You’ve been forewarned that the author of the following post is likely to descend into an incomprehensible rant, drooling over the delightful excellence of the band being described.
Parkway Drive is an Australian metalcore band. I was introduced to this band thanks to a question asked on Yahoo! Answers, which was something about naming the ‘Top Ten metal bands’. Of course a whole bunch of people contributed their two paise’s worth, and I randomly picked up several from the intimidatingly large groups of ten. Parkway Drive was one of them. There’s a problem with listening to unheralded bands: it usually, and I stress the word ‘usually’, happens that these bands are unheralded because they aren’t all that great. But of course, all great bands start small, and once in a while you get lucky. Parkway Drive is an excellent band, and their recent success should deservedly lift them out of obscurity into the mainstream metal scene.
Here I’ll cover their latest album ‘Horizons’, although their previous album ‘Killing With a Smile’ is also brilliant, if only a wee tetchy bit less so. In ‘Horizons’ Parkway Drive experiment a bit more with their music, making some slightly less metalcore-like songs, while keeping their identity intact and managing to make the album sound more complete. What is it about them that I find appealing? The brutal riffs are a very good start. One reviewer, while giving ‘Horizons’ a ten on ten rating, asked rhetorically, ‘Who said metal’s dead?’ The riffing is almost vintage thrash, but the screamed out vocals means that it’s unlikely that that label will ever be applied to this band. Sometimes, with metalcore bands, you wonder if they would be better served if they cut out the vocals all together and stuck to guitaring. Not so with Parkway Drive. The vocalist is far from monotonous: he effortlessly switches from standard metalcore screaming to more emo-like whining, and death metal like monster growls. The breakdowns in most of the songs are brilliantly timed; the solos are sweet with plenty of legato and finger tapping. Chugging thrash riffs are great, but can get repetitive and melt into a background drone; Parkway Drive almost unconsciously vary the tempo of the songs, repeatedly demanding your full attention. Listening to Parkway Drive makes you want to use up that energy you never knew you had; it makes you want to headbang viciously, no matter how bald you are. It makes you want to jump up and down and listen to the songs at full volume, no matter how many neighbours you offend. Surprisingly, for a band of this genre, the lyrics are often profound, if you manage to figure them out.
‘Boneyards’ was the first track I listened to, and in many ways exemplifies all things good about this band. Stunningly brutal breakdowns, thrashy riffs and mind numbing vocals are a part of this song. ‘Carrion’ is another sensational track; if metalcore can ever be melodic, this is it. ‘Idols and Anchors’ is excellent too, and marks a successful experiment for Parkway Drive in expanding the scope of their music. Again, picking out individual songs is more of an academic exercise with this album. No metal fan would want to miss out on 'Horizons'.
Video: Boneyards
Video: Carrion
Video: Horizons
Rating: (Vocals -9/10, Riffs-10/10, Overall-9.5/10)
Parkway Drive is an Australian metalcore band. I was introduced to this band thanks to a question asked on Yahoo! Answers, which was something about naming the ‘Top Ten metal bands’. Of course a whole bunch of people contributed their two paise’s worth, and I randomly picked up several from the intimidatingly large groups of ten. Parkway Drive was one of them. There’s a problem with listening to unheralded bands: it usually, and I stress the word ‘usually’, happens that these bands are unheralded because they aren’t all that great. But of course, all great bands start small, and once in a while you get lucky. Parkway Drive is an excellent band, and their recent success should deservedly lift them out of obscurity into the mainstream metal scene.
Here I’ll cover their latest album ‘Horizons’, although their previous album ‘Killing With a Smile’ is also brilliant, if only a wee tetchy bit less so. In ‘Horizons’ Parkway Drive experiment a bit more with their music, making some slightly less metalcore-like songs, while keeping their identity intact and managing to make the album sound more complete. What is it about them that I find appealing? The brutal riffs are a very good start. One reviewer, while giving ‘Horizons’ a ten on ten rating, asked rhetorically, ‘Who said metal’s dead?’ The riffing is almost vintage thrash, but the screamed out vocals means that it’s unlikely that that label will ever be applied to this band. Sometimes, with metalcore bands, you wonder if they would be better served if they cut out the vocals all together and stuck to guitaring. Not so with Parkway Drive. The vocalist is far from monotonous: he effortlessly switches from standard metalcore screaming to more emo-like whining, and death metal like monster growls. The breakdowns in most of the songs are brilliantly timed; the solos are sweet with plenty of legato and finger tapping. Chugging thrash riffs are great, but can get repetitive and melt into a background drone; Parkway Drive almost unconsciously vary the tempo of the songs, repeatedly demanding your full attention. Listening to Parkway Drive makes you want to use up that energy you never knew you had; it makes you want to headbang viciously, no matter how bald you are. It makes you want to jump up and down and listen to the songs at full volume, no matter how many neighbours you offend. Surprisingly, for a band of this genre, the lyrics are often profound, if you manage to figure them out.
‘Boneyards’ was the first track I listened to, and in many ways exemplifies all things good about this band. Stunningly brutal breakdowns, thrashy riffs and mind numbing vocals are a part of this song. ‘Carrion’ is another sensational track; if metalcore can ever be melodic, this is it. ‘Idols and Anchors’ is excellent too, and marks a successful experiment for Parkway Drive in expanding the scope of their music. Again, picking out individual songs is more of an academic exercise with this album. No metal fan would want to miss out on 'Horizons'.
Video: Boneyards
Video: Carrion
Video: Horizons
Rating: (Vocals -9/10, Riffs-10/10, Overall-9.5/10)
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