Can you believe that Parkway Drive has been around for 20 years? The successful metalcore band from Australia was founded in 2003 and therefore celebrates its anniversary now! Of course, there is a surprise for the fans on this occasion. We'll tell you what it is!
The band mates from Byron Bay have shared some memories with their fans on social media. Among them is a post showing a youth center from their home. The band played concerts there in their younger years.
The Byron Bay Youth Centre was where we first started and cut our teeth as a band.
Additionally, a little journey through Parkway Drive history was shared, with photos from their early days and the albums they've released over the years. We'll also take a look back.
Traveling Through Time With Parkway Drive
Parkway Drive's debut album is titled Killing With A Smile and was released in 2005. It brought the group its first recognition in the metalcore scene. The distinctive voice of frontman Winston McCall, the hard guitar riffs and the brute drums characterize the sound of the band until today. Hits from the record like "Romance is Dead" or "Gimme A D" are celebrated by fans of the first hour even today. In 2007, the album Horizons followed and solidified the reputation of the band, which quickly became one of the leading combos of the genre. We remember tracks like "Carrion" and "Boneyards", absolute fan favorites to this day, the musical versatility and, above all, energetic live performances that never left the audience cold. The album reached number 6 in the charts in Australia and earned them good reviews. And from then on it only went uphill!
Deep Blue as the third studio album was a real milestone for the band's history. It was released in 2010 and this time even rose to number 2 in the Australian charts. Everyone probably has their own favorite songs here, but the well-known tracks definitely include "Sleepwalker" and "Karma". This hugely popular album was only topped by its 2012 follow-up Atlas, known for its dark lyrics and intense soundscape, an epic body of work was delivered here. "Dark Days" is probably one of the band's biggest hits, while "Wild Eyes" has become a must-have encore. And yet, the band's biggest success to that point followed in 2015 with Ire. It landed at number 1 in the Australian album charts. Both "Vice Grip" and "Crushed" must not be missing in any setlist of Parkway Drive.
And the steep career of the core band still seems to be unstoppable. In 2018 they released the album Reverence, which again reached number 1. Tracks and music videos like "Shadow Boxing" impressed fans, especially because of the epic live performances with strings on stage. Other songs like "The Void" and "Prey" invite the audience to party - because no concert is complete without a mosh pit. It was not until 2022 that the current album Darker Still was released, prompting numerous gigs in Europe as well. This summer we could already cheer Parkway Drive on at some summer festivals!
Throughout their discography, Parkway Drive have experimented with musical styles, tried new sounds and constantly evolved. Above all, they have always maintained a close connection with their fans. They have long since released their own movie: "Viva The Underdogs" from 2020 is a documentary about the background and history of Parkway Drive. They also released its soundtrack as a record. Even at that point there was more than enough material - we hope for an equally successful future and more anniversaries!
Re-Releases Of Atlas And Deep Blue
To mark their 20th anniversary, Parkway Drive have of course released a special feature. These are two new colored vinyls of the popular albums Atlas and Deep Blue. You can check out both versions of the records in our Instagram post:
Shop Parkway Drive Merch At Impericon
We have excellent news for you right away, because the re-release of Atlas is still available at Impericon as a pre-order! So before all copies are sold out, you can pre-order it right now and be on the safe side. To equip you perfectly for the next 20 years, we also have a lot of Parkway Drive Merch in our online store, as well as a large selection of Metalcore Merch. Just scroll through!
