This is what metalcore sounds to people who don’t like metalcore

The "If a God Can Bleed" reaction might unironically be my most anticipated reaction of the year lol

The creative decision to make the album cover 50% Grey is so befitting

Of all the albums I've heard this year, I've got to say this is one of them.

11:32 Bodgan: "Okay this is a bit different" Winston: "I took a walk last night through the valley of death" Bodgan : 🥴🥴🥴🥴🥴🥴🥴🥴

I get that they're not 20 year olds playing heavy shit in tiny venues any more, and I understand that they wanted to mature, but goddamn. These lyrics and delivery sound infinitely more juvenile than any of their early material.

The amount of wah on this album gave Kirk Hammett a big ole boney boi

winston did say that this album was recorded during the pandemic and they feared that this would be the end of music so they tried so many new things because they thought this would be their last album

I think parkway are going to become that band that I always go see live, but never listen to on Spotify

Dude the KACHOW killed me dead. 😂

The drums on this record sound fucking amazing which is so unfortunate bc most of the time they’re not doing anything interesting due to the weak song writing

Just saw darker still live and it honestly went pretty hard. No clue how they pulled it off

The difference between Sabaton and Parkway is that Sabaton does know how to make this kind of songs. Also it was their style since forever

"The Greatest Fear"'s intro is the Holy Diver riff with a bit staccato.

"If a God Can Bleed" is probably the worst song I've heard all year. The confusion on your face said it all haha

Nobody: Winston: KERCHOO

Your honesty is awesome dude. Too many people pleasers on social media at the moment, this is like a breathe of fresh air. take care bro!

Can't wait to bleach my ears with new TDWP tomorrow

Hard to imagine the same dudes made killing with a smile

You're not an asshole man. You speak your mind that's why I subbed.

PWD use to be my favorite band. Their sound was very much at the heart of metalcore to me, and one of the best at that sound. The lyrics were deep, their tone was unique, their riffs were original and brutal, and just overall they felt authentic... Since Ire, their music seems lifeless to me, like they are just going through the motions. Maybe this is the music they have always wanted to do, idk. I have nothing against a band changing and trying new things, but parkway for some reason only sounds good and unique to me as a metalcore band, this is hard rock, and has no unique value to me, but that's just my opinion. The lyrics are cringy now, and seems pretentious to me actually, the guitar riffs are now all similar and in the higher key, which I'm not into with guitar riffs, very glam metal.

Truly one of the albums of the year, of all time even.

Thanks for the honest review. We love Parkway, we just don't love Darker Still

Parkway and Architects are competing who can disappoint fans more.

"If a God can bleed, then I'll bleed you out" Bars

I would still kill for a reaction to Vessels by Starset. Not a new album, but might be a good palate cleanser after whatever this album was supposed to be :/ 3:16 what's the meaning of this memeless meme?

easily my worst album of 2022; I get trying new things and evolving, but this isn't it.

I miss Carrion

"This is a strength born in misery A focus cut of this insanity I fight my way from the gates of hell I hold on" To this.

I really love parkway drive. From don‘t close your eyes to reverence i loved pretty much every song and i liked the way they were evolving. I even love some of the songs from darker still, but this album feels very odd to me. Seems kind of heartless to me, there are almost no deeper meanings in the songs and these experimental songs like stranger or if a god can bleed don‘t fit at all. The song darker still fails as a ballad because as you said: they already did some great ballads i enjoy listening to.

fear , fire and faith

the fact that Winston (Or whoever took the band hostage and compelled them to commit this atrocity) wrote the line that MURDERED Star Wars into this album, AND did it like it was such a brutal phrase says approximately EVERYTHING anybody needed to know about the entire record. And I'm not even a faithful parkway fan in the slightest.

Seriously though I don't get their medieval vibe they'v been doing since IRE but I certainly enjoy the riffage at 1:29, that's some good soup

RIP to the glory days of Parkway Drive.

How doesn’t soul bleach hit so hard for you 💀 it’s been stuck in my head for days

Damn I didn’t know parkway drive wrote a Load/Reload/St. Anger tribute album

Ok, I actually didn't hate the single all that but holy shit ... I lost it with If a God Can Bleed

Can confirm, new Parkway stuff absolutely slaps live.

