It has been an undeniably hard-earned rise for the metalcore heroes. Since forming in 2002, they’ve released four studio albums, two live DVDs and a host of split albums with acts like I Killed The Prom Queen. They’ve also somehow managed the time to tour far and wide, playing their famously epic and intense live show to sweaty rooms filled with fans both new and old. “We figured out the other day we’ve played in 50 countries, and none of the experiences have been the same,” says McCall. “The weirdest thing is we still haven’t been somewhere where no one has known our music, which is hugely humbling as a visitor. There have been moments where we’ll catch each other’s eyes on stage and know the same thought is running through all our heads: this is our life now, and it’s amazing.”
Performing a sold out show to thousands of people in America is certainly a world away from the group’s beginnings in a basement, on the hometown street that gave them their name. When they’re in Australia, the boys spend most of their time at home, with their family and friends in Byron offering the grounding and comfort that is necessary for a group who spend so much time in transit and switching time zones. “This isn’t going to sound very rock’n’roll, but sometimes it’s just nice to be able to do some washing,” McCall says. “When we come home we get to live normal lives, which we’re so grateful for. All that mundane stuff in daily life actually begins to take on a special sparkle because we spend so much time with our heads down touring.” Is there anything else McCall looks forward to when he gets back to Byron? “I’m actually a pretty big listener of radio whenever I come home. When we’re on the road, I tend to hear the same stuff over and over again, because we’re all sharing and swapping similar things. Radio has a different playlist going on, but I usually struggle to know who any of the bands are because so many acts are emerging all the time. It’s great, because I get to find that new stuff, and at the same time hear stuff from an artist I really admire and have known for a while – like Sarah Blasko. I’m really pumped for the new Blasko album, man. She took a while to grow on me, maybe because she’s creating much more natural sounds than what I’m used to. Once it started to hook me in, though, I was just gone. It just grew like a moth.”
McCall has spent all of October champing at the bit for the release of his new album; Parkway Drive recorded their fourth LP Atlas in Los Angeles with veteran producer Matt Hyde (Slayer, Hatebreed) earlier this year. It’s their most ambitious venture, featuring a whole swathe of new tricks alongside established Parkway tropes. Ben Gordon’s drums have somehow gotten tighter without losing any of their thrust and power, while McCall’s lyrics bleed poetry with a previously unknown prudence. “We decided that we want to refine what we were doing, but also try to bring something new,” McCall explains. “Most of what people see from us is, of course, the live show, which has always been pure adrenaline. But we love recording too, because it’s such a wonderfully creative process that we can just throw ourselves into. When we’re in the studio we’re completely immersed in what we’re doing – every single time we’ve gone to record an album we’ve been in the studio until the final minute of the final day. We’re completely dedicated to what we do, because we’ve never known any other way.”
The depth of the songwriting on the album presents a number of challenges when it comes to touring their live show, particularly with the presence of female vocals and strings. McCall reckons it’s nothing the boys can’t handle. “For sure, the new record has a whole lot more music to it and more happening generally,” he agrees. “But we’ve been a band for ten years and we’re up for it. I wouldn’t say we thrive on adversity, but we definitely like a challenge; we’ve never hit a wall we couldn’t overcome, and I’m proud of that. To be perfectly honest, I’m excited to see where this album takes us as a live band,” he says, in the lively tone of a frontman who has spent two months waiting to tour. “These songs are so much more work, and so much more fun than anything we’ve ever done before.”
BY BENJAMIN COOPER
