The Strange History of PARKWAY DRIVE 

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Man, that run of Horizons, Deep Blue, and Atlas was so incredible.

"Killing with a Smile" is still one of my favorite albums. Simply damn good from start to finish.

Getting in the Australian music scene in the late 2000s those parkway drive shirts were inescapable. They worked hard and deserved the success.

Parkway Drive pretty much kicked the door down for Australian Metalcore bands like Amity Affliction, Northlane, Make Them Suffer, Polaris, Void of Vision, In Hearts Wake, Alpha Wolf… the List goes on & there unique from one another

As an Aussie seeing them early at skate parks is one of my best memories.

I'm an Australian from a small city (the capital), Canberra. I got into Parkway through a friend at high school when I was 14. The self titled and Don't Close Your Eyes. Parkway exploded at my school a year later in year 10. Everyone from the music losers like me, the skaters to the popular kids were listening. The hype was unreal. I saw them for the first time at University of Canberra when the members must have been 18 or 19. We saw them in the carpark and said hi, shot the shit about the weather and how boring Canberra is, they were all so friendly and we were starstruck even at that stage. A couple years later in college, Horizons was out and they were blowing up even more. Me and a few mates saw them twice that summer in Canberra and travelled up to Sydney on the same tour. Winston remembered all of us every single show, and came and said hi to us and couldn't believe that we were going to all the shows. We couldn't believe he remembered us every time and how genuinely humble he was in his interactions with a bunch of 16 year old mates who were fanboys of his band. At all of these shows people were crowd surfing on boogie boards, doing head runs and moshing, but everyone was having a good time and looking after one another. I stopped listening to Parkway after their next album, it was never really my style, but I 1000% support their evolution and I still regularly listen to KWAS, Don't Close Your Eyes etc. That run of shows was some of, if not the most, exciting time of interacting with a scene and live music for me. It was such a small, special scene where everyone knew each other and there was so much good energy. This is literally going on 17, 18 years ago now and while it absolutely blows my mind to see how massive they have become, part of me isn't surprised at all because I know how it felt back then.

At the 2007 Vans Warped Tour in Montreal, their mosh pit started before they started playing :)

from my pov, being a surfer in Brazil when they started to make waves here in early 10s: showed surfers can also like metal core, it was such a relief.Thank you based Parkway Drive.

I saw PWD back in 2002, when they were just out of high school (at that youth centre you mentioned). My older brother and I would drive from Brisbane to watch them. When their 'Don't Close Your Eyes' ep dropped, it was awesome. A core part of every Aussie emo/hardcore kid's early 2000s memories haha. Not a fan of their newer direction, but they've got a special place in my heart.

Since your diving into 2000s metalcore bands, I think it would be pretty dope if you did a deep dive like this for Atreyu. I feel like they had quiet the journey from visions and suicide notes and butterflykisses, to the curse and a Death-Grip on yesterday, then the roadrunner era with lead sails and a paper anchor and congregation of the damned, and the to the mid to late 2010s with long live and the departure of alex and the bands new lineup.

I used to loooove this band. Up until after deep blue. But man, killing with a smile and Horizons, amazing albums, some of the best times too

I watch the parkway documentary dvd religiously! I wanted to start a band and tour so bad because of them!

My short version. They were some bros that could really play, had a lot of nasty riffs, and wrote alot of good songs. They weren't reinventing the metalcore wheel but they just came along and did it a little better than most of their peers.

Parkway live makes the band who they are. Those love shows were so incredible, and you're right almost better live than on the album.

Massive fan of Parkway Drive from the beginning. I love every album they’ve put out. And their live shows are absolutely incredible.

I gotta say it: I saw the birth of their "sing-along-riff". It was something that happened here in Brazil during the Deep Blue tour, in 2011. They started Idols & Anchors and everyone sang the guitar riff and they were floored! They looked at each other and pointed to us in total awe! As if they were seeing that for the first time (and most certainly were). They kept asking us to do it on the other songs after that one throughout the show. And after that, they included a guitar riff with a sing-along choir in one of their songs on the next album, Atlas.

