Parkway Drive
Parkway Drive is an Australian metalcore band from Byron Bay, New South Wales, formed in 2003. As of 2018, Parkway Drive have released six studio albums, one EP, two DVDs, a split album and one book, titled Ten Years of Parkway Drive. The band's latest four albums have reached the top 10 of the Australian ARIA Charts, with Ire reaching number 1 in October 2015, and Reverence in May 2018.
The band's line-up has been consistent since the addition of bassist Jia O'Connor in 2006, with Brett Versteeg having left in 2004 and Shaun Cash in 2006.
History
Early years and ''Killing with a Smile'' (2003–2006)
Parkway Drive were formed at the beginning of 2003. The band took their name from the street where their home rehearsal space and live venue, 'The Parkway House', was located. The 2009 documentary 'Parkway Drive: The DVD' explains that there was a lack of venues for punk rock and hardcore punk bands to practice and perform and that 'Parkway House' was like 'a little oasis for us and all our friends'. The group played their first show at the Byron Bay Youth Centre where I Killed the Prom Queen vocalist Michael Crafter, visiting from Adelaide, also first saw the group and gained their interest. The was released June 2003 and both groups toured Australia over the rest of the year. After signing with Resist Records, the band released the Don't Close Your Eyes EP in 2004 and opened for Shadows Fall, Chimaira, Hatebreed and Alexisonfire on subsequent Australian tours. Winston McCall commented on the EP in early 2005 that he was surprised that 'for six songs it's done amazing for us...I'm surprised that kids picked it up so well' Following Brett Versteeg's replacement by Shaun Cash, Parkway Drive flew to the United States where they recorded their debut full-length Killing with a Smile with Killswitch Engage guitarist Adam Dutkiewicz in just two weeks. Manager Graham Nixon later noted that 'it was not the "done thing" for an Australian band to head overseas and work with a producer of that sort of calibre'. The album debuted in the Australian Album charts at 39. In 2006 the group toured in Europe, their first time performing overseas, and later returned to North America. In late May 2006, bass player Shaun Cash left the band for personal reasons with full support from the rest of the members. He was replaced by their "merch guy" and long-time friend, Jia "Pie" O'Connor. Parkway Drive signed to American punk label Epitaph in June 2006.''Horizons'' (2007–2009)
Following their return to Adam Dutkiewicz's studio, Horizons was released on 6 October 2007. The album was generally acclaimed by critics and fans alike; especially Blunt Magazine, 'simply slays from the get go' and awarded it 10/10, and planet-loud.com, which suggested that it would 'set the benchmark for metal albums to come'. It debuted at number 6 on the ARIA Charts.''Deep Blue'' (2010–2011)
On 23 March 2010, Parkway Drive entered the studio to begin recording their third album, Deep Blue, with producer Joe Barresi. According to their lead vocalist Winston McCall, this was to be their rawest and heaviest record to date.According to a blog that posted on Myspace on 1 April 2010, they had finished tracking the drums for the album.
According to a blog posted on 8 April 2010, Parkway Drive were half finished with rhythm guitars, bass and vocals for the upcoming untitled album. On 17 April 2010, Parkway Drive officially announced that they finished recording the forthcoming album, and added a studio diary video to their Myspace.
On 26 April, vocalist Winston McCall revealed in a video-interview two new song-titles: "Home Is for the Heartless" and "Hollow". Winston stated in the interview that the European tour they were on was the last tour until the release of the new album, indicating that the album should be out in stores sometime before the Vans Warped Tour began.
In September, the group was nominated for an ARIA Award for Deep Blue in the newly created Best Hard Rock, Heavy Metal Album category and eventually won. It was the first ARIA Award in the band's history.
Parkway Drive received the Australian Independent Record Award for 'Best Independent Hard Rock or Punk Album' in 2010 for Deep Blue.
In 2011, Winston McCall was featured in the Warriors' song "Panic", from their album See How You Are. That same year, he was featured in You Me At Six's song "Time Is Money" from their album Sinners Never Sleep. It was announced in early 2011 that Parkway Drive would perform at the Sonisphere Festival in Imola, Italy on 25 June and in Knebworth, UK on 10 July.
