Thank You For The (New) Venom: An Analysis of My Chemical Romance’s 2025 ‘Three Cheers’ Remix

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I have to admit that I rolled my eyes a bit at the thought of remixing/remastering what I consider to be one of the most sonically dynamic records this scene has ever had the privilege of calling our own: My Chemical Romance’s Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge. How exactly do you make any improvements to a classic recording? The answer was found out quickly when I first put my ears around the 2025 remix/remaster of Three Cheers. Instead of just making it louder, the original mixer of the record (Rich Costey) used the original source files that were carefully stored away by veteran producer Howard Benson to fully revamp the overall sound that comes out of the speakers when you hit “play.” This article will not be so much of a review per se of the Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge record, as I originally did the retrospective review a few years back, as much as it is a deep dive into the overall package that is presented here in 2025.

Things To Keep In Mind:

There were a few key parameters I considered when writing this article: 1) What major enhancements are found in the 2025 version? 2) How does the album sound on different formats (hi-res digital files vs. vinyl)? 3) Is there anything that seems off or strange about the 2025 version when listening to it? The 2005 version seems almost like “muscle memory” at this point, so what is really different? 4) How do the five band members each stand out or possibly get “buried” in the new version? With these guidelines in mind, I set off to figure out if this 2025 remix/remaster is truly worth your time and hard-earned money.

Track-By-Track Analysis:

There’s nothing quite like “Helena.” The song starts off with Gerard Way sing-whispering over the quickly-strummed guitar riff from Ray Toro, before exploding into a wall of sound to bring contrast to the early whispers. Bassist Mikey Way is featured prominently on the new mix with a clear-sounding distinction between what Ray Toro and Frank Iero are doing with their guitar parts. In the bridge, you can clearly hear the subtle guitar parts even stronger from both Ray and Frank, and as a diehard fan of MCR, it made me almost giddy hearing these “cleaned up” parts in high resolution.

”Give ‘Em Hell Kid” in 2025 sounds a lot different even from its first few notes. You can hear more of Gerard’s wailing into the microphone in the early-shouted parts found on this version only enhance the overall visceral attack found behind the mic. The opening bass line from Mikey Way is as clear as can be too, and this remaster in general, really makes his bass parts sound better in the mix.

”To The End” features some great, punchy drum parts by previous drummer Matt Pelissier that really breathe a whole new shelf life into this mix. It becomes pretty evident at this point in the set that each band member is an equal player in the monster that is My Chemical Romance, and the harmonies between Ray Toro and Gerard Way are particularly powerful on this track. In fact, I always thought Ray was an incredibly underrated vocalist (check out his solo work on 2016’s Remember the Laughter).

”You Know What They Do To Guys Like Us In Prison” keeps it’s pretty similar bounce from the original recording, while accentuating the intricate guitar parts from Ray and Frank as the most interesting part of the mix. Gerard wails above the mix, while the guest vocals from The Used’s Bert McCracken still hit hard to this day.

Arguably the biggest song on the remix that caught people’s attention early on was the lead single of “I’m Not Okay (I Promise).” That was the big song that made me fall in love with My Chemical Romance for the rest of my days on this earth, and Rich Costey lovingly gives this key single its extra punch in the mouth with thunderous drumming from Pelissier paired with an all-time vocal performance from Gerard. The guitar solo from Ray also features some easier to hear harmonies between Ray and Gerard, and makes for a killer standout moment in the remix.

”The Ghost Of You” is pretty similar in its delivery for the 2025 mix, as Howard Benson’s original suggestion in the studio for the band to extend the song after the second chorus pays off big time here. The wailing of the guitars mixed with Ray and Gerard’s vocals on the bridge section are particularly powerful here.

”The Jetset Life Is Gonna Kill You” brings the organ into more focus early and is much easier to hear overall on the 2025 mix. The steady pick-me-up beat from Matt Pelissier remains a key part of the song’s success, and he adds some interesting fills from time to time to give the track some extra gusto. The guitar feels almost “revved-up” leading into each chorus, and Rich Costey fully understands just how important these combination of parts are in creating the whole package.

The “Interlude” is largely similar between the original and the 2025 version, with the only noticeable difference I could hear was clearer-sounding vocals from Gerard over the carefully strummed guitar of Ray Toro. “Thank You For The Venom” is another key “kick in the mouth” of aggression that features a cool guitar neck slide riff from Ray/Frank before Gerard does his thing over the mic. The lyrics ending with “pay me” and “made me” in the first verse are further emphasized in Gerard’s delivery, that almost sounds like Rich Costey used a different take from the studio sessions with Howard Benson.

”Hang ‘Em High” also features some clearer wails from Gerard and possibly Frank in the beginning section of the song, while Matt Pelissier keeps great time with the frenetic energy being brought forth from Ray/Mikey/Frank. Mikey’s bass line is particularly strong here, and showcases that the “quiet” member is more than capable enough of standing on his own.

”It’s Not A Fashion Statement, It’s a Deathwish” gets a nice clean-up by drowning out most of the instruments over Gerard’s pointed vocal performance in the opening bars of music. The backing instruments come back in full force through the first verse and into the chorus, while everything being brought forth in the mix just shimmers.

”Cemetery Drive” features a fairly simplistic beat from Matt Pelissier, but it’s still utterly powerful when the band extends this drum part live before launching into the lyrics. The build up to the massive chorus sounds about as good as its ever been, and it feels right at home between the nice contrast of guitar playing styles of Ray and Frank. Mikey’s bass parts reverberate off of the speakers on both the high-res digital files compared to the vinyl pressing.

The closer of “I Never Told You What I Do For A Living” continues to showcase the underrated drumming performance from Matt Pelissier, while Gerard’s star burns brightest in another key vocal performance. Mikey has a nice punch to his bass line parts, while the cymbal crashes from Pelissier are thunderous over the accentuated vocal shouts from Gerard. The song wraps up in glorious fashion, and makes this “ride” feel familiar, yet different.

Last Impressions:

The 2025 vinyl mix sounds remarkably better than my standard copy on my turntable. The beautiful blood-splattered variant that I purchased from Hot Topic’s webstore seemed all too essential for the MCR “super-fan” in me. I didn’t hear too much between the high-res (Apple Lossless) files that I purchased versus the vinyl mix in the same pair of headphones I also connected to my turntable setup, but damn if that vinyl doesn’t feel “massive” now. A lot of the inner groove distortion has lovingly and mostly been removed as you get closer to the end of each side. The bonus tracks of live cuts didn’t do much for me on either the digital files vs. the vinyl, but the etching on Side D is pretty damn cool to look at. While I don’t see myself revisiting the bonus cuts very often, maybe there is an even bigger fan of My Chemical Romance who was seeking these out Overall, this is absolutely an essential remix/remaster that has been strategically and lovingly revamped by the same duo of Howard Benson (producer) and Rich Costey (mixer), with stellar results.

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