Parkway Drive

Parkway Drive were formed at the beginning of 2003.[3] The band took their name from the street where their home rehearsal space and live venue, 'The Parkway House', was located. The 2009 documentary 'Parkway Drive: The DVD' explains that there was a lack of venues for punk rock and hardcore punk bands to practice and perform and that 'Parkway House' was like 'a little oasis for us and all our friends'.[4] The group played their first show at the Byron Bay Youth Centre where I Killed the Prom Queen vocalist Michael Crafter, visiting from Adelaide, also first saw the group and gained their interest. The I Killed the Prom Queen / Parkway Drive: Split CD was released June 2003 and both groups toured Australia over the rest of the year. After signing with Resist Records, the band released the Don't Close Your Eyes EP in 2004 and opened for Shadows Fall, Chimaira, Hatebreed and Alexisonfire on subsequent Australian tours. Winston McCall commented on the EP in early 2005 that he was surprised that 'for six songs it's done amazing for us...I'm surprised that kids picked it up so well'[5] Following Brett Versteeg's replacement by Shaun Cash, Parkway Drive flew to the United States where they recorded their debut full-length Killing with a Smile with Killswitch Engage guitarist Adam Dutkiewicz in just two weeks. Manager Graham Nixon later noted that 'it was not the "done thing" for an Australian band to head overseas and work with a producer of that sort of calibre'.[4] The album debuted in the Australian Album (ARIA) charts at 39. In 2006 the group toured in Europe, their first time performing overseas, and later returned to North America. In late May 2006, bass player Shaun Cash left the band for personal reasons with full support from the rest of the members. He was replaced by their "merch guy" and long-time friend, Jia "Pie" O'Connor. Parkway Drive signed to American punk label Epitaph in June 2006.

Following their return to Adam Dutkiewicz's studio, Horizons was released on 6 October 2007. The album was generally acclaimed by critics and fans alike; especially Blunt Magazine, 'simply slays from the get go'[6] and awarded it 10/10, and planet-loud.com, which suggested that it would 'set the benchmark for metal albums to come'. It debuted at number 6 on the ARIA Charts.[7]

Parkway Drive performing at 2007's Warped Tour

On 23 March 2010, Parkway Drive entered the studio to begin recording their third album, Deep Blue, with producer Joe Barresi. According to their lead vocalist Winston McCall, this was to be their rawest and heaviest record to date.[8] According to a blog that posted on Myspace on 1 April 2010, they had finished tracking the drums for the album.[9] According to a blog posted on 8 April 2010, Parkway Drive were half finished with rhythm guitars, bass and vocals for the upcoming untitled album. On 17 April 2010, Parkway Drive officially announced that they finished recording the forthcoming album, and added a studio diary video to their Myspace. On 26 April, vocalist Winston McCall revealed in a video-interview two new song-titles: "Home Is for the Heartless" (feat. Brett Gurewitz of Bad Religion) and "Hollow" (feat. Marshall Lichtenwaldt of the Warriors). Winston stated in the interview that the European tour they were on was the last tour until the release of the new album, indicating that the album should be out in stores sometime before the Vans Warped Tour began.[10]

In September, the group was nominated for an ARIA Award for Deep Blue in the newly created Best Hard Rock, Heavy Metal Album category and eventually won. It was the first ARIA Award in the band's history.[11][12]

Parkway Drive received the Australian Independent Record (AIR) Award for 'Best Independent Hard Rock or Punk Album' in 2010 for Deep Blue.[13]

In 2011, Winston McCall was featured in the Warriors' song "Panic", from their album See How You Are. That same year, he was featured in You Me At Six's song "Time Is Money" from their album Sinners Never Sleep.[14] It was announced in early 2011 that Parkway Drive would perform at the Sonisphere Festival in Imola, Italy on 25 June and in Knebworth, UK on 10 July.[15]

Winston McCall in February 2012

In an interview with NME, Winston spoke briefly about an upcoming fourth studio album. Winston is quoted as saying, "We've got ideas for this record that are bigger than anything we've done in the past. We're trying to pencil it in, but we want to get in the studio sooner rather than later."[16] The vocalist also gave an update on the condition of the band's guitarist Luke 'Pig' Kilpatrick. The guitarist has been forced to play with the band from a wheelchair after a surfing accident, but McCall said he was improving and would be up on his feet for the band's next tour. He said: "I think he'll be in a cast for a couple more weeks. His leg had swelled up to the size of a football, but it's come down now. He still can't walk on it yet. It's made for an interesting couple of tours and it'll be weird when he is walking around again."[16]

On 10 April 2012, Parkway Drive released a trailer for their new Blu-ray/DVD entitled Home Is for the Heartless with a set release date for 6 July 2012.[17]

In an interview with Reviewed Music, Winston McCall stated that "Parkway Drive will be entering the studio following their April European/UK tour to begin recording their upcoming fourth album."[18] Parkway Drive announced via Instagram that they will officially begin recording their new album on 20 June in LA.[19]

Parkway Drive performing in 2013

In February 2014, Parkway Drive announced they would be participating in the 2014 Warped Tour on the main stage. On 11 April 2014 they announced on their Instagram that they were working on a new album. On 4 June 2015, Parkway Drive teased a letter for their upcoming fifth studio album; later the same day, the album cover was leaked online in its entirety. The album was called Ire, and a new single entitled "Vice Grip" with a music video was released to the public on 8 June 2015. The release date of Ire was 25 September. On 20 June, "Vice Grip" peaked at number 88 on the Australian singles chart, making it the band's second charting single after "Dark Days", which peaked at number 71 in September 2012.[20][21] "Crushed" from Ire later reached number 96 on 29 August.[22]

On 11 July 2016, the band released a new single "Devil's Calling" for the deluxe edition of Ire.

In May 2017, the band announced that they were working on a new album. Vocalist Winston McCall said the album would be "more aggressive" than its predecessor Ire. The album had been expected to be released sometime in 2018.[23] On 27 February 2018, the band released Wishing Wells, which is the first single from their forthcoming sixth album, whose name not been yet announced. On 13 March 2018, the band announced that their sixth studio album entitled Reverence would be released on 4 May 2018. The second single entitled The Void was released alongside this announcement.[24] A 3rd single entitled Prey was released on 24 April 2018.[25] Following the release of Reverence, the band announced the North American tour with August Burns Red and the Devil Wears Prada beginning on 30 August from San Diego, CA and ending on 23 September in Hollywood, CA.[26]

Reverence was nominated for; the band's third nomination, and won the 2018 ARIA Award for Best Hard Rock/Heavy Metal Album obtaining their second win in the category.[27]

On 6 November 2019, the band announced their new documentary movie Viva the Underdogs will be screened for one night only across the world on 22 January 2020, detailing their 15-year rise to fame from the Byron Bay hardcore days in 2003, through to their UK Festival headline performances in 2019.[28]

On 23 January 2020, the band announced their Viva the Underdogs soundtrack which features live recordings from their Wacken Open Air 2019 headline performance and three rerecorded songs with frontman Winston McCall singing in German.[29]

The Viva the Underdogs tour will be brought to many different countries worldwide, with a number of different bands joining up as support. The European portion will have Venom Prison, Stick to Your Guns and Hatebreed.[30] The Australian portion of the tour will feature Every Time I Die and Hatebreed.[31] The United States portion of the tour will include Hatebreed, Knocked Loose & Fit for a King as support. This United States tour will also be the first time that Parkway Drive will be using their pyrotechnics in the country.[32]