<<Revised as of March 20008 >>
Summary: Originally, I had considered this "not quite as fantastic as their debut album". After some extended listening, this album has become one of the most hardcore, emotional, and re-playable albums that I have ever owned. Looking back, I can't believe I didn't see all of the quality that this album really has! It's every bit as good as the first one if not a bit better, actually. The most memorable tracks are Five Months, Idols and Anchors, Frostbite and Horizons-- and they are AMAZING and I simply can't get enough of them! Of course, the album's "in your face" hardcore songs are still there, Dead Man's Chest, Boneyards, etc. This is why I always hesitate to review albums too soon, but it's hard to tell when you've given one "enough time". This album simply can't get enough play on my stereo, it's ALWAYS on.
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First Impression (Original Review):
Parkway Drive's first effort, "Killing With a Smile" (
reviewed here), impressed me quite a bit for a band's first major effort, and it grew on me over time. I must say it has grown on me more than I expected since I reviewed it so many months ago. The band's latest effort, Horizons, is no slouch, offering all of the amazingly hard and technical riffs that you would expect to find in the sequel to Parkway Drive's amazing debut album. Thunderous double bass, fantastic guitar work, and the usual vocal skill and range have all been replicated and enhanced, adding to the impact of the music.
Despite this, there seems to be a lack of sentiment throughout the album. The focus on the layout and structure of the songs seems to have overshadowed the band's signature moments, like breaking the pace of a song completely only to restructure it around a single guitar lick and build up again from there, while repeating a spine-shattering line like, "Will you bleed for me when suicide seems so yesterday?" in the track "Romance is Dead" or "If looks could kill, you would be a fucking shotgun" on the track "Picture Perfect, Pathetic", both off of "Killing With a Smile". They have instead opted to go 100% balls to the wall on every track, which seems to have pleased the shallower Metal fans, but I generally prefer more depth in my music.
That is not to say that horizons has no depth at all, it's just less thoughtful than I would have hoped, coming from a band with such an emotional album preceding this one.
There are still fantastic moments, though, my favorite on the new CD is on the track "Boneyards", wherein near the end of the song, the band joins in unison to repeat the phrase "Sinking, always sinking" underneath the main vocalist's line of "There's blood in the water...". This is repeated a few times until all of the music stops and all that can be heard is the main vocalist delivering one of the most astoundingly low and growly moments to ever beholden,
"THHHEERRREEE'S BLOOOODDD INNNN THEEE WWAAAAAATTTTEERRRRRR"
*Thunderous thud of instruments resumes*You really just have to hear it.
In addition to Boneyards, my other favorite tracks are "Feed Them to the Pigs", "Idols and Anchors", and "Dead Man's Chest". All of which are great in their own ways, "Feed Them to the Pigs" has some great licks in it throughout the song that really help keep it interesting, "Idols and Anchors" showcases something that I've only really known a few bands to be able to do, making a "ballad song" utilizing growls without vocals (this is something they did on their first album with a few of the songs), and "Dead Man's Chest" is just brutal onslaught after onslaught of pwnage in your face.
Essentially, Horizons is still a fantastic album, it just lacks the memorable tracks that make my heart bleed with feeling. It's kind of like the difference between Lamb of God's "As the Palaces Burn" and "Ashes of the Wake", with the latter being more devoid of substance and more focused on pure kick-assery. It's a bit more to the point with less potential for depth and discovery, but a good album none the less.
