After 12 years and four studio albums, My Chemical Romance announced they’re splitting up in a surprise blog post published on their official site tonight.

The message to fans, simply 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.

My Chemical Romance

Look back at MCR’s career in photos here.

My Chemical Romance started in 2001, when visual artist Gerard Way — inspired by fellow Jersey band Thursday and spurred on by the 9/11 attacks — decided he had to “get out of the basement,” he told SPIN in 2005. He recruited guitarist Ray Toro and his own younger brother Mikey to play bass. Guitarist Frank Iero joined after his band, Pencey Prep, broke up, and original drummer Matt Pelissier left the group after 2002’s I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love and 2004’s Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge, making way for Bob Bryar on 2006’s The Black Parade. The band built itself up from scratch, building an audience at Jersey basement parties before they exploded into pop culture, becoming the voice of misfit youth while exploring the outer edges of dramatic rock.

The group appeared on the cover of SPIN three times during its decade-plus career (June 2005, February 2007, and December 2010), and Gerard Way appeared solo on an anniversary issue in April 2010. Go behind the scenes of their last SPIN cover shoot in an exclusive photo gallery here.

Since their most recent album, 2010’s Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys, Gerard Way collaborated with Deadmau5 on “Professional Griefers,” and the band announced plans to release tracks from their Conventional Weapons sessions that preceded Danger Days. The band said little about plans for new music. They continued to operate as a live outfit, however, performing throughout 2011 and early 2012.

The last date registered on their tour archive was a hometown gig — a May 19, 2012 show at New Jersey’s Bamboozle festival.