I must admit that Parkway Drive are one of the bands more akin to the genre of music that my son listens to. However, I got the opportunity to see them in Cardiff the last time they toured and whilst still not a genre of music that would be my “go to” listening, I have begun to listen to it more frequently than I otherwise would. This may have come about after the times I have seen others such as Bullet for My Valentine and The Raven Age, so I thought I’d give this a listen…
I have read some reviews of their last album, ‘Reverence’, which were mixed. So I thought I’d be open minded. After a few listens I found myself beginning to appreciate some parts of this latest offering. As a genre, metalcore lyrically does very little for me and whilst I can appreciate the technical difficulty associated with screaming it becomes difficult to concentrate on.
However, that aside (which is purely personal) there is a wide variety of styles and musical construction on the album. There is obviously the genre defining vocals as previously outlined, the strong low thumping bass and drums but unusually there are choral vocals in some parts.
The opening track, ‘Ground Zero’ is typical of the genre but the stand out part for me is that it reminds me of the pirate rock/sea shanty rhythm of bands like Alestorm and the unusual clean guitar sound that carries the track (and indeed much of the rest of the album). Whilst the distorted guitar part still comes in to the breakdown it is the clean sound that stands as a counterpoint to the rest of the track.
‘Like Napalm’ carries on with the cleaner guitar sound and the typical heavy thumping bass/drum combination carrying the typical growling vocals of Winston McCall. There are not so many layers in the track as you would expect, a point acknowledged by the band in the press release as a nod to the ability to be able to perform the tracks live without the need for too much in the way of backing tracks.
‘Glitch’ is again typical of the genre but kicks of with a more distorted guitar sound but the vocals of McCall are not as gruff as on the previous track and is in fact easier to listen to over the underpinning chugging. ‘The Greatest Fear’ has a very similar guitar riff in the opening to ‘Glitch’, but the vocals are more akin to Viking rock, especially when joined on the chorus by the rest of the band and with lyrics like “the harbinger of all dark matters” being included it is a fairly easy connection I think. The guitar solo/riff continues in the cleaner style more akin to a classic rock style.
The track ‘Darker Still’ reminds me of the Ennio Morricone Spaghetti Western whistling. However, it is not just the emotion in the lyrics and vocals that make the track stand out but the clean guitar riff and acoustic guitar part that carries the track well right up to the breakdown and the stellar clean solo and whistled outro.
‘Imperial Heretic’ also has a pirate rock/sea shanty feel to the opening but then returns to the familiar metal style prior to the chorus. Once again the clean guitar cuts through the whole track but contrasts it wonderfully especially through the breakdown where it is supported by the backing vocals picking it up on their part. I can hear the audience participation in this track already.
The two minutes 40 seconds of ‘If A God Can Bleed’ reminds me vocally and rhythmically so much of some of the tracks that were used in ‘Peaky Blinders’; who knows maybe it was used. If a film of ‘Peaky Blinders’ is made then this should be used as a track on it. I can see Cillian Murphy walking along through smoke with this playing in the background.
After that… bang. ‘Soul Bleach’ hits you between the ears straight back to metal and the first track carried wholly by distorted guitar but with the clean subtly weaved in at parts. ‘Stranger’ appears to be a vocal description in 50 seconds of society as it is at the moment before ‘The Land Of The Lost’ wakes you up and is probably another of the tracks that I am really beginning to get into. The head nodding and circle pit are waiting in readiness for this one at every show I am sure.
The final track, ‘From The Heart Of Darkness’, returns to their usual style to finish the album.
This has been a difficult listen for me as I am unfamiliar with the genre as a whole. However towards the later runs through the album I have found different nuances that I have quite enjoyed in many of the tracks, with probably ‘Darker Still’ and ‘Land Of The Lost’ being the outstanding tracks for me. There are vocal styles that are similar to other rock singers at points, such as David Draiman from Disturbed, and there are many different stylistic variations that I have heard. Whether this was intentional or accidental it is difficult to say at this point.
- ‘Darker Still’ is released on Friday (9 September). You can get your copy HERE.
- Parkway Drive return to the ÜK at the end of this month, playing Alexandra Palace on Friday 30 September, the AO Arena in Manchester on Saturday 1 October and the Motorpoint Arena in Nottingham on Sunday 2 October, finishing in Cardiff on Monday 3 October.
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