My Chemical Romance split up

My Chemical Romance are to split after 12 years together.

In a statement on the band’s website, the New Jersey five piece claimed ‘it has come time for it to end’. In a career that lasted four studio albums, the band became on of the defining sounds of the pop-punk/emo-rock movement, defined by strong visuals and a debt to both the stadium-filling rock behemoths of the 1980s as much as the The Smiths and The Cure.

The full statement on mychemicalromance.com - titled ”My Chemical Romance” – reads:

Being in this band for the past 12 years has been a true blessing. We’ve gotten to go places we never knew we would. We’ve been able to see and experience things we never imagined possible. We’ve shared the stage with people we admire, people we look up to, and best of all, our friends. And now, like all great things, it has come time for it to end. Thanks for all of your support, and for being part of the adventure.

The band’s origins stretch back to the beginning of the century, when Gerard Way – then a visual artist – recruited Ray Toro (guitar) and his own brother Mikey (bass). Frank Iero (guitar) joined following the demise of his own band Pencey Prep. Original drummer Matt Pelissier was followed by Bob Bryar, who joined the band for 2006′s seminal modern classic The Black Parade. Their last ever live show was in May 2012.