This band deserves every success that has come their way. They truly built the Parkway machine from the ground up, like you said. I remember going to parties, skate parks, and hardcore shows in the early 2000s in Brisbane (a city a few hours North of their hometown Byron Bay). Every kid had a Parkway shirt, and everyone felt so proud of this band; as we all went along for their wild ride.

I saw Parkway Drive years ago at Warped and it was easily one of the biggest crowds I’d ever been in for metal show. Most energy, biggest pits, and the performance was incredible. All their shirts were sold out before their set was even over. That shit stuck with me

Hell yeah. IKTPQ reference, and the EP and debut album are MetalCore gems

PWD will forever hold a place in my heart. Being an Australian and growing up around the time of getting big was incredible. Seeing them live plenty of times and never disappoint.

Waiting for Finn to release a shirt saying "What is your lasting impact" lol

I'll never forget seeing Parkway (2005ish) at this tiny, old firehall that was converted into a venue. Used to be where all the local bands would play for like 50 people with a 200 person max. At the time Dr. Acula, The Devil Wears Prada and Attila were the biggest names that were booked there. It sold out as soon as it hit myspace haha That show was so fucking awesome!

I grew up in Byron with a couple of the PWD boys and pretty sure I'm in that grainy mosh footage somewhere. A few things I'd add about the early days. Growing up in Byron we were very aware from a young age of the natural paradise we lived in and the idyllic lifestyle we were afforded spending every spare moment at the beach, skating/bmx or playing sports like soccer, etc. But as you got older and saw the negative social undercurrents of drug use, poverty, small town drama etc the youth had a palpable undercurrent of emotion that was basically "shit's fucked ey". Parkway's early music and live show energy really tapped into this and overnight there were like a dozen local copycat bands forming that Byron (northern rivers) hardcore scene. They were so popular locally that people who otherwise didn't like metal at all or had a personal dislike for a band member would still regularly attend shows as the Parkway gig was the place to be on a weekend. The scene quickly spread up/down the coast, Parkway were always supportive of their fans and gave chances to basically anyone as a opening act. The broader scene that came from that definitely helped bands like Amity Affliction that came soon after. The garbage celebrity and influencer culture of Byron today didn't really happen overnight though, the town had been growing slowly as a tourist spot for a long time but really picked up pace with international tourists/investment after Paul Hogan (crocodile dundee) gave the town a shout out (I think in the 80s) and it has basically snowballed ever since.

love that you always try to summarise these kind of videos with a positive message, thank you Finn it means more than you may think, at least to me! have a nice weekend and take good care of yourself!

I'm 27 and from Argentina. Parkway Drive is one of the 3 bands that really i enjoyed to listen all day and got me through tough times. They are the only band that i still listen to this day from that hardcore scene

Seen them at Graspop, Belgium last year and they were one of the headliners. Didn't really care for them but still went to see that performance and they absolutely BLEW me away with the show. Great great band.

I’ve seen Parkway live a couple of times. My favourite show was in Hamburg, Germany back in 2015. They were playing in a tiny club and I was lucky enough to have purchased a few tickets for me and my friends. One of the best experiences of my life! The energy was insane and during the final song me and some people from the crowd climbed on the stage. Needless to say there was no front stage security. It was my favourite band at the time and being so close to them was amazing. I’m not a big fan of their new stuff but they’ll forever hold a special place in my heart. Their music and passion has given me a lot and still continues to do so.

I love this band so much. I remember back in 2012, a friend introduced me to Escape The Fate and Falling In Reverse, and I thought they were okay but not really for me. So I kinda looked around more on the channel they were on, which was Epitaph Records, and discovered Dark Days and instantly fell in love with them. And from there I fell down the rabbit hole of their documentaries and other stuff including the stuff with I Killed The Prom Queen, who had a show at my local venue around that time, which was my first concert. I definitely wouldn't have furthered my journey in becoming metalcore/hardcore/deathcore fan without them.

I saw Parkway drive during their peak years, in 2011, at the HoB in Hollywood. Along with Chelsea Grin, I Declare War, Veil of Maya, Whitechapel, The Acacia Strain, Set Your Goals, The Ghost Inside, and The Warriors. Absolute crushing line-up. Left with a bloodied shirt due to someone breaking their nose in the pit. One the best shows I've ever attended.

