It’s a Tuesday night at Melbourne’s John Cain Arena and a sea of metalheads are climbing the walls with anticipation ready for a night of pure nostalgia mixed in with a bit of blood, sweat and tears, ready to celebrate the journey that is Parkway Drive’s 20-year-anniversy tour!

With a signature walk out through the crowd, frontman Winston McCall leading the group through the crowd like a boxer walking to the ring on a Vegas championship bout, the lights dimmed, and the crowd roared with pure love and admiration and excitement for what is about to come.

Parkway now set in place, in the middle of the arena and ready to unleash hell on the willing mosh pits below, as the first notes of "Carrion" echoed, it was fucking on and there was no turning back.

The proud Australian and Byron Bay locals doing this mammoth tour and performance absolute justice with their humility and gratitude for their loyal fans, the boys took it back to their straight metalcore roots, the opening was a brutal reminder of why Parkway Drive earned their place as headliners and killers of their genre.

OG fans were immediately taken back to their teenage days, as they were flying through the mosh and circle pits remembering pumping the tracks through their iPod shuffle as Parkway worked through their massive back catalogue of thumpers.

This was not just a throwback show though, as the set progressed, Parkway Drive made a point of embracing the bands newer material, blending the raw aggression of their early metalcore days with the big, bombastic hair-metal influences of their modern sound. Tracks like “Prey” and “The Void” and “Glitch” saw the band fully embracing the grandiose arena rock persona they’ve cultivated in recent years.

The pyro, light shows, and soaring guitar solos had the crowd throwing up devil horns and banging their heads all while a 15-meter, firework shooting, and flame breathing bridge was floating in the air like something from a sci-fi movie. The masterpiece of the metal performance saw each member including the strings section of the wider performing group have their turn on this epic feature, taking the band into the air for thick juicy solos and teasers during the night.

McCall's stage presence was undeniable, with his signature “Winston Circle” during "Idols and Anchors", effortlessly switching between ferocious snarls to more melodic, anthemic vocals.

Guitarists Jeff Ling and Luke Kilpatrick shredded through the set with a mix of precision and flair, pulling off solos that could easily have belonged in the 80s hair metal heyday, while keeping the crushing heaviness that defined their earlier sound.

One moment, fists were flying in the pit to the chaotic rhythms of “Boneyards,” and the next, fans were belting out choruses to the more epic, melodic “Vice Grip” and “Wild Eyes.”

Of course, the boys can’t play everything, even with a goliath effort of a 2 hour set on a school night, so throwing it back to the old school, “Killing it with a Melody” Or “Melody With A smile” saw a 15 minute wild ride of pure metalcore chaos as the band ripped through tracks in a mash up style from the iconic “Killing With A Smile” record form 2005.

Perhaps the greatest part of this unbelievable Australian export in the metal scene is the band's refusal to be defined by a single era. Whether you’re a die-hard fan of their early metalcore days or prefer the arena sound, this show delivered it all—pure aggression and chaos mixed with larger-than-life theatrics, and a real celebration of 20 years of music form a band who loves its fans and they love it!

Melbourne was loud, Parkway Drive was louder, and this anniversary tour was nothing short of legendary.

Destroy All Lines Presents

PARKWAY DRIVE
20 YEAR ANNIVERSARY TOUR

WITH SPECIAL GUESTS
I PREVAIL (USA)
THE GHOST INSIDE (USA) + VOID OF VISION

WEDNESDAY 18 SEPTEMBER - BRISBANE ENTERTAINMENT CENTRE, BRISBANE
FRIDAY 20 SEPTEMBER - BRISBANE ENTERTAINMENT CENTRE, BRISBANE
SATURDAY 21 SEPTEMBER - QUDOS BANK ARENA, SYDNEY FINAL TICKETS
SUNDAY 22 SEPTEMBER - JOHN CAIN ARENA, MELBOURNE
TUESDAY 24 SEPTEMBER - JOHN CAIN ARENA, MELBOURNE
FRIDAY 27 SEPTEMBER - AEC ARENA, ADELAIDE
MONDAY 30 SEPTEMBER - RAC ARENA, PERTH

Tickets from destroyalllines.com

REVIEW: PARKWAY DRIVE - JOHN CAIN ARENA, MELBOURNE