Parkway Drive
Entertainment Centre
Sutherland, Australia
June 26, 2016
Parkway Drive is glam metalcore.
“Metal” as in classic metal and anthemic choruses.
“Core” as in simple, direct, angry, to the point and crowd-participation inducing.
Glam metalcore that marries both camps successfully and thereby creating their own distinctive mélange.
Over the last years, Parkway Drive has evolved tenfold and established itself as a worldwide brand and a major player in the world of heavy bands, dominating festival stages across the globe.
Having grown as a band and adapted more textures, dynamics, and a willingness to be more experimental with their songwriting and sound, they have effortlessly managed the tightrope walk of winning over new audiences while neither alienating their core fan base nor diluting their DNA.
With eir recent, innovative album Ire having recently gone Gold in Australia, the “All Aussie Adventures” victory lap lead them through their native land to visit smaller towns on Australia’s East Coast, from Cairns to Geelong.
The tour saw a band that has reached stadium status pack its immense show into smaller venues, which did not lack impact: Huge, bold sound, a commanding stage presence and massive breakdowns.
As soon as the band appeared illuminated by piercing white light and the drums and guitars picked up for their grandiose opening song “Destroyer” off of their newest release, Ire, Parkway Drive had the enthusiastic crowd in the palms of their hands.
Utter chaos ensured in the best way possible.
The signs that were put up before G.I.S.M.’s performance at this year’s Roadburn festival would have been more appropriate tonight:
Parkway Drive’s strobe light attack is a surefire trigger for inducing seizures for people suffering from photosensitive epilepsy. In sync with the music and timed to drumbeats, the lightshow enhanced by CO2 emissions rounded out the superb production and added a new dimension to their live performance, which feeds and finds its direct energetic, equivalent echo in the reaction of their devoted followers.
While the setlist’s focus was heavy on “Ire”, each of their previous emissions was given a nod and not for a second did the energy levels dim down an iota.
When worn out, clichéd adjectives like “pulverizing” come to mind when being asked how the show was; you know that the band in question has accomplished the art of their live performance.
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Photos by T
