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Parkway Drive

Horizons

Written by: AP on 24/12/2007 00:19:18

Something must have sneaked beneath my radar listening to Parkway Drive\'s newest outing, \"Horizons\", because even though it\'s been received with enthusiasm and critical acclaim and suggested to have set the benchmark for metal albums to come, I just can\'t understand why. Parkway Drive takes no chances writing music they know will sell with metalcore being so trendy and the end result is a well produced, well executed but impersonal record.

The musicianship of this Australian quintet is remarkable, and \"Horizons\" offers more than just a few opportunities to take advantage of that trait. Unfortunately, the band too often accelerates into a grandiose crescendo only to break it apart at the most inopportune moment with a lengthy breakdown. And that\'s a shame, because the craftsmanship of the two guitarists is a strong asset for Parkway Drive, ranging from the inhumanly fast scales of \"The Siren\'s Song\" to the beautiful solos in \"Breaking Point\" and the simple but effective melodies of \"Feed Them to the Pigs\" and \"Frostbite\". Unfortunately these melodies are of dualistic nature, in that their simplicity makes them seem a bit too contrived and without character. With a little heart and courage, Parkway Drive have the capacity to expand their sound to massive proportions. But in order to do so, they need to abandon the strict mentality that curbs their creativity.

If you\'re a sworn fan of metalcore though, \"Horizons\" offers plenty of hair-raising moments, harmonized guitars and breakdowns that will without a doubt cater to your taste. Adam Dutkiewicz has ensured that the album is packaged into a dense, hard-hitting sound, and Winston McCall delivers the vocal equivalent of freight train to send fans moshing their rooms to shreds. Those men of music who have a hard time accepting the phenomenon that is metalcore as it is will hate \"Horizons\" with a passion, pointing out its lack of personality as a big enough flaw to disregard everything else this album has to offer. And in a way, I don\'t blame those people. It\'s metalcore by the books, but at least it\'s pleasantly well delivered.

Download: The Siren\'s Song, Breaking Point, Frostbite

For the fans of: All That Remains, August Burns Red

Listen: Myspace

Buy: iTunes

Release date 15.10.2007

Burning Heart