Summary: A great first start and introduction to a band that I hope to see a lot more of soon.
Parkway Drive is another of those seemingly unknown little bands that have stumbled across through the glory of Amazon.com recommendations. Hailing from down under, this Australian 5-piece is an impressively fast paced and heavy hitting metalcore group that I see a lot of potential in. I'd equate the sound that they have as "similar to Bleeding Through", but not in the sense that they actually sound like them, more like, if you like Bleeding Through, you'll probably like these guys. Parkway Drive is a less melodic approach, leaving most of the melody to the Guitar, which makes for an interesting contrast. There is very little melodic vocal, the band instead relies on the contrast of a harsh vocals combined with some very interesting guitar. There is a lot of standard heavy-metal chugging, which is to be expected, but the guitar work generally transitions into a very uniquely speedy wail. Quite often, the latter parts of each song finish with an outro of blazing, dexterous finger work over-layed on top of the song's main beat.
The biggest problem that I have with these guys, if any, is the usual issue that a newer band faces-- the band's own unique sound is discoverable beyond the cliche intro to many of the songs. They often do not reach their potential until halfway through the song. A lot of new bands seem to have this problem, they seem to feel as if they have to get the mainstream, basic "metal sounds" out of the way before they can start playing their true sound. Parkway Drive struggles with this, but I would not let it deter you from checking the album out. For instance, The Agony Scene is one of my favorite bands, and their first CD showed these same symptoms of identity crisis, but was still a great CD-- then, with the second CD "The Darkest Red", Agony Scene showed their true colors and let their individuality shine, and their second Album is one of the best that I have heard.
It took me a listen or two to get used to Parkway Drive's sound, but I am very impressed with these guys and I see a bright future for them if they hone their style a bit more. They're a new band, formed in 2003, so they've got some learning to do, but so much of the CD Killing with a Smile shows such potential.
The CD is full of good songs, but my favorite songs are "Anasasis (Xenophontis)", "Romance is Dead", and "Mutiny".
Download these singles here.
Anasasis (Xenophontis): Starts off with a slow whine and slowly builds with a stampeding style on the drums and guitar, the vocals start in and the guitar changes from a stampeding beat to a ripping chord. The song flirts back and forth between a ripping sound and a speed metal sound, corresponding with the vocals. The end features the speedy, unique and dexterous guitar work mentioned above and is an amazing outro for an already good song. A solid track through and through. This track is all about the sound and focuses less on lyrics or vocals, which makes it great for jamming. It's definitely a windows down / offend someone at a stoplight track.
Romance is Dead: This song exemplifies the band's struggle to find their own sound, yet, it is one of the best tracks on the CD, and is a very addicting song. It's a 5:18 track, which basically equates to the beginning minute or two being dedicated to generic metal riffs and vocals. The last 3 minutes or so are simply amazing, however, and I have become addicted to this track because of it. The song's structure changes with the line "You wouldn't know love if it crushed your fucking chest...". The drums make a very hard hit, at which point the music slows down substantially and these lines are spoken,
You never showed any affection to anything but your ego.
A tragedy of errors at the best of times.
You are everything that’s wrong with me.
You are everything that I... despise.
You are everything I dreamed... would die.
You are everything that fades away and slowly dies.As the feinting scream of "dies..." wears off, the beat slows down and all that is left is a solo on the guitar, echoing as it is now the only sound to be heard. After a few seconds of this guitar work, the makeup of the song changes completely with a snap of the symbols and a kick of the drum, a new sound emerges and amazing vocals follow with the lyrics,
Will you bleed for me when suicide seems so yesterday?
Will you bleed for me?
Will you fucking bleed for me when suicide...
It's so yesterday.
It's all so fucking yesterday!The end of this song is pretty breath taking, a symphonic melody is added in and the guitars and drums slow down quite a bit while still feeding off one another in a trade-off fashion. Amazing track. Amazing.
Mutiny: And the last of my favorite tracks off of this album is "Mutiny", mostly because it is 100% pure bad ass, and it doesn't waste any time dicking around with ... well anything. The song opens with Johnny Depp's line from Pirates of the Caribbean, "The deepest circle of Hell is reserved for betrayers and mutineers." At which point there is a lot of really hardcore bad ass screaming and chugging, and it rocks my face. Hooray for anger-release! The middle of the song has a chant, "EVERYTHING YOU LOVE. FUCKING GONE. OOH!" Which is followed by, "Everything you love dies tonight, everything you love fucking dies!". Angry bastards for sure, hot damn.
I'd definitely recommend this album to anyone who is looking for a good new band, they have a lot of potential and I wish them the best. Check them out and buy a T Shirt, support your newbie bands! http://www.myspace.com/parkwaydrive
