Parkway Drive
Horizons
Review by Nick Cottin
Parkway Drive is a metal band that hails from the land down under. These hard hitting Australians are back with their sophomore release, "Horizons," which is their first major label debut following 2006's "Killing with a Smile". While touring constantly, playing festivals such as the Vans Warped Tour, and writing more dynamic and brutal music than ever before, AC/DC will not be the only remembered band from Australia anymore, and Parkway Drive are great proof of that.The album opens up with an intro song, "Begin," which flows perfectly into the next song entitled "The Siren's Song." Right off the bat, guitars are shredding and you can just feel more good things are to come. This song is one of the few standout songs on the record. It has everything that a Parkway Drive fan wants to hear - fast riffs, blast beats, haunting vocals, and bone crushing breakdowns.
The next song is titled "Feed Them to the Pigs," and if you are into breakdowns, this one is for you. Following that song is "Carrion," which is one of the most melodic song on the album in terms of both guitars harmonizing incredibly and having a great standout chorus that can pretty easily get stuck in your head. The song "Five Months" follows, and this song is chock full of harmonization, back-breaking heavy parts, and the classic sound that you would expect from Parkway Drive.
My personal favorite song on the record comes next. "Boneyards" is probably one of the heaviest songs "Horizons." With a combination of brutal vocals, speed picking, and blast beats all coming in at the same time, you cannot help but keep listening to see what this song has to offer. With lyrics like "I would rather see your face in hell than speak another word of this perfect world" added perfectly to the breakdown in this song, I feel like you cannot get much more intense than that. "Boneyards" has fast parts, slower parts, and even some gang vocals before the end breakdown. This song was put together very well and definitely deserves a listen.
Down the track list comes the song "Dead Man's Chest," which is well placed. This song is the last standout song on the record to me, and it rounds out the record very well. After a couple decent tracks, this song comes on and smacks you in the face. It's heavy, has vicious vocals from the very talented Winston McCall, and riffs that will melt your face right off. After the first play, there's a good chance you'll go back for multiple listens.
Parkway Drive did an excellent job on "Horizons." There is not one song that is sub par or would need to be skipped. From start to finish, listeners are bombarded with an explosion of metal from of one of the scene's up and coming bands. Be on the lookout for these guys, because they will be one of the leaders in today's metalcore scene and will only get better with time.
© 2008 Stars and Scars LLC