They’ve emerged fast, furious and unafraid. The new look Parkway Drive has taken a dive off the deep end into depths of the unknown releasing their most ambitious album yet.
For many veteran Parkway fans, this new record will prove a divisive experience with its exploration as an album. It knocks down barriers, gives the middle finger to any generic album/genre formula to create the aggressive monster that is IRE.
IRE maintains what has stapled Parkway Drive as Australia’s biggest metal export. While delivered in a different musical direction, their definitive fast paced sound and aggressive and hard hitting lyrics are maintained. Their delivery is what really mixes up the five pieces true and tested formula, with mixtures of hardcore, metal and punk elements invading their more classic sounds.
The introduction of their take on NU Metal can also be found emerging in the form of ‘Crushed’. Proving to be the strongest track on the album (and some of their best work), ‘Crushed’ is in your face and explosive, the leading song to both reiterate this new sound feat while also delivering their classic aggressive lyrical content and vicious riffs.
While glimpses of their breakdown heavy, riff centric Parkway still exist within the album, IRE sees frontman Winston McCall’s vocals dominate the record in all his furious glory. The emergence of this brave new Parkway Drive became obvious with the music video release of ‘Vice Grip’. The team plummeting out of an aeroplane perfect emodies this departure from their tried and true sound and taking a plunge into something new.
‘Vice Grip’ introduces the massive sing a long aspect to IRE, though these stadium rock anthems don’t really add much to the album. Tracks ‘Fractures’ and ‘Vicious’ also follow this formula of being dominated by a catchy chorus backed by basic power chords, and do not properly exhibit their true technical and aggressive talent. While good on a live stage to get a crowd involved, these songs prove more generic and forgettable parts of the album and give rise to other songs. ‘A Deathless Song’ is better example of Parkway’s success delivering an anthem, with lyrics containing actual content (getting rid of the ‘Yeah yeah yeahs’), puncturing riffs and excellent sing alongs.
[include_post id=”458359″]While a complete reinvention of what they have to offer, the band still slide in a few heavy tracks to give the head banging masses something to get excited about. Both ‘Dying to Believe’ and ‘Dedicated’ offer some much needed heaviness to the record. This brings out Parkway’s more classic sound (like found on their 2010 album Deep Blue) and is a welcome triumph to reinforce a record with some colossal breakdowns and much needed ferocity to make up for the shortcomings of other songs.
They’ll make you want to punch the closest wall and flail your body around like a windmill. The musical diversity offered by IRE proves as one of its major strengths as well as weaknesses. At points the diversity makes the album seem a bit random and directionless, however the stronger songs on the album reel the record back on the course that the five piece was trying to achieve.
‘Writings on the Wall’ is the most pioneering song, completely slowing down the tempo of the album, even just for a moment to create a mesmerising, war beat tempoed song. While seemingly slightly out of place on the album, ‘Writings on the Wall’ proves to be a success in creating a deeply immersive (and slightly creepy) mid-point for the album.
For Parkway Drive, IRE is a triumphant in knocking down the genre barricade created from a dedicated fan base and a career extending over ten years, and lets them adventure into new sounds.
They’re proving now more than ever that there’s no brakes on the Parkway Train. The album proves bizarre in traversing into so many genres, and it becomes obvious they’re not wanting to confide to one sound. The transitioning of these differing sounds is haphazard at points, yet is saved by some of Parkway Drive’s most innovative and memorable songs.
IRE provides some truly groundbreaking songs while also being let down by some more generic forgettable ones. The impact that these groundbreaking songs have however truly outweigh the pitfalls of the weaker songs. This album can without a doubt be hailed as success story in creation of a new Parkway Drive and will be the biggest metal album to come out of Australia this year.
IRE is out this Friday the 25th September via Cooking Vinyl, to pre-order visit www.parkwaydriverock.com.
