31st.