Parkway Drive returned to Perth on Tuesday night to end their Australian tour in support of their latest album Reverence. Accompanying them on the seven date run were American metalcore giants Killswitch Engage and fellow countrymen Thy Art Is Murder. With a huge state production and sold out shows across the country, this was inevitably going to be a big night as we saw at HBF Stadium.
Tonight was the final stop on the Parkway Drive tour with counterparts Thy Art Is Murder and US Metalcore legends Killswitch Engage. From the outset to paint a small snap shot for you, the line to get into HBF Stadium was gigantic but not really a massive surprise given the calibre of tonight’s bill!
Now first to take to the stage was Thy Art Is Murder and yet again they prove why they reign supreme in my humble opinion. Razor sharp guitars, Thor like drums and vocalist CJ McMahon seemed to be reveling in the party atmosphere that was already developing. Stand out tracks included “Slaves Beyond Death”, “Holy War” and “Reign Of Darkness” with the only draw back that I would say would be the mix front house was an abomination, so muddy and distorted that it was difficult to discern each element.
Next up Killswitch Engage. Now right off the bat these Massachusetts metalcore veterans recieved a roar from the Perth crowd that could trigger land slides and earthquakes, no word of a lie! I could sit and write page after page on how brilliant this set was but the bottom line was it was an absolute master class in how a top flight band performs period from start to finish.
Blistering stand outs included classics like “Rose of Sharyn”, “My Last Serenade” and personal favorite “Always” plus vocalist Jesse Leach even taking square aim at US President Donald Trump” with a scathing mention of “Hate By Design”. The crowd at this point were at fever pitch and from my vantage point it looked like a massive bee hive of activity with arms and legs and head going in every direction, believe me in all my life I’ve NEVER seen anything like it!
Now for the main event – Parkway Drive. These guys have come a country mile, from Byron Bay new starts to Worldwide Stadium killers and tonight’s set was no exception. Frontman Winston McCall was the ring leader, master of ceremonies and everything in between and hands down knew exactly how to take control and captivate a crowd.
Now if I were to go into the pyrotechnics, lighting and overall production quality then I would be here for the next six months. Let’s put it in the simplest terms, my mind was blown! From fireworks to flame throwing jets, they even had some violinists join them on stage – this set had the works and from what I could see everyone looked like the bloody Cheshire cat with circle pits being the order of the night.
The tracks “Wishing Wells” and “Prey” were terrifying in sinister delivery all the while the band were having an absolute blast other while other stand outs included “Shadow Boxing”, “Karma” and set closer “Bottom Feeder”, complete with rotating drum kit and enough flames on stage to give Jason Voorhees a run for his money in hell!
If you missed tonight’s show then more fool you! My ears are still ringing but it was totally worth it, you will battle to find a better line up anywhere and tonight’s almost capacity crowd and sheer energy was the real proof in the pudding. EXTRAORDINARY!
PHOTO GALLERY
Photos by Jessica Vaini at JV Photo Film
