As it stands, in the grand scheme of things I didn't discover Parkway Drive until quite late on in their career. Considering the Aussie metalcore quintet formed in 2003, I did not understand the hype or get in on the action til I first heard 2015's Ire. It absolutely blew my mind, so much so I had to play catch up. I listened to their back catalogue religiously and eagerly awaited Reverence in 2018. By that point I was well and truly hooked. Now, I am well aware that I am not exactly Parkways typical demographic. I am a tired, middle aged woman but when I listen to Parkway Drive I feel like I'm 20 years younger and full of angst! In the city where I live there is a place called The Rage Rooms and for a reasonable price you can go there and smash things up. I really want to do this and I want to do this whilst listening to Parkway Drive...just imagine all the pent up anger that you could release??!!! Who needs therapy when you have Parkway Drive and Rage Rooms?!!! Parkway Drive instill a passion and emotion in their music that others can only try to imitate. Parkway Drive make you feel like you can do anything, that you can achieve everything you turn your hand to, they are the life coach that will never let you down.
All this being said though I actually know very little about Parkway Drive as individuals, however I don't feel like I need to. Through album number seven,Darker Still, I am beginning to understand their evolution as a band. Released on September 9th 2022 it was very eagerly awaited and was preceded by three singles. "Glitch" was the first to drop in June. A song lyrically deep rooted in the power of the mind particularly with the fear involved with night terrors and a loss of control. This was possibly inspired by the recent burn out the band experienced in the time before this album. In terms of a first single it is standard early Parkway Drive fare with big riffs, massive backline, Winstons barked vocals blending into a more harmonious chorus, complete with that adrenaline pumping energy they are so well known for. Single number 2 "The Greatest Fear" arrived a month later and instantly caught my attention This is the epic sounding more experimental Parkway Drive that was hinted at on Reverence with songs like "Cemetery Bloom"and "Wishing Wells". "The Greatest Fear" has choral and orchestral elements to it that work so incredibly well making it sound larger than life. The last single "Darker Still" released in August is the albums title track and, in my opinion, a brave move but at the same time the perfect compliment that showcases the album as a whole. In short, Darker Still embraces all elements of Parkway Drives career and evolution to date.
As they have been going since the early 2000s it is not surprising that their music has grown and aged with them. Still commanding attention they bring their energy in bursts now with the amazing precision that can only be accomplished with time, experience and total dedication to the cause. They have fine tuned the art of slow release energy and bring up that aggression by use of building gradually and using timing rather than pure brutal relentless energy that can fizzle out quickly. The brutality is there but with some songs it kind of creeps up on you. I believe Parkway Drive have achieved great things with all of their albums so far but Darker Still has topped it off granting them Godlike status in my eyes. Opening track "Ground Zero" has a nursery rhyme style intro that thumps you straight in the guts as the riff kicks in leading straight into the energy driven "Like Napalm". Then the three singles already mentioned follow in succession with the almost acoustic drama of "Darker Still" changing the feel of the album into more anthemic driven territory with "Imperial Heretic" and "If A God Can Bleed". "Soul Bleach" comes around to slap you round the face just in case you were thinking they were going soft on you, bringing you back to the point of wanting to smash everything around you into dust ("don't be so dramatic"). Darker Still's final tracks try to calm you back down a little with some rousing camaraderie in the form of sing along epics like " Land Of The Lost" and the beautiful, chugglingly haunting "From The Heart Of The Darkness".
I love Parkway Drive so much and I love Darker Still. As a band Parkway Drive are not afraid to be big and bold, they aren't afraid to own their progression or show off what they done and they deserve to be where they are now. Parkway Drives music isn't just something to listen to in the background. Parkway Drives music is an experience, its personal and it's emotive.
