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
Former
Timeline

Discography

Studio albums

EPs

Split albums

Singles

Music videos

Filmography

DVDs
Tour nameParticipating bandsCountry/ContinentParticipating from/to
All Ages Assault TourParkway Drive, Wings for Wings, The Daylight CurseAustralia2 March – 30 April 2006
Soundwave 2007Suicidal Tendencies, Hatebreed, +44, Deftones, Parkway Drive, Houston Calls & many more.AustraliaFebruary 2007
Warped Tour 2007Anberlin, 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 America28 June – 25 August 2007
Tour on the HorizonParkway DriveAustralia10–21 October 2007
Winter 2008 TourKillswitch Engage, Every Time I Die, The Dillinger Escape Plan, Parkway DriveNorth America10 January – 4 February 2008
European Spring 2008 TourParkway Drive, Suicide Silence, Bury Your Dead, To KillEurope18 April – 9 May 2008
SweatfestParkway Drive, A Day to Remember, Suicide Silence, The Acacia Strain, ConfessionAustraliaSummer 2008/09
Thrash and Burn TourDarkest 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 MayaUnited States29 July – 23 September 2008
The DVD TourParkway Drive, August Burns Red, ArchitectsAustraliaSeptember 2009
The Pulling Your Pud TourA Day to Remember, Parkway Drive, In Fear and Faith, I See StarsNorth America27 September – 16 October 2009
Sick Summer TourParkway Drive, Confession, Word Up!Australia11 December 2009 – 7 February 2010
European Tour 2010Parkway Drive, Winds of Plague, Despised Icon, The Warriors, 50 LionsEurope23 April 2010 – 15 May 2010
Warped Tour 2010In 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 SixNorth America24 June – 15 August 2010
Deep Blue New Zealand TourParkway Drive, The Devil Wears Prada, The Ghost Inside, Antagonist A.D.New Zealand17–19 September 2010
Deep Blue Australian TourParkway Drive, The Devil Wears Prada, The Ghost Inside, 50 LionsAustralia22 September – 3 October 2010
Never Say Die! TourParkway Drive, Comeback Kid, Bleeding Through, Emmure, War from a Harlots Mouth, Your Demise, We Came As RomansEurope29 October – 20 November 2010
No Sleep Til TourParkway 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, ConfessionAustralia12–19 December 2010
The North American TourParkway Drive, Set Your Goals, The Ghost Inside, The WarriorsNorth America11 February – 12 March 2011
There Is a Hell... Tour UK LegBring Me the Horizon, Parkway Drive, Architects, The Devil Wears PradaUnited Kingdom22 April – 4 March
The Mix n' Mash TourParkway Drive, You Me at Six, Bleeding Through, The Wonder Years, ConfessionAustralia18–28 May 2011
Bring Me The Horizon North American TourBring Me the Horizon, Parkway Drive, Architects, Deez NutsNorth America31 August – 4 October 2011
Sick Summer Tour 2012Parkway Drive, Northlane, Hand of Mercy, AftermathAustralia16 February – 12 March 2012
European Tour Spring 2012Parkway Drive, The Ghost Inside, Miss May I, ConfessionEurope6 – 28 April 2012
Atlas 2012 European TourParkway Drive, Emmure, The Word Alive, StructuresEurope13 November – 1 December 2012
Atlas 2012 Australian TourParkway Drive, I Killed the Prom Queen, Northlane and SurvivalAustralia New Zealand13 – 22 December 2012
Atlas North American TourParkway Drive, The Word Alive, Veil of Maya, While She SleepsNorth America29 March – 19 April 2013
Euro Summer Cruise TourParkway Drive, Veil of Maya, Chelsea Grin, IWrestledabearonce, Thy Art is Murder, After the Burial, Rise of the North StarEurope1 June – 6 July 2013
The "Ten Years of Parkway Drive tour"Parkway Drive, Thy Art Is Murder, Northlane, ConfessionAustralia15 September – 30 September 2013
Vans Off The Wall Music NightParkway Drive, We Came As Romans, Memphis May Fire, Like Moths To FlamesEurope 7 November – 24 November
Vans Warped Tour AustraliaHeadliners include The Offspring, Parkway Drive, Simple Plan, MillencollinAustralia29 November – 8 December
Parkway Drive South American Tour 2014Bad Religion, Parkway Drive, Heaven Shall BurnSouth America7 February – 14 February
Parkway Drive Mini American Tour 2014Parkway Drive, Upon A Burning Body, BetrayalNorth America30 January – 5 February
Warped Tour 2014MAIN 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, YellowcardNorth America2 July – 3 August
Parkway Drive UK Winter Tour 2014Parkway Drive, Heaven Shall Burn, Northlane, CarnifexUK12 December – 17 December
IRE Australia Tour 2015Parkway Drive, Thy Art Is Murder, Memphis May Fire, The Word Alive.Australia23 September – 11 October 2015
IRE North American Tour Parkway Drive, Miss May I, Thy Art Is Murder, In Hearts Wake.North America29 October – 6 December
IRE European Tour Parkway Drive, Architects, Bury Tomorrow, Thy Art Is Murder, Annisokay Europe22 January – 17 February
All Aussie Adventure Tour Parkway Drive, Make Them SufferAustralia15 June – 3 July 2016
Some Shows TourA Day to Remember, Parkway Drive, State ChampsUnited States30 April – 21 May
European tour Parkway Drive,Europe4 August – 28 August
Unbreakable Tour Parkway Drive, We Came As Romans, Counterparts, RarityNorth America29 September – 25 October 2016
Unbreakable European Tour Parkway Drive, Asking Alexandria, Stick to Your Guns, Darkest HourEurope29 March – 30 April 2017
June 2017 Mini USA Tour Parkway Drive, The Word Alive, Wage WarNorth America20–26 June 2017
A Decade of Horizons Tour Parkway Drive, PolarisAustralia12–27 January 2018
March 2018 Tour Parkway Drive, PolarEurope13–24 March 2018
Spring 2018 Tour Parkway Drive, Stick to Your Guns, Bad OmensNorth America26 April – 12 May 2018
Reverence North America Tour Parkway Drive, August Burns Red, The Devil Wears Prada, PolarisNorth America30 August – 23 September 2018
Reverence Europe Tour Parkway Drive, Killswitch Engage, Thy Art is MurderEurope25 January – 18 February 2019
Collapse the World Tour Parkway Drive, Killswitch Engage, After the Burial, VeinNorth America18 April – 16 May 2019
Reverence 2019 Europe Tour Parkway Drive, Thy Art is Murder, Bury Tomorrow, Crystal Lake, Venom PrisonEurope21 June – 16 August 2019