Beautiful Dvd

Parkway Drive Isn’t Just A Street

The year 2002 saw the emergence of metalcore band Parkway Drive from Byron Bay, South Wales, Australia. In the eight years that the band has been together, they were able to release an EP, two albums, two split albums and a DVD.

Band Story

The name Parkway Drive originated from the actual street name located in Byron Bay, Australia. The street name served as the house location called “Parkway House” where the band kept on practicing. Band members, Winston McCall, Ben Gordon, Jeff Ling, Like Kilpatrick, Shaun Cash, and Brett Versteeg got together with another metalcore band, I Killed the Prom Queen to produce a split EP titled “I Killed the Prom Queen / Parkway Drive.”

In the following year, Parkway Drive came up with their first eight track EP “Don’t Close Your Eyes.” This first solo work was so well received in their home country that the band eventually saw the growth of a loyal fan base. Things started to look up even more for the band after other bands like Shadows Fall and Hatebreed performed in the same band events.

It was only after three years or so after the band’s formation though that major developments came up. The band finally got the chance to travel to the US to record their first album. A tour followed to promote the album “Killing with a Smile.” More positive developments came when the group later inked a deal with Epitaph Records at which point their album was released in the US. Just when everything seemed to turn out well though, Shaun Cash who played bass left the group.

The other bass player, Brett Versteeg left as well. The band was still able to move on when the band’s long-time friend Jia “Pie” O’Connor took over the bass player role. More tours followed, fueling more popularity amongst Australian metal fans and more tour merch sales. The “Don’t Close Your Eyes” EP was also re-released containing tracks from their split EP and earlier tracks present in the Byron Bay Hardcore compilation. Their second Parkway Drive album titled “Horizons” also met critical praise.

Albums Out

It was the band’s first album “Killing with a Smile” that really introduced the group internationally after having been released in the US in 2006, only a year after its recording. The work was perhaps given a good initial reputation because of the participation of Adam Dutkiewicz of Killswitch Engage as producer.

Although the first album was a good one, it was the second album, “Horizons” that really solidified the band’s international foothold. It has reached multi platinum status in the US and is on the sixth slot on the ARIA charts. To date, it is the band’s bestselling album made more appealing by the live performances included in it.

Vocalist Winston McCall announced in 2010 that Parkway Drive is working on a new album claiming that it “will be their rawest and heaviest record to date.” Subsequent updates were posted on online avenues including MySpace and their blog. There is no word on the title of the album or how many tracks it would contain, but the album will be released after their current European Tour and before the Vans Warped Tour to start on June 2010. Truly a well anticipated addition to the Parkway Drive discography.

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