Twenty One Pilots, Cancer | Track Review 🎵

Twenty One Pilots does My Chemical Romance justice on a unique, distinct cover of  “Cancer,” a record that originally appeared on The Black Parade.  

Twenty One Pilots are officially today’s coolest band…duo…whatever they are. Blurryface has been killing it since 2015.  As of press time, the album was spending its 70^th week charting on the Billboard 200.  Because Twenty One Pilots are the “hit” with an “s” in front of it, they can nail a cover, making it sound like their own. That’s the case with an excellent remake of the popular My Chemical Romance song, “Cancer” (The Black Parade, 2006).

Tyler Joseph sounds absolutely haunting on “Cancer.” He provides a stark contrast to Gerard Way’s vocals on the original. Joseph’s edition is much more restrained compared to Way’s boisterous, impassioned take.

Keeping the focus on vocals, Lower-pitched vocals and a boatload of effects appear throughout the course of the single.  This is once more representative of the numerous styles employed by the band.  Electronic production work provides another contrast to the original.  Die-hard MCR fans might object to it as sacrilege, but the electro-infused sound is clearly Twenty One Pilots’ wheelhouse.

Final Thoughts

Overall, Twenty One Pilots does a fantastic job covering “Cancer.” The original will remain the standard, but the new interpretation is pretty sweet…in an eerie, depressing sort of way. 

Various Artists • Rock sound Presents: The Black Parade • Rock Sound • Release: 9.14.16

Photo Credit: Rock Sound