|
|
Parkway Drive: In The Fast Lane To Success
The Australian band Parkway Drive came to life in 2003 in Byron Bay, which is the laid back, beachfront hometown of the band's hard driving members. The reason for this rather pedestrian name, you ask? It's simply the name of the street where they used to have jam sessions and pulled all nighters as they practiced the music they loved.
It was obvious that these 5 band mates were seriously hardcore metal men that could pound it out in style. The charisma of the group is undeniable and they have an uncanny ability to connect with every member in the audience. They look more like surfer dudes with an edge, but make no mistake these guys are heavy metal to the bone.
Killing with a Smile was the first full-length album by the group. This was released in August 2005 and the band revved up their notoriously frantic pace of performances and tours. Parkway Drive became a strong act as they performed for headlining shows around Australia and spread their wings to other countries as well. The touring has been the vehicle that they used to really crank up their fan base and visibility.
Current Parkway Drive band members
-Winston McCall - front man and vocals
-Ben Gordon - percussionist/drums
-Jeff Ling - guitarist
-Luke Kilpatrick - guitarist
-"Pipey" O'Connor - bass guitarist
Epitaph Records signed the group in June of 2006 and then released the album "Killing with a Smile" to American audiences in August. 2006 continued to be a time of enormous success as the group appeared on the Taste of Chaos Tour where they played with such favorites as Underoath, Taking Back Sunday, Thursday, and Saosin. Fans began demanding more Parkway Drive merch throughout the tour appearances. During the last 2 months of 2006, the group performed at the Homebake Festival, Soundwave Festival, Gravity G Festival, and Sound Fest.
2007 brought continued good fortune when they played at Underworld and treated the public to the first live performance of "The Siren's Song". Parkway Drive was the only Australian group to be asked to participate in the 2007 US Vans Warped Tour. Their album, "Horizons" was finally released in October of 2007 and scored a 10/10 from Blunt Magazine. This metal album went straight to #6 on the ARIA charts upon its release and stayed in the top 40 for weeks. The music on the "Horizon's" album is constantly compared to Metallica's own "Master of Puppets". Drive was honored when they were the only Australian group chosen to appear on the US Vans Warped Tour in 2007.
Brief Music Highlights
Albums
Killing with a Smile-2005
Horizons-2007
Music Videos and Singles
Smoke 'em if Ya got 'em-2008
Boneyards
2009 was kicked off in style when Parkway Drive announced in January that they would be headlining a US tour that included both Stick to Your Guns and MyChildren MyBride. Currently the band is in the midst of their cross-country tour. Parkway Drive merch, including tees, posters and hoodies, are selling well as fans continue to show support for one of the heaviest of the new metal icons. 2 singles by the group getting a lot of current airplay include "Idols and Anchors" and "Romance is Dead". "Carrion" and "Guns for Show, Knives for a Pro" also continue to attract a large number of downloads.
|
 |
Please Rate: |
|
Rating: |
 Processing ... |
(Average: Not rated) |
| Views: | 21 | |
|
| More Articles from Music | | |
| Top Articles in Music | | |
|
