Release Date: 2009
The DVD from Parkway Drive is a documentary detailing the Australian metalcore band's rise to fame. Along with the documentary comes a professional recording of the band's entire performance at The Roundhouse in Sydney, Australia on the Sweat Fest Tour 2008.
The DVD
Reviewed by:
jetfuel495, on december 25, 2009 15 of 20 people found this review helpful
Sound: The DVD from Parkway Drive is a documentary detailing the Australian metalcore band's rise to fame. Along with the documentary comes a professional recording of the band's entire performance at The Roundhouse in Sydney, Australia on the Sweat Fest Tour 2008.
The sound quality is pretty good, everything is very well balanced and audible. Winston's vocals sound pretty different live, though. Whereas on record they're very dry and hollow (which is great in my opinion), his vocals are very throaty and thick on the DVD, almost gurgly.
The playing during the live set has it's ups and downs, though. In the beginning of the set, Winston's vocals sound great, but the rest of the band seems to have a bit of trouble keeping time with each other (which is painfully obvious during some of the early breakdowns).
As the set goes on, however everything seems to reach a state of equilibrium. The vocals keep going strong, and the band is in the groove and running like a well oiled machine. Timing improves greatly. Winston's voice does begin to falter towards the end of the setlist, but with his vocal style, that is expected. // 8
Content: This is the kind of DVD that you watch and think, "I wish my life was this awesome". Even before the documentary focuses on music, you're jealous. The band members all grew up together in Byron Bay, Australia, which by the looks of it, is it's own kind of paradise. Countless shenanigans (some of which we've all done in our lives, and some of which we've all wanted to do) have been caught on film.
Foolish acts of questionable intelligence aside, this DVD covers everything. And I mean everything. From humble beginnings playing in tiny venues to headlining huge festivals, it seems like the guys in Parkway Drive always had a video camera running.
It really is inspiring to see some of the things the band had to go through in order to get where they are today. Some people dismiss metalcore as a talentless trend where labels scramble to sign any band they can in order to bring in a profit.
Well, if that is your opinion, try watching this DVD. I can't guarantee a complete perspective change, but what I can say is that after watching this DVD, you'll have a bit more respect for one of the genre's most popular acts. I won't go into too much detail, but imagine this: You're touring across a continent with hardly any fans and hardly any cash, and you have nowhere to stay because you have no money. You don't even have proper gigs arranged so you have no idea where you're supposed to be going. You're literally sleeping on the ground every night, in abandoned fields, on beaches, wherever. Your vocalist gets sick, your bassist leaves the band, and you're stuck. Tensions rise, and everyone is sick, tired, and hungry. What do you do?
Most of us would call it quits and return home in the face of such odds, but not Parkway Drive. It's their spirit and dedication that makes this DVD so worth watching. When they didn't have proper gigs to play, they had to fill in on bills where the opening act had dropped. When their vocalist got sick, their merch guy (who was horrible, by the way) filled in. And when their bassist left the band, and returned home to Australia leaving the rest of the guys stranded in Europe, the boys in PWD flew out their only other friend, who they weren't even sure could play bass, and continued playing shows.
Eventually, as The DVD shows, their hard work pays off. Adam D. of Killswitch Engage eventually catches wind of Parkway Drive and decides to produce their debut album, and Parkway Drive eventually catapults into international fame. The rest, as they say, is history. Well documented history which is great material for a DVD, of course.
The actual live show on The DVD is stunning as well. Parkway Drive command the crowd with such power it's amazing. The fan's dedication lasts throughout the entire show as well, as the crowd never stops moving, moshing, dancing, or headbanging. The great thing about this DVD is that it places a lot of emphasis on the crowd responding to the band, which is something that the lack of which can really bring down other DVDs (such as Between the Buried and Me's COLORS_LIVE DVD).
The tracklist is as follows:
01. Boneyards
02. Gimme a D
03. Idols And Anchors
04. Carrion
05. Guns For Show, Knives For A Pro
06. The Siren's Song
07. Mutiny
08. Feed Them To The Pigs
09. Dead Man's Chest
10. Smoke 'Em If You’ve Got 'Em
11. Romance Is Dead
Pretty balanced setlist, although I personally think the inclusion of Dead Man's Chest is redundant if Mutiny is already on there. Those are the only two songs in their catalogue that don't sound like the rest of their songs, but somehow they sound completely identical. Anasasis (Xenophinitis) would have been a better choice in my opinion.
There are some extra features like bonus interviews and whatnot, but you'll have to get The DVD yourself to find out. // 10
Production Quality: The production is clean and very well done, sound quality is great, videos are well edited, etc. Not much to say here. It's very well put together.
One thing that I thought was very interesting, though, was the inclusion of the helmet cam during the live set. This guy was crazy, but he was essential in capturing the audience up close. He was crowd surfing, moshing, stage diving, whatever. Breakdowns were his specialty. During Boneyards he did somewhat of a stage dive, although it was more of a "run off of the stage and step on everyone's heads", similar to what the frontman for The Number 12 Looks Like You used to do. His crown achievement, however, was during the encore. In one of the breakdowns to Romance is Dead, he is shown standing atop a huge stack of what appears to be speakers. And I mean huge. This guy must be at least 20-30 feet in the air. And what does he do? He flips. Into the crowd. It's cool seeing that from the helmet cam's perspective. // 9
Impression: Overall, this is a great DVD. In order to accurately sum this up, I'd have to say it's a cross between This Is Who We Are from As I Lay Dying and Majesty from The Black Dahlia Murder. It takes the best qualities out of each of those DVDs (great direction and lots of laughs) and combines them into one memorable package.