''Atlas'' (2012–2013)
In an interview with NME, Winston spoke briefly about an upcoming fourth studio album. Winston is quoted as saying, "We've got ideas for this record that are bigger than anything we've done in the past. We're trying to pencil it in, but we want to get in the studio sooner rather than later." The vocalist also gave an update on the condition of the band's guitarist Luke 'Pig' Kilpatrick. The guitarist has been forced to play with the band from a wheelchair after a surfing accident, but McCall said he was improving and would be up on his feet for the band's next tour. He said: "I think he'll be in a cast for a couple more weeks. His leg had swelled up to the size of a football, but it's come down now. He still can't walk on it yet. It's made for an interesting couple of tours and it'll be weird when he is walking around again."On 10 April 2012, Parkway Drive released a trailer for their new Blu-ray/DVD entitled Home Is for the Heartless with a set release date for 6 July 2012.
In an interview with Reviewed Music, Winston McCall stated that "Parkway Drive will be entering the studio following their April European/UK tour to begin recording their upcoming fourth album." Parkway Drive announced via Instagram that they will officially begin recording their new album on 20 June in LA.
''Ire'' (2014–2016)
In February 2014, Parkway Drive announced they would be participating in the 2014 Warped Tour on the main stage. On 11 April 2014 they announced on their Instagram that they were working on a new album. On 4 June 2015, Parkway Drive teased a letter for their upcoming fifth studio album; later the same day, the album cover was leaked online in its entirety. The album was called Ire, and a new single entitled "Vice Grip" with a music video was released to the public on 8 June 2015. The release date of Ire was 25 September. On 20 June, "Vice Grip" peaked at number 88 on the Australian singles chart, making it the band's second charting single after "Dark Days", which peaked at number 71 in September 2012. "Crushed" from Ire later reached number 96 on 29 August.On 11 July 2016, the band released a new single "Devil's Calling" for the deluxe edition of Ire.
''Reverence'' and ''Viva the Underdogs'' (2017–present)
In May 2017, the band announced that they were working on a new album. Vocalist Winston McCall said the album would be "more aggressive" than its predecessor Ire. The album had been expected to be released sometime in 2018.On 27 February 2018, the band released Wishing Wells, which is the first single from their forthcoming sixth album, whose name not been yet announced. On 13 March 2018, the band announced that their sixth studio album entitled Reverence would be released on 4 May 2018. The second single entitled The Void was released alongside this announcement.
A 3rd single entitled Prey was released on 24 April 2018. Following the release of Reverence, the band announced the North American tour with August Burns Red and the Devil Wears Prada beginning on 30 August from San Diego, CA and ending on 23 September in Hollywood, CA.
Reverence was nominated for; the band's third nomination, and won the 2018 ARIA Award for Best Hard Rock/Heavy Metal Album obtaining their second win in the category.
On 6 November 2019, the band announced their new documentary movie Viva the Underdogs will be screened for one night only across the world on 22 January 2020, detailing their 15-year rise to fame from the Byron Bay hardcore days in 2003, through to their UK Festival headline performances in 2019.
On 23 January 2020, the band announced their Viva the Underdogs soundtrack which features live recordings from their Wacken Open Air 2019 headline performance and three rerecorded songs with frontman Winston McCall singing in German.
The Viva the Underdogs tour will be brought to many different countries worldwide, with a number of different bands joining up as support. The European portion will have Venom Prison, Stick to Your Guns and Hatebreed. The Australian portion of the tour will feature Every Time I Die and Hatebreed. The United States portion of the tour will include Hatebreed, Knocked Loose & Fit for a King as support. This United States tour will also be the first time that Parkway Drive will be using their pyrotechnics in the country.
Musical style and influences
The band's genre has been described as metalcore and more recently as heavy metal. Their sound employs screaming vocals, guitar riffs and breakdowns. Unlike many other popular modern metalcore bands, Parkway Drive did not use clean singing on any of their studio albums until their 2015 studio album Ire, although they did use them on some songs on their first two EPs, on which they were performed by the band's original bassist Brett Versteeg. However, following the shift in style during Reverence, Winston McCall stated that Parkway Drive have "outgrown metalcore", and have transitioned away from their earlier roots. They have cited influences including Rage Against the Machine, Metallica, Slayer, Iron Maiden, the Offspring, Faith No More, the Dillinger Escape Plan, Hatebreed and Killswitch Engage.Parkway Drive's vocalist, Winston McCall, has a younger brother, Oscar, who is a vocalist in the hardcore punk band 50 Lions.
