Parkway Drive

Founded at the end of 2002, it didn't take Parkway Driver long to team up with South Australian band I Killed The Prom Queen, to release a split CD by 2003. In the couple of years to follow, there was this low-humming sort of buzz that fluttered around Australia (including my local haunts!), with excited young fans chattering about Parkway Drive as "the next big thing" in Australian music. I must admit, I rolled my eyes...until I heard Parkway Drive for the first time!

By May 2005, the landed in the USA to record their debut album. But that's not it! They didn't just record their album, they had the renowned metal producer - Adam Dutkiewicz (guitarist of Killswitch Engage) - who also produced the likes of Unearth and Underoath. Enter their EP "Don't Close Your Eyes" and that buzz has now turned into an all-out scream! It's no secret by now, Parkway Drive aren't taking any prisoners! This all courtesy of taking support slots for greats like Hatebreed, In Flames, Chimaira, Shadows Fall, As I Lay Dying, Bleeding Through, and Alexisonfire.

The band's official debut album, "Killing with a Smile" (August 2005) has sold more than 30,000 copies in Australia. As any dedicated band would, Parkway Drive toured strongly behind the album, headlining shows and appearing on the Gold Coast leg of the "Big Day Out" festival in January 2006. Epitaph Records finally heard the screaming-buzzing-mayhem and signed the band in June 2006, releasing "Killing With A Smile" in the USA that same year.

Bassist Shaun Cash left the band in late May 2006 on good terms, and the replacement ended up being their long-time friend (and "merch guy") Jia "Pie" O'Connor. Now with their line-up formalized, the band embarked on a whirlwind international tour in the United Kingdom and Europe, and later dates in the United States. In October 2006, they "did Australia proud" when they appeared as the Australian contingent for the "Rockstar Taste of Chaos" tour; playing alongside well-known bands such as Anti-Flag, Underoath, Thursday, Senses Fail, Taking Back Sunday and Saosin. You think that's it? Nope, 2006 ended with Parkway Drive appearing at the Homebake Festival, Sound Fest, Resist Records' tour, Soundwave Festival and Gravity G Festival....then they went back to the UK and Europe!

No rest for the wicked they say. As the only Australian band on the bill, Parkway Drive tagged along on the U.S. Vans Warped Tour 2007. In October 2007, they released their second album "Horizons" which was well-received by critics and fans alike. "Horizons" debuted at number 6 on the ARIA Charts, and soon after the band toured through the USA, Australia and Europe with the likes of Killswitch Engage, Bury Your Dead, Darkest Hour and others.

Early 2008 saw Parkway Drive team up with their friends, and fellow Byron Bay residents, 50 Lions (fronted by Oscar McCall, Winston's brother) and Word Up!, to complete the Surf Rats Tour of east coast Australia. They finished the year by touring Australia nationally on the "Sweatfest" Tour, supported by A Day To Remember, Suicide Silence, The Acacia Strain, and Confession. It was during December 2008 that Parkway Drive filmed a DVD of the show.

The first part of 2009 had Parkway Drive touring in Japan with Shai Hulud and Crystal Lake. They also headed to the USA, where they played at the 2009 Bamboozle Lineup at the Giant's Stadium parking lots.

So far, "Horizons" is Parkway Drive's best selling release, with the album reaching multi-platinum status in Europe.

Okay, so year on year, this band is killing it. A break? Ohhhh no....

At 3:00am AEST on June 25, 2010 Parkway Drive's "Deep Blue" was released onto the Australian iTunes Store. The album reached the 2nd position after only four hours of the album's release (being beaten only by Eminem's "Recovery" album) . Pretty impressive, if you ask me! The album was then released in the USA and Canada 4 days later.

A major achievement, the band was been nominated - and won - an ARIA award for their "Deep Blue" as 'Best Hard Rock/Heavy Metal Album.
In December 2010, Parkway Drive released a cover of Bad Religion's "Do What You Want", on a split 7" with Australian bands 50 Lions, No Apologies and Blkout entitled, "This is Australia". The split was released by No Apologies vocalist Pete 'Bloke' Abordi's Bloke Records. The goal of this split release was for each song to be under 1-minute in length by four prominent Australian hardcore bands.

It's now 2011....and judging by their past....we're going to see a whole lot more Parkway Drive this year!