8:07 yess, 100% this! Seen them live 8 times and they always sounded fkn incredible - plus the atmosphere in the crowd during their sets is unmatched! Cheers finn, keep up the good work ❤

I saw them live right after they released “deep blue” and that was still the craziest show I have ever been to. The entire floor was a pit at one point. Fucking bananas.

A good summary of their career so far Finn. Thanks! I think one big contributor to their success has been Winston’s stage manner and excellence as a front man - always humble, always polite, always genuine. So different to other metalcore bands who just call for a circle pit and call everyone motherf*ckers. Another factor is imo their nice guy / role model status; a clean healthy active lifestyle, no drugs, no scandals, no drinking, they are dudes to look up to. I also think their honest lyrical content is a big factor, and has often had a self improvement message behind it; Dead man’s chest inspired me to stop smoking, Atlas inspired me to be passionate about the planet and climate change prevention. I met them waaay back in the day on a horizons era tour called Surf Rat Tour in Australia. They came into the dive shop I worked in at the time and were just funny dudes, the drummer even put me on the door of the sold out show that night at the PCYC on the coast. Nothing but love for PWD!

I’ve really been struggling with my career over the last few years, and even worse the last few months. The last bit of this video helped me more than you know

I Killed The Prom Queen were a bigger band until they hit difficulties in 2007.

Awesome video! I've been waiting for you to do a deep dive on them. Wild Eyes is one of my favorite songs! Thanks papa Finn! 👍

Really enjoying these videos of the histories of bands. Quick and to the point and not drawn out like other similar videos

Just got one day tickets to a festival to see them this summer for the first time, don’t know where I’d be without this band. Winston, Luke, Jeff, Ben, and Gia are so talented. Love them.

They toured Australia every 6 months! they were constantly coming to your city and bringing great acts with them.

They were killing it in the 2000s. Enjoy them.

Been listening to these guys since their very first album. Their music catalog is like a progression, in which you can explore them maturing as people. You can’t expect a person to stay the same their whole life, and that goes along with the things they do in their lives. In this case, it’s music. And while everyone has his or her own music taste, and is in their right to either like or not like a certain album, I personally adore every single one of them. The growth, the maturity, the evolving, and yet not completely ditching their roots is just magnificent. One of my favorite band of all time, f‘ing love these guys. A nice video, as per usual, sir.

Very well said with that statement towards the end of the vid. ✊🏻 very inspiring and real stuff. We gotta take risks in our lives to get to where we want to be. And when the self-doubt kicks in over let’s say how my audition may go after finally applying for that music college I wanted to attend; I just gotta keep putting in the work and remind myself that if Parkway drive can make it so can I.

Dude, nice vid! There is another australian metalcore band called "feed her to the sharks" that holds a very special place in my heart. They made banger music, quite close to parkway drive, but leaned more into electronic elements am heaviness. Sadly disbanded quite some time ago due to band drama. On another note, did your hear about the band "Breakdown of Sanity"? They reached insane levels of music and popularity, still being totally selfmade and never signing deals, scoring a place at Wacken 2015. Their music is the most complex and yet accessible somewhere between deathcore and metalcore. Officially they disbanded because it was a hobby project and the members didn't have time, but ever so often they still drop tracks. I would love a video about them!

Looking at how happy Winston looks playing the "singalong" parts live, makes me think they may have enjoyed playing things the fans would chant along to - imagine that energy in front of tens of thousands

Mid-roll ad through the sponsored section. ☠️ 💰

Great take on these guys! They're a fantastic band and I can't wait to see what they come up with next! I remember covid cancelling their tour then 2 years later they canceled their own tour but for good reason. One of my buddies was pissed and hates them for that. But obviously they needed a break. Hope to see them soon!

I saw them in one of my college town bars in Springfield MO in 2007 alongside Horse the Band and Parkway Drive absolutely blew me away live. A fan for life was born!

Finn, I know you're a Seattleite/WA resident as I am, so you can appreciate this... many years ago, right in the midst of the Horizons rollout, I somehow got the chance to see Parkway at CHOP SUEY of all places, right up against that tiny little stage in the front row. If I'm not mistaken, it was their first US tour, and I had been dying to see them for years before that night. Let's just say... it did not disappoint in the least bit. Spent most of the evening having Winston jam the mic in my face to scream their lyrics. Big scene moment there.

