Get the Best of Metalcore with Parkway Drive

Byron Bay, New South Wales, Australia is home to the band Parkway Drive. It was in 2002 that band members first came together. From that time, the group has been able to release two split albums, two albums, one EP and one DVD.

Band History

Parkway Drive has a unique story to its name. The band name is lifted from a real street in Byron Bay. This street was the location of what was known as Parkway House, a real physical structure where the band members, Jeff Ling, Shaun Cash, Brett Versteeg, Winston McCall, Like Kilpatrick and Ben Gordon, converged and practiced. The six man band later collaborated with I Killed the Prom Queen to come up with the split EP “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.

Later on, fellow bass player Brett Versteeg left the group too. Fortunately, Jia “Pie” O’Connor who had been friends with the band members for some time agreed to take on the role of bass player. The band was able to organize more tours, increasing their positive reputation among Australian fans and tour merch buyers. As a result of their expanding popularity, the EP “Don’t Close Your Eyes” was released again. It carried tracks from the Byron Bay Hardcore compilation and from the split EP. It wasn’t long before the second Parkway Drive album, “Horizons” saw the light of day.

Studio Albums Released

It was the band’s first album “Killing with a Smile” that really introduced the group internationally after having been released in the US in 2006, only a year after its recording. The work was perhaps given a good initial reputation because of the participation of Adam Dutkiewicz of Killswitch Engage as producer.

Although the first album was a good one, it was the second album, “Horizons” that really solidified the band’s international foothold. It has reached multi platinum status in the US and is on the sixth slot on the ARIA charts. To date, it is the band’s bestselling album made more appealing by the live performances included in it.

The band’s fans have something to look forward to in 2010 as an addition will be made to the Parkway Drive discography. Vocalist Winston McCall has revealed that a third Parkway Drive album is in the works. He calls it the band’s “rawest and heaviest record to date.” Fans can dig up more information about the album from the band’s official blog. The title of the yet to be released work is still unknown but its initial release will be before the Vans Warped Tour starts on June 2010.