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Parkway DriveRockhal, Esch sur Alzette, Luxembourg
13th September 2022
Parkway Drive - European 2022 Tour

Finally! After more than two years of waiting, the time finally came on Tuesday. The Australians from PARKWAY DRIVE returned to the Grand Duchy after their last visit in 2019. With them: the new record ‘Darker Still’ which was already released on 9th of September. But even long-time PARKWAY DRIVE fans were able to enjoy some older songs on this rainy Tuesday evening at the Rockhal.

PARKWAY DRIVE is an Australian Heavy Metal band from Byron Bay, New South Wales, formed in 2003. As of 2018, PARKWAY DRIVE has released six full-length albums (‘Killing with a Smile’, ‘Horizons’, ‘Deep Blue’, ‘Atlas’, ‘Ire’, and ‘Reverence’), one EP (‘Don’t Close Your Eyes’), two DVDs, a split album and one book, titled ‘Ten Years of Parkway Drive’. The band’s genre has been described as Metalcore and more recently as Heavy Metal. Their sound employs screaming vocals, guitar riffs and breakdowns. Unlike many other popular modern Metalcore bands, PARKWAY DRIVE did not use clean singing on any of their studio albums until their 2015 studio album ‘Ire’.

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Music & Performance
After a changeover break, during which the security staff handed out water to the first rows, one light after the other goes out with a loud audible clack. The band is now known for their overwhelming stage show which they were unable to perform in the small Atelier last time. So, you were able to see the sparkle in the eyes of the fans immediately as they looked at the huge stage and waited impatiently for the Australians. To an atmospheric intro, several black-cloaked beings with torches first entered the stage before PARKWAY DRIVE appeared - but without their singer Winston McCall. He appeared through a trapdoor-like hatch and with a loud bang and dressed all in white immediately on the stage walkway, which earned the band a big cheer for the first time on Tuesday evening.

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With ‘Glitch’ from the new album ‘Darker Still’ PARKWAY DRIVE started into a show that was beyond any comparison. The fact that three absolute fan favourites, ‘Prey’, ‘Carrion’ and ‘Vice Grip’, were immediately played at the beginning of the set shows what a huge repertoire the band has at its disposal after almost 20 years of band history. Besides the music, the performance of the band on stage was also convincing. While the instrumentalists usually hold back, singer Winston got to let loose on the catwalk-like stage and send the fans into ecstasy. But not only Winston was full of energy, so was the audience: Every second crowd surfers popped out of the crowd and were been carried forward. Inside the venue there were bigger and bigger circles, there was a jumping and a bawling.

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With ‘Darker Still’, the gentlemen allowed the audience a quiet moment to catch their breath again and at the same time they made clear how far they had developed in the meantime. Although it's a good song, it's still new to see the band in such a ballad-like setting. But this peaceful moment did not last long. With ‘Crushed’ and ‘Wild Eyes’, the Australians saved the biggest crowd favourites for the grand finale. In a sea of flames, the quintet celebrated an unbeatable double, which finally ended in never-ending sing-along choruses. These choruses, as well as a very good mood, accompanied the audience all the way outside, where they headed home again.

Setlist
01. Glitch
02. Prey
03. Carrion
04. Vice Grip
05. Dedicated
06. Ground Zero
07. Cemetery Bloom
08. The Void
09. Karma
10. The Greatest Fear
11. Shadow Boxing
12. Darker Still
13. Bottom Feeder
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14. Crushed
15. Wild Eyes

Rating
Music: 8
Performance: 9
Sound: 9
Light: 8
Total: 8.5 / 10

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All Pictures by Elena Arens

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