Members
Current- Winston McCall – lead vocals
- Jeff Ling – lead guitar
- Luke "Pig" Kilpatrick – rhythm guitar
- Ben "Gaz" Gordon – drums
- Jia "Pie" O'Connor – bass
- Brett "Lagg" Versteeg – bass, backing vocals
- Shaun "Cashy" Cash – bass
Discography
Studio albums
EPs
Split albums
Singles
Music videos
Filmography
DVDs- Home Is for the Heartless
- Viva the Underdogs
Concert tours
Tour name | Participating bands | Country/Continent | Participating from/to |
All Ages Assault Tour | Parkway Drive, Wings for Wings, The Daylight Curse | Australia | 2 March – 30 April 2006 |
Soundwave 2007 | Suicidal Tendencies, Hatebreed, +44, Deftones, Parkway Drive, Houston Calls & many more. | Australia | February 2007 |
Warped Tour 2007 | Anberlin, Biffy Clyro, Funeral for a Friend, As I Lay Dying, Killswitch Engage, Hawthorne Heights, Haste the Day, Mayday Parade, Parkway Drive, Pennywise, Yellowcard, & many more. | North America | 28 June – 25 August 2007 |
Tour on the Horizon | Parkway Drive | Australia | 10–21 October 2007 |
Winter 2008 Tour | Killswitch Engage, Every Time I Die, The Dillinger Escape Plan, Parkway Drive | North America | 10 January – 4 February 2008 |
European Spring 2008 Tour | Parkway Drive, Suicide Silence, Bury Your Dead, To Kill | Europe | 18 April – 9 May 2008 |
Sweatfest | Parkway Drive, A Day to Remember, Suicide Silence, The Acacia Strain, Confession | Australia | Summer 2008/09 |
Thrash and Burn Tour | Darkest Hour, Parkway Drive, Arsis, Winds of Plague, Stick to Your Guns, Misery Signals, Arsonists Get all the Girls, Abigail Williams, After the Burial, Suicide Silence, As Blood Runs Black, Emmure and Veil of Maya | United States | 29 July – 23 September 2008 |
The DVD Tour | Parkway Drive, August Burns Red, Architects | Australia | September 2009 |
The Pulling Your Pud Tour | A Day to Remember, Parkway Drive, In Fear and Faith, I See Stars | North America | 27 September – 16 October 2009 |
Sick Summer Tour | Parkway Drive, Confession, Word Up! | Australia | 11 December 2009 – 7 February 2010 |
European Tour 2010 | Parkway Drive, Winds of Plague, Despised Icon, The Warriors, 50 Lions | Europe | 23 April 2010 – 15 May 2010 |
Warped Tour 2010 | In the Altec Lansing Stage with Breathe Carolina, Four Year Strong, Of Mice & Men, Hey Monday, I Can Make a Mess Like Nobody's Business, Pierce the Veil, Set Your Goals, Suicide Silence, Whitechapel, You Me at Six | North America | 24 June – 15 August 2010 |
Deep Blue New Zealand Tour | Parkway Drive, The Devil Wears Prada, The Ghost Inside, Antagonist A.D. | New Zealand | 17–19 September 2010 |
Deep Blue Australian Tour | Parkway Drive, The Devil Wears Prada, The Ghost Inside, 50 Lions | Australia | 22 September – 3 October 2010 |
Never Say Die! Tour | Parkway Drive, Comeback Kid, Bleeding Through, Emmure, War from a Harlots Mouth, Your Demise, We Came As Romans | Europe | 29 October – 20 November 2010 |
No Sleep Til Tour | Parkway Drive, Megadeth, NOFX, Dropkick Murphys, Descendants, A Day to Remember, Gwar, Atreyu, Alkaline Trio, Frenzal Rhomb, Me First and the Gimme Gimme's, Suicide Silence, August Burns Red, Katatonia, 3 Inches of Blood, We Came As Romans, House Vs. Hurricane, Confession | Australia | 12–19 December 2010 |
The North American Tour | Parkway Drive, Set Your Goals, The Ghost Inside, The Warriors | North America | 11 February – 12 March 2011 |
There Is a Hell... Tour UK Leg | Bring Me the Horizon, Parkway Drive, Architects, The Devil Wears Prada | United Kingdom | 22 April – 4 March |
The Mix n' Mash Tour | Parkway Drive, You Me at Six, Bleeding Through, The Wonder Years, Confession | Australia | 18–28 May 2011 |
Bring Me The Horizon North American Tour | Bring Me the Horizon, Parkway Drive, Architects, Deez Nuts | North America | 31 August – 4 October 2011 |
