parkway drive
Mar
14
7.04pm

PARKWAY DRIVE // New Track … Our Verdict


Without Parkway Drive, we probably wouldn’t exist as a publication, and we can’t ever forget that. Who knows what would be of the heavy scene in Australia without Horizons? We need to take all this into consideration when assessing the newest output from these national treasures.

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What also needs to be taken into consideration? The fact that Parkway Drive aren’t really just ours anymore, they have a second home in Europe they must appease just as much—which is amazing for them to achieve such a level of excitement there. Therefore, their place in Europe’s heavy scene inevitably will have an effect on their songwriting, and that is clear as day here.

The punchiness isn’t in the gnarly guitar tones and pummelling drums, it’s been channelled through the fiery vocals of Winston, who’s commanding tone fits the mould of arena-sized metal. The production is clean and crisp, with guitars feeling rather compressed, but holding the track together rather than their typical blazing of riffs. The familiar pop-structure can be overlooked due to the sudden incorporation of outside elements and whether or not they beef up or soften Parkway’s sound, they make sense as the next logical step for Parkway’s musical pursuit.

Europe will give them less shit than Aussies.

Now sure, this track reeks of glam metal to some; the type of metal that will rile up a mass audience while closing out an epic headlining set at a landmark metal festival in Europe. It’s the vibe they’re aiming to hit, and the market their aiming to seize. They released this track at 1am our time, which would be afternoon in Europe. Probably because Europe will give them less shit than Aussies do, but it also makes a statement of where they want this track to go.

It’s a grower not a shower. It serves as a solid mission statement for Parkway’s future as a band, and we respect the stylistic change of pace. But there’s still a few areas to improve, and we hope they can bring it on this (clearly) arena-inspired album Reverence.





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