So here it goes!!! The first of my track by track reviews I am Danny Strat let's get this thing started with today's release of Parkway Drive IRE, this is my first time so be gentle with me please.
1. Destroyer:
As album openers go this starts BIG!
Big riffing over huge hard drums will have you headbanging from the outset. Winston comes in with heavy yet cleaner vocals compared to earlier albums, The Parkway you have missed have entered the room and from the outset this song will have you pounding your fist and shouting "DESTROY" to this drum focused track. The lyrical focus seems to be on how society has become a sorry state today and a cold look at "The Monsters we've become." As an opening track it paves the way for the focus of the rest of this latest effort by Parkway.
2. Dying To Believe:
This starts heavy and dark as Winston instantly gets your attention from his scarring vocals "LIKE DRAGGING NAILS THROUGH MY SKIN!" The pace is instant, quick galloping guitar over speedy double up drum beats. There is almost a slipknot styling to how the vocals match with the rythum guitar of Luke at parts. The speed builds to a huge drop that will have you either moshing around your house/room or if at a gig will make your neck wish it would just end. Unrelenting, uncompromising and brutal from the out set it is a definite nod too the "Parkway of old."
3. Vice Grip :
The first single released from this album and for good reason, we get an introduction to the newer sound that Parkway are going for with a more upbeat tempo and focus. We hear Winstons cleaner vocal style for the first time properly here, the band do remain heavy but as someone who stood in the crowd screaming "RISE RISE!" At Download this year I saw the crowd loved this at their set. With riffs just flowing over riffs this is a definite crowd pleaser and a track I thourghly you enjoy. Very catchy and very different to the Parkway most people are used to.
4. Crushed:
Opening with an ominous echoed religious chant caught me by surprise, it's not something I dislike at all but I wasn't expecting it on a Parkway album. However it doesn't stop there as we get the Beastly vocals of Winston come in with a very groovy drum and guitar part.
The track slows until again Winston comes in with gritty but clear vocals, as the groovy guitar feel builds we get a real Rage Against The Machine feel to the way Winston sings, there is an almost Limp Bizkit style to the guitar work too, It's chugging and definitely a completely different style than Parkway we would usually hear. I won't take away from the track it still has brutal vocals and banging big drums though it lacks on the guitar front (for me a shame). This ladies and Gentlemen is a VERY brave track by a band clearly developing their sound.
5. Fractures:
Speedy overlapping riffs open to what is another sure crowd pleaser with chants of "Wooh ooh Wooh ooh" through out, Winston remains heavy vocally throughout, this would be great at a gig with the uprising style lyrics "let's call out to change". For the first time on the album Ben "Gaz" Gordon (Drummer) uses a Cow Bell which in most people's book is a winner in any case, for me it certainly is. It is a very charged track full of energetic riffs and a slender guitar tone, this is definitely one of my personal favourites, the track slinks into the distance with an awesome guitar solo which im sure If played live would give a great finish to this track.
6. Writings On The Wall:
This track opens with string section which I found yet another surprise from Parkway and this album, the drums pound hard with a beat you find yourself clapping along to. The vocals are dark deep and growling with an almost Robb Fylnn sound to them, it builds slowly to a nice guitar riff. We start to hear a real uprising feel throughout the album by this point with Winston shouting "PUT YOUR HANDS UP" he gets you feeling the emotion in the track.
This is another diverse different feel to Parkway that in some cases may not go down smoothly, the song closes with a nice piano section. This for me was diverse but personally the weakest track on the album.
7. Bottom Feeder
"GO!!" This track syarts with chugging riffs a dark lyrical undertone that you would love to scream in the face of someone you dislike. A personal feeling track from the band, It has a similar feel to Vice Grip in ways with a darker point to it.
Around half way through we get an almost rap style vocal from Winston which comes as a surprise but this album is full of those, however there is no denying the breakdown in the track will have crowds jumping after the line "Snap your neck to this!" hits you dead in the face.
It closes strong with fast paced energy and Winston dropping the microphone in an end to an emotionally charged track.
8. The Sound Of Violence:
Fast paced and punky from the start, it's the albums stand out track in terms of pure unrelenting head bang material. Lyrics are simple and the chugging guitar will get you breaking your neck from the start to the finish, it sounds like a bit of a filler track but turbo charged and full of pace it will have you sweating by the end. Not much in the way of explaining how it feels or that anything particularly stands out just hard hitting pacey and will leave you KNOWING Parkway are still as heavy as fuck when needed.
9. Vicious
This track opens slow and haunting with echoed guitar, just before its big crashing start a very riff laden track we get a real pumping positive vibe from this song. It is one of the stand out guitar tracks from the album with lyrics nodding again towards the state we are leaving the planet, with a brutal breakdown led by Winston calling for you to "Burn It All To Ashes" I think this would be another good live track. By this point in the album I have a feeling the past two tracks have had a filler type of feel to them, good track but there are better ones on this very diverse album.
10. Dedicated:
"12 YEARS I FOUGHT FOR THIS!" Winston screams to start us off on an obviously personal track. The message although put through Winstons lyrics is a positive one of hard work and determination. One of the heaviest tracks on the album it will have "YOU CANT BREAK ME!" Ringing in your ears for days, the track left me personally feeling very driven focused, I would Find myself listening to this in times of adversity as a bit of a focus. It is powerful and fist pumping throughout with hard hitting drums and heavy guitar riffs. Then comes the beat down which is brutal and heavy as fuck by the time the track ends at a live show your body will be just a little sore I think.
12. A Deathless Song:
Now we come to the final track of the album and personally my favourite track. The song starts with a nice acoustic riff where Jeff and Luke play off of each other beautifully, the drums kick in and a whole Viking feel of guitar playing breaks in the two guitarists really show their strengths in this track. Winstons Vocals start low and deep before the band really break out and show how far they really have come. They sound HUGE on this track as it gets going, all playing to their strengths. It is a heart felt track lyrics wise and even with the use of clean backing vocals behind Winstons unrepentant powerful vocals, you get a true feel that these guys have evolved their sound on what has been a diverse journey throughout this album.
Overall this is the best track in the album in
So there we have it folks, my track by track review of Parkwaydrive's new album IRE.
Overall I would say this is a dynamic and diverse album and the band have tread new waters here in terms of their sound and style. It has huuuuuuuge points and a few lower points but overall I would say it was a very good album as expected of these Aussie Beasts!!! 8/10 For me. Deep Blue remains my favourite album of theirs.
I hope you liked the review.
\,,/ stay rocking people.
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