Parkway Drive

Parkway Drive: HorizonsHorizons (2007)
Epitaph Records

Reviewer Rating: 2.5

User Rating:

Contributed by: GlassPipeMurderGlassPipeMurder
(others by this writer | submit your own)
Published on November 6th 2007Parkway Drive, the latest emo-kid metal mashup imported to the U.S., succeeds in one of the important, but rarely defendable aspects of music. Following the eyeliner and glitter-sprinkled trail across the pond of Britain's Bullet for My Valentine and Germany's Caliban, Australia's Parkway Drive is, .

Parkway Drive, the latest emo-kid metal mashup imported to the U.S., succeeds in one of the important, but rarely defendable aspects of music. Following the eyeliner and glitter-sprinkled trail across the pond of Britain's Bullet for My Valentine and Germany's Caliban, Australia's Parkway Drive is, too, an impressive practitioner of imitation done well. And while the brash harvesting of Slayer riffage probably won't fool any mid-30 year-old with coiled locks past his shoulders, the band's emo/hardcore target audience will surely be wowed into approval at the heavy dose of soaring guitar solos and hyper-macho breakdowns.

If you've heard Parkway Drive and were paying at least a little attention through the first paragraph, there's a good chance you're ready to contest the association drawn to what I loosely refer to as "emo." And while you're correct that Rites of Spring bears little influence on Parkway Drive, the 2007 conceptualization that aligns more with an image and an emotionally burdened message is absolutely present. It's more than just the visual reflections that pin them to a far different identity than them despite their similarities. Part of it may be the incestual imitation that picked up when Avenged Sevenfold hit it big, eventually wrangling the Devil Wears Prada, Bullet for My Valentine, August Burns Red and any other exemplification of badass-meets-lame-ass bands. And with lyrics like, "Still I'm choking on the words I should have said one thousand times / And I'm cursing every memory / And I'm holding on until there's nothing left to save / Let every scar still bear your name / Every scar still bears an angel's face," there's little room to contest such an association.

Still, it's clear that the kids in Parkway Drive have at least listened to enough metal (and metalcore) to draw on its form and intricacies and spit out something halfway convincing. There are times, like in the ear drum assaulting "Feed Them to the Pigs" and "Breaking Point" that the ghost of Pantera cum excessive breakdowns ekes out with impressive guitar soloing to boot. However, there are also those spans, like the four-minute "Five Months" filled with a metal by numbers formula that demonstrate why a band like Parkway Drive can't ascend from the third or fourth tier of modern metal.

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Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not respon sible for them in any way. Seriously.

imisschampion (June 21, 2009)

i have to agree, Parkway Drive and Between the Buried and Me are two rare bands in metalcore- they're actually fucking good. I'm not sure about the comparisons the reviewer made..this cd is one of the best in its genre for the year it was released. solid and heavy as hell

Leonidas (May 5, 2009)

no, dis band cant be gud!!!!11 their metalcore@!!1 metalcore always sux!!!111

brb, jacking off to the lawrence arms!!1111

Ellsi (February 23, 2009)

Gonna have to disagree, as far as metalcore goes this is top tier. This band is far more talented than Bullet for My Valentine, although this is a semi-genericy.

leonidas (January 11, 2009)

"Its almost impossible for a band playing this style of music to get a good score on the 'Org.

Score is for the genre bias".

correct. in order for any band to get a good score on this site, they have to write some FUCK THE GOVERNMENT ANARCHY 4 LIFE political punk music with horrible vocals, fast but ultimately untalented drumming, fast but ultimately untalented bass, and fast but ultimately untalented and drop tuned guitar playing. and the band is also usually required to have a band name consisting of two abstract words such as Atheistic Apex, or in rare cases they'll be somewhat normal names consisting of the word "the" and some adjective. if you have all of these characteristics, Jelone will you give you a blowjob and then give you a 4.5 star or 5 star review.

petternitter (October 17, 2008)

I like two bands that are somewhat of this genre and that is Parkway Drive and Between the Buried and Me. Both bands have talented musicians and stand out for different reasons. Most other metalcore is quite repetative and boring.

This is album is awesome, though. Not as good as KWAS, but still absolute quality.

sugarfull (November 9, 2007)

the reason is that most of these bands aren't very good.

LeightonESmith (November 9, 2007)

Its almost impossible for a band playing this style of music to get a good score on the 'Org.

Score is for the genre bias.

sugarfull (November 9, 2007)

Yes, I agree. Shitty lyrics can bring it down, a lot if the band is on the fence.

and yes, the guy kind of does look like Owen Wilson. Hopefully, he pulls an Owen Wilson, but more successful.

brown (November 8, 2007)

as an aside.. that one dude looks like a scenester owen wilson..

that's kinda creepy..

miff (November 8, 2007)

wish id been bothered to get tickets to see them
not at all to see them bu to see comeback kid, cancer bats, this is hell and warriors(well maybe not quite so much warriors) who are supporting them
it was a bit of an odd coupling though

SloaneDaley (November 8, 2007)

yes I do agree to some extent, except with the crappy part I don't mind if the music or lyrics are just average but crappy isn't really worth anyone's time. Judging lyrics is a different sort of thing than literature mind you, but if the music or lyrics are simply average that brings down the overall package wouldn't you say?

sugarfull (November 8, 2007)

Well, now that we've agreed that lyrics do not factor into genre distinction, I'm going to tackle the heart of your post.

