Parkway Drive
Horizons

For anyone who is a regular listener of certain hybrid sounds, whether it's '90s crossover or '70s progressive rock, it's impossible not to have noticed in the last decade, after the commercial decline of the so-called "Nu Metal," the rise of a genre, which then branched out into various directions, called Metalcore. Combining rocky sounds, breakdowns, choruses, and the slowdowns typical of Hardcore with blazing double bass drums, vertiginous solos, and extreme vocals typical of hard 'n' heavy, seems to be the trend of this decade, and the appearance (and disappearance!) of dozens of bands as standard-bearers of this genre only confirms this fact.

Parkway Drive is one of those bands that's definitely making a difference, and along with the defunct (thankfully...) I Killed The Prom Queen, they are the only Australian artists to have had success overseas, especially in America, thanks to a debut, after the demo EP (the now-forgotten "Don't Close Your Eyes"), that "Killing With A Smile" released now 5 or 6 years ago, which was hailed as a miracle for the extreme attitude this hardcore-origin band demonstrated, whether it's due to the impeccable production of Mr. Metalcore himself, Adam D. (leader of Killswitch Engage and already behind the success of As I Lay Dying, All That Remains, Unearth, Underoath, Norma Jean not to mention his own KSE...), or because of a couple of songs that immediately became generational "anthems," such as "Romance Is Dead" and "Smoke'em if ya got'em".

In 2007, bolstered by the success and surprise effect of this work, they returned to the studio to record its successor, still under the aegis of the producer of the debut, and during the summer of the same year, they released the album "Horizons" under the influential Epitaph Records. Discovering them by pure chance, I realized that, unlike artists like Killswitch Engage and As I Lay Dying, the originality of the group wasn't so much in their approach to the genre, full of references both to Metal (In Flames) and Hardcore (almost obsessive is their pursuit of breakdowns at all costs), but rather in their absolutely uncompromising approach to vocals and their giving importance to melody only at the instrumental level; in short, forget the whiny choruses in Caliban's style because there is no such episode in any song on the album. Speaking specifically about the songs, if you are a fan of these kinds of sounds, practically every track could become a "hit," having all great taste in the construction of structures and also a not entirely banal harmonic approach, with sporadic but inspired key changes and decidedly tasty solos. Among all, the title track "Horizons," perhaps the best song on the album, stands out, and the monolithic "Five Months", which returns to the love themes of the first album without falling into banality ("the hours have become, irritations.. and I find myself reduced to life’s imitation"), also passing through the most famous song on the album, released as the first single, namely the very famous "Boneyards," which collects imitations on YouTube for its inspired and decidedly brutal breakdown.

An album decidedly remarkable from the perspective of sound, with notable artwork and packaging, that immediately shows a maturation, especially from the lyrical point of view; no longer just angry confessions against a presumed female protagonist (who does not remember the infamous "so cry me a fucking river bitch" in the aforementioned "romance is dead"...) but songs that embrace more existential and philosophical themes, if you want to exaggerate. The Void, Abandonment, Death, Doubt, Pain, these are the themes that emerge from the songs, whose titles serve to further strengthen the meanings expressed by the lyrics, which are apocalyptic like in the title track (“embrace our last empty horizon”), desperate and nihilistic like in "idols & anchors" or "feed them to the pigs" ("what will you do when there's nothing left for you to cling to?" or "hope is dead buried by regret"), angry like in "Boneyards" ("these are the sentiments of a cold blooded cynic"), or imbued with morality like in "Breaking Point" ("we will learn to suffer").

In short, an album that definitely stands out from the average of today's productions, and perhaps the group's most successful album so far, while waiting for the next third album. To conclude, we're not talking about a masterpiece but almost: "Horizons" lacks the emotional drive and innovation of albums before it that have, willing or not, made history, like "Alive Or Just Breathing" by Killswitch Engage, but still has the strength to assert itself in the stagnant hardcore/metal scene as one of the pivotal albums for today's generation along with a few others, try attending any Never Say Die! tour these days and you'll notice how many kids are wearing one of their t-shirts: practically anyone who wears tight clothes and has piercings has listened to one of their albums.