Let’s get something straight – Parkway Drive are no longer the vicious metalcore outfit that Horizons or Deep Blue displayed. Their maturing and growth in sound and size has meant that their records have had to adapt and morph into something new. Luckily this is crafted with attention and skill, thus putting forward a formidable seventh album from one of metalcore’s longest-serving groups. Turn your speakers up to 100, give Darker Still the right attention front-to-back and you’ll be taken on a ride through this album that you’ll be very grateful for.
Opening the album with ‘Ground Zero’ you could be forgiven for thinking you’d heard an unreleased B-side from either of their last two records. Admittedly this may be a weaker start for some listeners, but rest assured that this is simply the relaxed entrance to an album that grows with intensity song-by-song. Following up with ‘Like Napalm’, fiery guitar tones and riff-laden groove are guided by soaring lead guitar work throughout in a song that contains all features of the Parkway Drive of the last few albums. A trio of singles then leads the listener into the middle of the album, with ‘Glitch’ and ‘The Greatest Fear’ suffixed by the near-ballad title track of the album ‘Darker Still’. The pre-released singles are tailed with the sixth track ‘Imperial Heretic’, a song taking the listener back to the days of ‘Ire’ by assembling all of the best elements of that album into a goosebump-inducing track.
Now begins the climb into what can fairly be considered the band’s best material since Atlas. As the 30-minute mark passes, ‘If A God Can Bleed’ offers a very unique aspect to the album as McCall takes centre stage in a track the likes of which have never featured on a Parkway record. The blistering beginning of ‘Soul Bleach’ then piledrives into pole position as it bites hard with stabbing drums and venomous riffs. Spitting acid vocals with the backing of an unrelenting instrumental composition makes this one of the heaviest and most engaging efforts in Darker Still.
Interlude ‘Stranger’ opens forth into ‘Land Of The Lost’ which is one of the standouts of the eleven tracks. Jeff Ling commands the song through his iconic lead parts while the track marches onward into a breakdown that even the most cynical of listener would adore. Fantastic vocal work from Winston McCall cements this as an all-time Parkway classic to fit alongside ‘Idols and Anchors’, ‘Carrion’ and ‘Wild Eyes’. ‘From The Heart of the Darkness’ closes off the seventh dive into the musical minds of the Byron Bay 5-piece and does so in impeccable fashion. Atmospheric, adequately heavy and storytelling through instruments is all encompassed in the bow that ties the album together.
It is inevitable that people will listen to this album and long for the speedy riffs and 2-step groove of the Parkway of years gone by, such is the nature of music and fandom itself. However, when the filter of reminiscence is removed and this album is allowed to stand up for itself alone, it is undeniably a killer piece of work. Parkway Drive conquered underground Aussie hardcore, they were crowned kings of metalcore across most of the world, and now they take their seat in the throne room of stadium metal too.