Single Slam – The Void by Parkway Drive (Reverence)

Released via Epitaph Records, The Void is the title of the second single from Australian metalcore band, Parkway Drive’s new album. That album is called Reverence and is due to be released on the 4th of May.

Parkway Drive in 2018 are pretty much unchanged since their formation in 2003. Vocalist Winston McCall fronts the band with Luke KilPatrick and Jeff Ling bringing the guitars. Ben Gordon is the drummer and all 4 of those guys are original, founding members. The bass is provided by Jia O’Connor who joined the band in 2006.

The first single released was called Wishing Wells. I went into that track not really being overly bothered about Parkway Drive as a whole and came out damn excited for Reverence. It is a great song and you can read our thoughts on it here. Reverence will be the follow up to 2015’s release, Ire. Ire marked the first time the band had used clean singing on any of their records and Wishing Wells carried that on. It does mark a slight style change for the band but more in terms of maturing I think. The band have evolved and for me as a newer listener, I prefer this version having never got into the previous one.

The Void is different again in style, not just to older pre-Ire albums but also to Wishing Wells. This time round we are treated to an anthemic rock song. The riff is catchy as hell and feels like an 80’s metal throwback sound. I completely get that long time Parkway Drive fans are going to be disappointed but as a single it is a solid rock song. There is a decent solo, a nice energetic pace to the track and vocals that get completely stuck in your head as they demand a sing along.

I don’t rate it quite as highly as I do, Wishing Wells but The Void is certainly a fun track to listen to. There are moments where it sounds a little Trivium like which may be a good or bad thing depending on your feelings about Trivium I guess. At just under 4 minutes long, The Void is over like a little mini whirlwind. It strays far from the heaviness of albums like Horizons but that was 11 years ago and I guess they have changed. Still one single probably doesn’t represent the whole new album.

If you can take the song for what it is, you will probably really enjoy it. The Void is an infectious song, packed with little bits of thrash and 80s metal oozing out of it. It is a fun listen though is far from the most technical song in the world, and strays far from their metalcore roots. I like it and look forward to seeing what else is on offer when Reverence drops.

Check out The Void for yourself with accompanying video on YouTube. It is available now on all the usual streaming services too. You can preorder the album, and some neat packages, from here. Finally, you can grab these singles and more from Parkway Drive at the Amazon links below. Find out more about the band at their website, on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Be sure to give them a like and follow while you are there.

[amazon_link asins=’B07BF6817D,B07B961KJ4,B07B8Y8H28,B07B8XS649,B07BF5TH6B,B00ZB7UWTG,B009B1UY6O,B003N3R9V4,B000VJVGF8,B07BCKXSVB’ template=’UseThisOne’ store=’g0e5b-21′ marketplace=’UK’ link_id=’0e584512-37ee-11e8-8d9b-dfe5a41f8fbb’]