Grab Metalcore Fever with Parkway Drive

The year 2002 saw the emergence of metalcore band Parkway Drive from Byron Bay, South Wales, Australia. In the eight years that the band has been together, they were able to release an EP, two albums, two split albums and a DVD.

Band Story

The name Parkway Drive originated from the actual street name located in Byron Bay, Australia. The street name served as the house location called “Parkway House” where the band kept on practicing. Band members, Winston McCall, Ben Gordon, Jeff Ling, Like Kilpatrick, Shaun Cash, and Brett Versteeg got together with another metalcore band, I Killed the Prom Queen to produce a split EP titled “I Killed the Prom Queen / Parkway Drive.”

In the following year, Parkway Drive came up with their first eight track EP “Don’t Close Your Eyes.” This first solo work was so well received in their home country that the band eventually saw the growth of a loyal fan base. Things started to look up even more for the band after other bands like Shadows Fall and Hatebreed performed in the same band events.

In 2005, the band experienced a notable development after having traveled to the US to start work on their very first album. The album was released under the title “Killing with a Smile” and was subsequently promoted by the group through a tour. After a year, the group signed up with Epitaph Records and it was then that their album made it to US shores. It was also at this point though that changes loomed in for the band as bassist Shaun Cash left for personal reasons.

It was a double blow for the group because Brett Versteeg who also handled bass left as well. A friend of the group Jia “Pie” O’Connor was tapped to take on the bass player spot. Despite the changes, Australian fans and tour merch customers continued to multiply especially after the band’s tours. A further boost to their popularity was the second release of the EP “Don’t Close Your Eyes.” This second release contained songs from the Byron Bay Hardcore compilation and their split EP. The second Parkway Drive Album “Horizons” was also well received.

Albums Released

It was “Killing with a Smile,” the band’s first album that really gave them their first big international break when it was released in the US in 2006. One contributory factor to its success is its producer, Adam Dutkiewicz, who is popularly associated with Killswitch Engage.

The second Parkway Drive album, “Horizons” came out October of 2007. It was a highly anticipated release because some of the songs were performed live. It was clearly a successful release since it took on the sixth spot on the ARIA Charts. In Europe, the album is multi-platinum and is officially the band’s bestselling work.

Vocalist Winston McCall announced in 2010 that Parkway Drive is working on a new album claiming that it “will be their rawest and heaviest record to date.” Subsequent updates were posted on online avenues including MySpace and their blog. There is no word on the title of the album or how many tracks it would contain, but the album will be released after their current European Tour and before the Vans Warped Tour to start on June 2010. Truly a well anticipated addition to the Parkway Drive discography.