Review by Shannon Shumaker
Parkway Drive’s new album, Reverence is nothing short of epic. On their darkest and most experimental release yet, the band faces death and loss head-on, making for a theatrical and crushing listen.
Reverence is the perfect title for this collection of songs, as it is with which that the band faces the subject of death and personal strife. Lyrically, these themes are dealt with honor and respect, but never lose an ounce of anger or fire that vocalist Winston McCall carries in his voice. The lyrical content of the album is easily one of its strongest aspects, and this is established early on in the opening track, “Wishing Wells,” which sets the tone for the songs to follow. That, and it only further cements Parkway’s place in the scene with the hard hitting line, “Nothing’s gonna stop me til’ I’m done.”
The great thing about Reverence is definitely the band’s willingness to try new things without sacrificing the overall theme of the songs. Catchy, memorable moments balance out the darker tones and subject matter without drowning things out with melodic hooks. Instead, there’s a really great balance between the two, which can be heard in songs like “Prey” and “In Blood.” As a result, the album also has a very theatrical quality about it. Songs like “Cemetery Bloom” and “I Hope You Rot” are especially strong in this aspect.
Bringing things to an epic conclusion are the final two songs, “Chronos” and “The Colour Of Leaving.” Serving as a perfect snapshot of the album, these two songs contrast one another perfectly – “Chronos” is carried by larger than life guitar work and aggressive vocals while “The Colour Of Leaving” is the perfect companion piece to “Wishing Wells.” The final track is very intimate, stripping down the band and leaving just McCall’s deep, haunting vocals, and powerful lyrics like, “You never know just what will break you / til’ you’re picking up the pieces.”
Parkway Drive stare death in the face throughout Reverence, and the result is devastating and heartbreaking, but also hopeful. Throughout each trial and every song that the album presents, the band always comes out on top, stronger than ever and ready to keep fighting.
LISTEN TO: “Prey”
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