I get goose bumps everytime I hear horizons parkway was my teen years seen them in small pubs and massive festivals I love parkway

Amazing Piece. -- personal Note -- This Band (PWD) helped me through one of my literally hardest times dude. This Round Up does it MORE than Justice. ~~~~ Great Video Keep Up the Tide

Nice video. I'm in the always-a-fan category. The last two albums have their place in their overall discography. I'm happy they stuck it out and hopeful they'll have more to put out.

Deep blue is one of the very few records in heavy music that I believe is a flawless 10/10

I remember meeting the vocalist Winston at Warped Tour in Detroit back in 2012 or so. He was such a great guy! I remember noticing he was wearing a Trapped Under Ice shirt and we talked about hardcore and life in general for about 10 minutes. Awesome to see some small town guys from the hardcore scene go on to be really successful. Great video Finn!

I don't listen to heavy music often so I don't tend to look up names. When you introduced the band I was like the name is familiar but i don't remember it. then you played the first song and I went. I remember that. and then proceed to know every song in the video. Turns out Ive seen this them live and I didn't even know there name. They are truly great musicians.

Parkway will always have a part of my heart, growing up and currently living in a town about 4 hours away from where they were from somehow makes me feel cool 🤣 wish I grew up in Byron too! Such an awesome band I haven’t listened to in a while but you’ve made me want to listen again!

I got introduced to parkway drive from a paintball video, with carrion. I then couldn't put down any of their music for years. I still love and listen to them and get my kids to rage with me to them.

Dude i've been a fan for a long time. I look forward to every video essay and love that i learn so much every time. I'd love to see you do a video about Bullet for my Valentine. I think they were one the most influential as well as one of the most hated metalcore bands

Thank you for doing" the strange history of parkway drive". Ive been waiting for this one 🔥🤘🔥

saw them on the reverence tour in Amsterdam with killswitch and thy art is murder. it was awesome!

PWD will always be one of my fav bands. From that demo that I watched that had "smoke em if you got em" to seeing them live at the Webster in Hartford CT and talking to Winston...Just solid dudes with a passion and un stoppable desire. Hard to beat.

Killing with a smile is the best metalcore album ever, i grew up on it in 2005 and 2006 so it's hard for me to get into newer metalcore bands since then as i listened to it so much at the time. I saw PWD about 10 times in Sydney at the time too! I was the only metalhead there headbanging sometimes too.

I think the reason people fell in love with parkway is because they were more stylistically hardcore than the metalcore bands at the time, not necessarily because of the documentaries that came later after they got big. Put their early stuff next to darkest hour or as I lay dying that was coming out at the time and it’s clear they were able to draw from both the metalcore kids and the hardcore kids better. The docos and exposure to the band members personalities were awesome, but that all definitely came later after they had already blown up.

Started listening to them at Killing With A Smile and loved Horizons, but Deep Blue is one of those albums that spoke to my soul. I was in my early 20s when it released, and its themes of finding your principles, being yourself, staying strong in the face of opposition, all to be a better person, was just what I needed at that point in life. It was nice to know that dudes my age were thinking about the same shit I was in an ever-increasing chaotic and immoral world.

Damn Finn you NAILED this video. You hit every talking point. The early years, the Documentaries that blew up, the therapy and the later controversial albums. PWD was at one point my favorite band of all time. I would bleed PWD. I stan’d for them so hard during KWAS, Horizons, Deep Blue and Atlas. Then the new stuff came out and I knew what was going to happen. Shout out to the song “Wishing wells” that song is fantastic but everything else they did on Ire and after was embarrassing. I don’t usually say bands “sell out” but PWD is different. Winston openly said he has “out grown metalcore” and for a while they stopped playing anything older than Wild eyes at their shows. I saw them in 2019 and they only played Ire, Reverance and a couple songs form Atlas. But this is what kills me…If PWD would have started playing Arena-Chantcore in their garage in Byron Bay they would have never left Australia. They made heavy music and the devoted heavy music fans paid for their ticket to the big time and then Winston single handedly turned his back on the fans that got him world famous. Not playing your old songs live is very selfish.