No matter how impressive some things on this documentary are, I don't think it's as impressive as seeing Michael Crafter (from I Killed the Prom Queen) saying something nice for once. That blew me away. If Crafter approves of something, that's a sign. More specifically, it's a sign that you need to do yourself a favor and watch this DVD. Even if you aren't a fan of the band, I guarantee that the documentary will keep you entertained. // 9
The DVD
Reviewed by:
Perpetual Burn, on december 25, 2009 2 of 14 people found this review helpful
Sound: Parkway Drive are at the forefront of Australian hardcore. Their harmonized guitars, pummeling drums, and in your face breakdowns are captured beautifully by Adam Dutkiewicz in the studio. The DVD has finally been released in 2009 after years of relentless touring in almost every place humanly possible. It has already reached gold status in Australia which is no surprise as the band is hardworking to say the least. From Beijing to Brisbane, there is no venue that Parkway will refuse to play. The sound on the DVD varies from the lull of the beaches at Byron Bay, narrative from the band members, and studio/live versions of the band's songs. // 9
Content: This DVD takes the viewers from Parkway Drive in their hardcore garage hey day to Parkway Drive in all their glory. From band member changes to descriptions of life on the road, the reality of touring is exposed with open honesty. There are fun days surfing in California and rough days with no gigs in Germany. These boys truly love the outdoors. It was delightful to see them in pastiche scenes playing all over the world. Watching Jia drop the pick live was unexpected and hilarious. When the audience replies with a unified "CARRION" after the intro of the title song, all of Parkway Drive's efforts are summed up in one perfect moment of truth. // 9
Production Quality: The production quality is a step up from most band DVD's. A notch above the I Killed The Prom Queen DVD for sure in terms of quality. Guys with video cameras attached to their heads leaping into mosh pits. That's state of the art. That's f--king technology right there. // 8
Impression: This DVD is a must see for any Parkway fan. It's hard to tell viewers what was the most impressive moment. You can your worries and triumphs in the band themselves because they are extremely down to earth, modest, and honest people. This is a band that won't sacrifice great friends for strangers that are more musically adept. Having seen them live I know they deliver musically with terrific chemistry. // 10
I went to school with most of these guys a couple of years ahead of me. I saw them play one of their first gigs at the Byron Youth centre, to about 50 people. They're pretty good live.
And yeah, Byron Bay is kind of a paradise apart from all the tourists.
I'm always open to checking out band DVD's. I love it when the DVD's aren't exactly directed to just the fans of the band you know? A friend of mine who hates Lamb of God LOVES their DVD Walk With Me In Hell. I'm not a fan of Parkway Drive, but this DVD might change my mind; definitely checking this out.
Nirvanarien wrote:
How is that a good thing? Now im not a PD fan or anything, but aren't hollow vocals a bad thing no matter what?(dry isn't that important)
Well, maybe hollow isn't the right word. Dry is, but maybe what I was trying to say was sharp. On record he's sharp, while on DVD he was kinda mushy.
this was well worth the money i payed for it, and they deffinatly did always have a camera with them. it has the very first show they the played which is ****ing amusing lol it was pretty obvious that thay had never played a show before
i watched this dvd atleast 20 times now, and its still awesome.
and inspiring as hell. i went to the adelaide show, where they rocked up late and everything, and they still put on an amazing show. one of my faourite bands for sure.
and the DVD slays promqueens dvd, iktpq's isnt nearly as entertaining and it doesnt keep u completely interested like parkways.. parkways dvd is probebly one of my favourite music dvds iv ever seen, and i own alot.. u dont even have to be a fan of the genre to enjoy this.
On the first review, when "they go out of time", and you gave it an 8? You cant give a band anything over 6 if they "go out of time" more than like twice if that
On the first review, when "they go out of time", and you gave it an 8? You cant give a band anything over 6 if they "go out of time" more than like twice if that
Timing isn't as important if you're giving a kickass performance. Hey, at least they weren't out of time and out of tune like Prom Queen were on their DVD. But hell, Prom Queen still kicked ass.
Amazing documentary! Even if you aren't a metal fan, it is still very much worth watching to see what these guys did and went through. I watched it with my girlfriend (who doesn't particularly care for metal) and she enjoyed it as well. And I am going to have to agree with the first reviewer. I live a pretty good life, with lots of friends and family that I love, but these guy definitely grew up in freaking paradise. It will make you insanely jealous.
Did i read correctly? Did that just say it was better than BTBAM.. FUCK THAT! Parkway are good, but are nothing compared to the genius that is Between the Buried and Me.
Did i read correctly? Did that just say it was better than BTBAM.. FUCK THAT! Parkway are good, but are nothing compared to the genius that is Between the Buried and Me.
Yes, BTBAM are better musically, but their DVD was very lacking in certain areas. Did you even read what I said properly?
Did i read correctly? Did that just say it was better than BTBAM.. FUCK THAT! Parkway are good, but are nothing compared to the genius that is Between the Buried and Me.
Are you ****ing joking. How can you even compare the two bands. BTBAM are barely hardcore or metal.
This DVD is amazing. I'd recommend it to any metalhead or just plain out music fan simply because of the journey it shows. It's very uplifting and really made me wanna bust my ass to start a band and make it in th music industry. PWD rocks!
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