LIVE: PARKWAY DRIVE with KILLSWITCH ENGAGE – Perth, 6 Nov, 2018

LIVE: PARKWAY DRIVE with KILLSWITCH ENGAGE – Perth, 6 Nov, 2018
Parkway Drive with Killswitch Engage and Thy Art Is Murder
Reviewed by Melanie Scrafton
Photography by Damian Crocker

Parkway Drive, the five-piece metalcore band from Byron Bay which formed in 2003, ended their Australian Reverence Tour in Perth on Tuesday, 6th November at HBF Stadium.

The menacing tunes of Australian death metal heavyweights Thy Art Is Murder exploded onto the stage as the venue was filling, Playing a solid set with great visual effects and monstrous sound, guitarist Andy Marsh has pulled a double shift for this tour standing in for Parkway’s Jeff Ling who is on paternity leave.

Killswitch Engage performed an… errrr… engaging set of their classics, banger after banger to the delight of a massive Perth fanbase. They’re a well-polished touring band and the light show stepped up a notch to complement their stage presence. It was, to many, a surprise that they were not the headliners as they are an iconic metalcore band – and at this point it was already a ‘WOW’ show.

After a small intermission came the main attraction. Parkway Drive literally exploded onto the stage and HELLO! What the fuck? Next level stage set up… but is this really Parkway? You know, the nearly local lads, down to earth approachable boys who seem to have suddenly evolved from rebellious teenagers on a hormonal driven growth spurt to adult music professionals.

The light show and sound production is first class, the venue is close to its 4500-person capacity. Singer Winston McColl is automatically connected to everyone in the crowd, his rapport is like that of someone perfectly at home performing to a stadium full of his best mates.

We are reminded that this is the biggest show Parkway have ever performed in Perth as McColl directs a circle pit seconded in size only to the likes of previous Perth Soundwave events, even instructing the crowd to put their phones down and get involved.

They are joined on stage by an all female string quartet for Writing On The Wall and that was the highlight for me, with amazing sound and live arrangement – it totally worked. The band saved the best til last with a hypnotising encore, full on pyrotechnics and a revolving drum riser. Winston repeated that, ‘this is the only the beginning!’

To say Parkway Drive are world class isn’t sensationalist reviewing. They have evolved past expectation with this tour. If you are a fan and you missed it – shame on you, don’t make that mistake again.

Set List

Wishing Wells
Prey
Carrion
Vice Grip
Dedicated
Absolute Power
Cemetery Bloom
The Void
Idols and Anchors
Karma
Writings on the Wall
Shadow Boxing
Wild Eyes

Encore:
Crushed
Bottom Feeder

Category: Live Reviews, Photo Galleries