Parkway Drive

Parkway Drive are an Australian metalcore band formed in 2003 in Byron Bay, New South Wales. Emerging from the mid-2000s Australian hardcore scene, the band built its reputation on breakdown-heavy riffing, twin-guitar melodicism and Winston McCall's guttural vocals, quickly becoming one of the genre's most influential exports. Their debut album, Killing with a Smile, and the follow-up Horizons cemented them as leaders of the New Wave of Australian Metal alongside bands like In Hearts Wake.

Over subsequent albums such as Deep Blue, Atlas and Ire, Parkway Drive progressively widened their sound, folding in anthemic choruses, orchestral flourishes and even Western-tinged arrangements while retaining their heavy foundations. Ire in particular marked a shift toward a more festival-ready, arena-scale sound and reached number one on the Australian charts, a rare feat for a metalcore act. Later records pushed further into melodic and even glam-adjacent territory, drawing both acclaim and debate from longtime fans.

Known for a relentless global touring schedule and elaborate pyrotechnic-laden live shows, Parkway Drive have headlined major festivals worldwide and are frequently cited as one of the defining bands of modern Australian heavy music. Songs like «Wild Eyes», «Crushed» and «Prey» showcase the band's ability to balance brutal breakdowns with soaring, singalong hooks.