I found them relatively late, like 2008 IIRC, and I was already a bit older than the crowd, but have seen them 4 or 5 times now and will forever be a massive fan. Hoping to get tickets to the September show in Brisbane

I'll never forget the first time I saw them on their first headlining US tour. SOMA in San Diego. They absolutely fucking crushed the performance and Winston had the biggest smile on his face in between each song. God that era of Parkway is just so incredible. Happy for them and where they are now. I don't dig the direction they went, but I will always respect the shit out of them.

Yes, also the song Boundaries dropped last night has made me feel things I don’t understand.

Dont know how long ive been waiting for this vídeo. Love their early stuff, not much the new. But thats me and anyone can like anything they want.

I really got into them after hearing vice grip on some compilation cd. I can see now that I've heard a ton of their music how they could be perceived, maybe not as selling out, but of changing their sound and why fans might be upset, but I love the recent stuff more tbh. I'm learning to appreciate the og sound too but I've never been a fan of the wall to wall no structure madness of a lot of hardcore bands (slaughter to prevail are crazy talented but I cant get into them for the same reason). It's like riding a roller coaster that's just the drop, no tension and release, just tension.

Saw them at resurrection fest last year and it was easily one of the best live shows I’ve ever seen. Great sound, massive production, everyone was having a lot of fun and you can really feel how much they love what they do. Never been a huge fun of theirs but they deserve all they are achieving

First time I ever heard PWD was on rage(an aussie music tv show, that just featured music videos, and also some band guests stuff), and it was Wild Eyes, I was probably like 8 or 9 and I absolutely fell in love with that song and would watch it on repeat over and over again (The episode was recorded on our tv box), but I didnt have internet at the time and I was still a kid so I never stuck with any band and eventually I forgot about them, still remembering the cool ass song but forgetting the name of the band and song, fast forward a few years to when I was like 13, I was starting to get into metal, but still wasnt fully into the full on growls at that point (I was listening to Disturbed, etc.) but my mum reintroduced me to PWD with their new album Ire, (she wasnt into metal, but she could see I was, and thought I might like em) and that was THE entry point for me into hardcore and metalcore, Ire was the perfect gateway for me into more heavier stuff and eventually Parkway became my favourite band of all time, with me enjoying songs from literally every album, as time has gone on, Ive drifted into the heavy stuff more and more and as such I dont like their new stuff as much anymore, Reverence was the last album I properly listened to and even though I still really enjoyed it, I could see I was drifting away from their new style, and as such I havent listened to their new album as I feel like their new music just isnt for me anymore, yet that doesnt stop me from going back to all their songs consistently, because their old stuff is just so good, Ive seen them live twice now, once on their Decade of Horizons tour and once on their Reverence tour, and their live energy is all they live up to and more, ultimately I dont think a band has impacted me as much as Parkway has and I absolutely love em for it, and even though I, and seemingly many other people have drifted away from their new style, that wont ever change the impact theyve had and will continue to have, because as much as hardcore fans dislike their new stuff, the amount of new fans its bringing in to see their old stuff is undeniable, I am proof of that, without Ire, I likely wouldnt have returned to their music as most of their older stuff was just a bit too heavy for me at that time, but Ire, and their new style is the perfect gateway for new metalheads to get into

I never got into Parkway Drive. Now I understand a bit better, why so many people are into them. Maybe now I will listen into their older stuff. Thanks for the video!

Whoaa, an excellent and thorough history of the band ! Killing with a smile and Don't close your eyes were definitely a huge part of my healing journey back in 2008 ... so potent and rough. Darker Still I believe is a masterpiece, especially with the added healing the band underwent. Saw them opening for Lamb of God in Santiago, Chile, last year, can't wait to see a full show of theirs soon !

Been waiting for this video for a while. Not a fan of their melodic albums, but KWAS, horizons, deep blue, and atlas are masterpieces

I've seen them quite a few times in Toronto. Every time they're the same sincere, hard working, entertaining guys they always have been and the crowds get bigger and bigger

The first Idols and Anchors singalong happened in Bristol UK 2010, Winston couldn't believe it. Amazing memories !!

I'm from Adelaide and was a big IKTPQ fan. Bought that split EP when it came out. According to Discogs it is now the most valuable record I own 😂 Another great video Finn. Cheers!

