Austraila's Parkway Drive has never been at the top of the metalcore heap. They play your standard meat and potatoes metalcore with a pretty good amount of breakdowns and vocals that are all over the place. That being said Parkway Drive music though pretty basic has always been pretty enjoyable. Their latest Deep Blue continues the trend of Parkway Drive being enjoyable to listen to.
Deep Blue is a little bit different than past Parkway Drive releases. Most of the Parkway Drive formula is still in play breakdowns,catchy riffs etc but there are a couple of surprises to keep their style fresh. The biggest surprise is an apperance by Brett Gurewitz guitarist from punk legends Bad Religion on "Home Is For The Heartless", one of the records standout tracks. His style of playing complients Parkway Drive's crushing riffs well and it is a welcome addition to this record. For longtime fans their is still plenty to like here, Parkway Drive didn't stray too far from its roots as demonstrated by tracks such as lead single "Sleepwalker". They still have heavy yet catchy riffs, melodic soloing and the chaotic vocal attack of Winston McCall. The only thing that really weighs this record down is some of the breakdowns feel really forced and don't belong especially on "Unrest". The song only clocks in at around 2:30 and the breakdowns feel like they are just there for the sake of being there.
This record is worth checking out if you are fan of Parkway Drive or metalcore. Though not that original it still gets the job done. Parkway Drive doesn't dissapoint and continues to make solid albums and if they make a few slight changes to their sound I think they could take that next step as a band.
3.5/5 Stars
Standout Tracks
1.Sleepwalker
2.Home Is For The Heartless
3.Deadweight
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