Sick Summer Tour 2012 | Parkway Drive, Northlane, Hand of Mercy, Aftermath | Australia | 16 February – 12 March 2012 |
European Tour Spring 2012 | Parkway Drive, The Ghost Inside, Miss May I, Confession | Europe | 6 – 28 April 2012 |
Atlas 2012 European Tour | Parkway Drive, Emmure, The Word Alive, Structures | Europe | 13 November – 1 December 2012 |
Atlas 2012 Australian Tour | Parkway Drive, I Killed the Prom Queen, Northlane and Survival | Australia New Zealand | 13 – 22 December 2012 |
Atlas North American Tour | Parkway Drive, The Word Alive, Veil of Maya, While She Sleeps | North America | 29 March – 19 April 2013 |
Euro Summer Cruise Tour | Parkway Drive, Veil of Maya, Chelsea Grin, IWrestledabearonce, Thy Art is Murder, After the Burial, Rise of the North Star | Europe | 1 June – 6 July 2013 |
The "Ten Years of Parkway Drive tour" | Parkway Drive, Thy Art Is Murder, Northlane, Confession | Australia | 15 September – 30 September 2013 |
Vans Off The Wall Music Night | Parkway Drive, We Came As Romans, Memphis May Fire, Like Moths To Flames | Europe | 7 November – 24 November |
Vans Warped Tour Australia | Headliners include The Offspring, Parkway Drive, Simple Plan, Millencollin | Australia | 29 November – 8 December |
Parkway Drive South American Tour 2014 | Bad Religion, Parkway Drive, Heaven Shall Burn | South America | 7 February – 14 February |
Parkway Drive Mini American Tour 2014 | Parkway Drive, Upon A Burning Body, Betrayal | North America | 30 January – 5 February |
Warped Tour 2014 | MAIN STAGE W/ Bowling For Soup, Breathe Carolina, The Devil Wears Prada, Enter Shikari, Falling in Reverse, Finch, For Today, Four Year Strong, The Ghost Inside, Less Than Jake, Mayday Parade, Motionless in White, Of Mice & Men, The Story So Far, The Summer Set, The Word Alive, We the Kings, Yellowcard | North America | 2 July – 3 August |
Parkway Drive UK Winter Tour 2014 | Parkway Drive, Heaven Shall Burn, Northlane, Carnifex | UK | 12 December – 17 December |
IRE Australia Tour 2015 | Parkway Drive, Thy Art Is Murder, Memphis May Fire, The Word Alive. | Australia | 23 September – 11 October 2015 |
IRE North American Tour | Parkway Drive, Miss May I, Thy Art Is Murder, In Hearts Wake. | North America | 29 October – 6 December |
IRE European Tour | Parkway Drive, Architects, Bury Tomorrow, Thy Art Is Murder, Annisokay | Europe | 22 January – 17 February |
All Aussie Adventure Tour | Parkway Drive, Make Them Suffer | Australia | 15 June – 3 July 2016 |
Some Shows Tour | A Day to Remember, Parkway Drive, State Champs | United States | 30 April – 21 May |
European tour | Parkway Drive, | Europe | 4 August – 28 August |
Unbreakable Tour | Parkway Drive, We Came As Romans, Counterparts, Rarity | North America | 29 September – 25 October 2016 |
Unbreakable European Tour | Parkway Drive, Asking Alexandria, Stick to Your Guns, Darkest Hour | Europe | 29 March – 30 April 2017 |
June 2017 Mini USA Tour | Parkway Drive, The Word Alive, Wage War | North America | 20–26 June 2017 |
A Decade of Horizons Tour | Parkway Drive, Polaris | Australia | 12–27 January 2018 |
March 2018 Tour | Parkway Drive, Polar | Europe | 13–24 March 2018 |
Spring 2018 Tour | Parkway Drive, Stick to Your Guns, Bad Omens | North America | 26 April – 12 May 2018 |
Reverence North America Tour | Parkway Drive, August Burns Red, The Devil Wears Prada, Polaris | North America | 30 August – 23 September 2018 |
Reverence Europe Tour | Parkway Drive, Killswitch Engage, Thy Art is Murder | Europe | 25 January – 18 February 2019 |
Collapse the World Tour | Parkway Drive, Killswitch Engage, After the Burial, Vein | North America | 18 April – 16 May 2019 |
Reverence 2019 Europe Tour | Parkway Drive, Thy Art is Murder, Bury Tomorrow, Crystal Lake, Venom Prison | Europe | 21 June – 16 August 2019 |