Simply put, lyrical quality and musical quality can be related, but they are not mutually inclusive or exclusive. You can have a great band with crappy lyrics, and a crappy band with great lyrics.

SloaneDaley (November 8, 2007)

1. me too! specialist actually, so there is no need for 25 cent words here.

2. Your statement was judging not basing a genre distinction.

3. I have an Indian Summer record as my top album I think I have a slight idea of what emo sounds like.

4. Learn some Canadian.

sugarfull (November 7, 2007)

"The whole stance that "lyrics" don't matter is the same reason kids listen to shit bands and treat english class in high school like a joke or a bird course or something."

1. I'm an English major, so your ad hominem crap has no basis whatsoever.
2. I value good lyricists in music; I just understand that it is the sound of the music, rather than the band's lyrics, that defines the genre.
3. Stop calling things "emo". Emo implies a certain sound, which Parkway drive does not have.
4. What the fuck is a bird course?

-Strewtho- (November 7, 2007)

I apologise on behalf of Australia.

Down with tight pants and shitty screaming metalcore.

wentz_equals_death (November 7, 2007)

why do they make me take english anyway? i already know how to speak it, dur

onegirlarmy (November 7, 2007)

that didn't post for some reason...

Cant stand this shit.

This band is so big over here in Australia its sad. Them, I killed the prom queen and Carpathian all should fuck off

IKTPQ broke up.

onegirlarmy (November 7, 2007)

Cant stand this shit.

This band is so big over here in Australia its sad. Them, I killed the prom queen and Carpathian all should fuck off

inagreendase (November 7, 2007)

Lets just admit that everyone that reviews albums on this site, hate metalcore

C'mon dude, I gave Underoath 3.5 stars. Underoath! And I stand by that.

SloaneDaley (November 7, 2007)

I don't see where you're getting this "emo-metal" stuff from. Judging a bands sound by how they look and their lyrics is riddiculous.

yeah lyrics aren't important at all it is only you know the message the band is putting forth. The lyrics he used in the review aren't actually thw worst I've ever seen or anything. The whole stance that "lyrics" don't matter is the same reason kids listen to shit bands and treat english class in high school like a joke or a bird course or something. fuuuuuuuuuuuucccccccccccccckkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk. thanks.

jimbojones (November 7, 2007)

Yes, there is some impressive musicianship in this cd, and these guys are obviously talented. But it's the same old shit over and over again. You see more bands like this popping up in Australia and the kids are eating this shit up like it's going out of fashion... Which i hope it is.

Capnhawk (November 6, 2007)

'It's not that we hate metalcore, it's that this band- and most bands of it's ilk- play some of the most uninspired drivel and pass it off as br00tal and hardcore and extreme. Give me a fucking break. Sure they can play their instruments, but there is no emotion in it. They just go through the motions until they pull of a boring breakdown that seems to send kids into a frenzy.

they're all a bunch of fucking idiots.'

This perfectly sums up my views on this band other bands a lot like it.

Atleast they don't have ridiculous hair cuts and super tight jeans. They look like they came out of the latest surfing magazine.

punk_rawk_show (November 6, 2007)

Cant stand this shit.

This band is so big over here in Australia its sad. Them, I killed the prom queen and Carpathian all should fuck off

sugarfull (November 6, 2007)

I don't see where you're getting this "emo-metal" stuff from. Judging a bands sound by how they look and their lyrics is riddiculous.

This CD is more of the same old same old metal thats been done for decades now, just with tight pants and exaggerated breakdowns.

If people want a real "brutal" record, they need to check out Pestilence's debut LP, Consuming Impulse. That record is riddiculously good.

GlassPipeMurder (November 6, 2007)

Lets just admit that everyone that reviews albums on this site hate metalcore
I can't speak for everyone, but I don't have a problem with metalcore when there's a little substance to it.

http://www.punknews.org/review/6138

http://www.punknews .org/review/6559

http://www.punknews.org/review/6590

http:/ /www.punknews.org/review/6651

brown (November 6, 2007)

It's not that we hate metalcore, it's that this band- and most bands of it's ilk- play some of the most uninspired drivel and pass it off as br00tal and hardcore and extreme. Give me a fucking break. Sure they can play their instruments, but there is no emotion in it. They just go through the motions until they pull of a boring breakdown that seems to send kids into a frenzy.

they're all a bunch of fucking idiots.

douglas_is_rad (November 6, 2007)

The guys opened for Comeback Kid and This is Hell awhile back. Not only did they suck, but the only fight of the night broke out during their set.

Metalcore is the cancer that's killing most hardcore scenes.

xjustx24 (November 6, 2007)

Lets just admit that everyone that reviews albums on this site, hate metalcore, this album was great, even if their lyrical content is about losing a girl, big deal, still doesnt take away from the fact tht the album was heavy as fuck for metalcore!

wentz_equals_death (November 6, 2007)

that metal by numbers video is so awesome

XCARLUPANDDIEX (November 6, 2007)

i am not into this genre at all, but i like this disc.

DiscoFucker (November 6, 2007)

The only thing good about this band was the intro to the song Mutineer. That was badass.