Both trivium and parkway drive got me into metal to begin with, they’re my all time favorite bands. Thanks for covering pwd bro

Great band. Good vid. They are good dudes. Used to see them here in Melb playing small club shows. Love that they are huge.

I remember seeing a video a few years ago and Finn mentioned how he "didn't get it" with how popular Parkway Drive. I'm glad he took an objective stance (per usual) and dug deep. Its been a while but I recall Horizons back in college and loved it. Thanks for the vid Finn

man I feel old thinking about the fact that I've been seeing these guys live for 20 years. Some of my favourite memories from my youth were spent watching these guys play with prom queen, carpathian and shotpointblank. Great video Finn

They're so loved because they're genuine, their DVDs are definitely a big part of that, the other part being still loyal to resist records on a handshake deal after all these years and success, that's huge and their live shows, always give their all and then some like at the first Australian Knotfest, Winston blew his voice out, after a quick band discussion on stage, they continued the set and crushed it! Think you should do a deep dive into The Amity Affliction another beloved small town Aussie band

I saw Parkway on my 18th birthday, 13 years ago at a local club. Still one of the best concert's I've seen. They hadn't booked a hotel at my town, even though by that point they were quite successful and they crashed at a friend of mine's.

Saw them this summer !! It was great .. they played behind Motionless in White which I think was confusing as most people were there to see them.. anyway.. do a video on Coheed and Cambria next please!

they are amazing been a fan since deep blue era but I love all the old and new stuff when darker still as a musician I understood what they did and its amazing. I'm so sad I was not in a good place and missed a show in my town will have to see them b4 I die

Thanks for this, super interesting

Pwd shows here in Australia back in 08-2013 were something else, it brought every metal fan and made so many friends at their shows. Such a good time.

Seen them twice in the states. Absolutely wonderfull performance every time.

Love Parkway Drive. I got to see them in the Hurley warehouse in Costa Mesa, CA in 2018 and it was just before they started their European Tour. It was an amazing show with around 100 people! Still might be one of my favorite shows, surpassing seeing Korn in 1999 at the Roxy in LA with about 300 people as their warm-up to Woodstock 99.

Great content as always.

Dude thanks for doing this incredible metalcore band and was just thinking I cant wait for you to do this band

I remember playing a show with those dudes at the soundvent in thomasville, nc back in the day... solid, solid dudes.

Parkway is one of those bands that i forever will have so much respect for and they deserve every bit of success that they have gotten! Saw them the first time together with like 50 other people in a small basement venue in Örebro - Sweden and then fast forward to the last time i saw them they headlined Wacken (2019) to a infield that were filled to the brim with 75 000 metalheads! Sure the music has swinged a little bit further away from what i personally like (Deep blue was a masterpiece) but they still have had atleast 2 songs on each release that i can put on and bang my head to!

My second show ever was a parkway show in Byron Bay, supporting full bleeding through. They are legitimately some of the cheapest people I’ve ever met. I still love killing with a smile and a few other ones. There first release and the prom queen, release, still slap IMO

Their last album helped me through last year tremendously. "The Greatest Fear" is one of if not my fave song period. The riffs, vocals, melody, music video the whole thing is very deep if you pay attention to it. Hats off to these lads for sure.

Youre totally right bout that Fandom coming from their Documentarys...me and my boys had been hanging around almost every weekend,watching "home is for the heartless" dvd...some of us even startet surfing because of them!! ❤ PWD! Greetings from Germany!

Grew up in Coffs Harbour and was highschool during their rise. They became the hero's for a lot youth crew hardcore, deathcore and metalcore alongside the Red Shore and I Killed the Prom Queen. Back when AA community hall shows conquered the coast

F'n LOVE Parkway Drive!! 🤘something about this band has always scratched that itch for me. I love their early sound but I respect them and salute them for stepping out of their comfort zone and taking risks - it clearly paid off!!

That's a pretty badass name. Reminds me of a crossover band I was in named "Business Center Court" -a commentary on late-90s/early-2000s real estate zoning in the United States a la Mike Judge's "Office Space".

There’s always a place in my heart for parkway growing up in Youngstown Ohio jammed these guys everyday and seeing them live at the old peabodys in Cleveland in 2009 great memories