I've never sat down, listened to an album and felt like I've wasted an hour doing so before but that's what it was like to for this record. I Hope they gain some new fans from this but it isn't for me, it's like you said in your reaction they are all getting older so it's going to be different now, as long as they like what they put out thats what matters.

Soul Bleach is the only one that found its way to my playlist. I like that they're doing their own thing. But it's just not for me. Edit: If god can bleed is actually so bad it gets worse and worse the more you listen to it. EDIT PART 2: Never checked out the lyrics for Soul Bleach. I might have to remove it from my playlist lmao.

Well, this is certainly an album.

"If A God Can Bleed" sounds like Parkways take on a Zeal & Ardor song.

Parkway Drive is a live band. After a concert now I can't not to listen to these songs

I’ve been a parkway fan since I was 6 ish and not 16 and I listened to about 4 songs all the way through

They've gone mainstream, radio friendly and bubble-gum tasty. Their earlier stuff was fucking raw, when they had nothing to loose and didn't give a fuck. This album is so far departed from their earlier stuff and is completely soulless...

Rest in peace parkway drive

There's some parts that looks like interesting but to get there you have to pass through a boring album. I dont recomend

This is an album where the parts are greater than the sum for me. Winston is clearly talented, each song feels like a journey, and the mix is very polished.

Your reaction sums up my exact feelings on this album. I was hoping for some more variety after hearing how bland the two lead singles were but unfortunately, my worst fears were answered. Most of the songs feel the exact same with not much diversity in the song structures. I enjoy the title track decently enough despite how long it is. Like Napalm and Soul Bleach were also okay, but everything else was so mediocre and repetitive. I think we can all agree that If a God Can Bleed is one of, if not the worst song PWD have ever wrote. I was one of the few who genuinely loved Reverence and it still bothers me how so many people still trash on that album. It was one of my favorites of 2018 and Darker Still doesn't match that level at all. Reverence had so much heart and soul put into every lyric, and was the perfect mix of their new and old stuff. Every track on that album is amazing, even the songs that I didn't care for at first like Prey and I Hope You Rot grew on me big time. Reverence also had diversity in the track listing. Each song sounded different from one another without feeling too jarring and the flow of the album is honestly perfect. Also, the lyrics as I said earlier had depth and emotion to them. My biggest problem with Darker Still is how forced and cheesy the lyrics feel. Darker Still is probably the biggest disappointment for me this year. I'm hoping that Parkway can recover from this, though I'm sure in my heart that they will. Sorry for the long winded comment.

they were sick live. saw them 3 days ago, great show and great sound but yea that album in general :/

F E A R , F I R E A N D F A I T H

They just invented Power Metalcore and i hate them for that

cant wait for Architects...

I really like it

Since when did King 810 become Australian?

This reaction was gold 😅

I'm confused as to what is meant by maturing their sound because this almost sounds like the wiggles.

I need to listen to old parkway again, some songs from this album are actually good though tbh

Have you listened to Miss May I’s latest album yet??

seeing lightning mcqueen almost killed me LOL🤣🤣🤣

I want to love it, I really do. My beef with the album is that A LOT of the songs sound very similar melodically, as a guitarist that plays in drop B a lot I can feel that many of the songs are too reliant on that second fret power chord; if you stopped Luke and Jeff from using it the album would be about 4 tracks lighter than it is. The lead part from the greatest fear and ground zero may as well be the same, and the main riff from glitch fits into every other track given the tempo and again that reliance on the second fret. Parkway can do a less heavy style well, I think Ire and Reverence are proof of that, but so far Darker Still leaves a lot to be desired honesty. It doesn't feel like much love went into it. I'm seeing them in London next week though so perhaps these songs just need to be heard live for them to really pop, I'm hoping so at least. Either way it's all love to the boys forever, great guys and I hope the album gives them a bit of a mainstream boost even if it isn't my favourite piece of their work.

Randomly came across your video and I don't normally comment random videos but here it is; As an old school fan, I have to agree that they took a route I wouldn't necessarily vote for but even though they changed, they still find a way to make it brutal. This first listens from the 3 last albums made me cringe too tbh but after a few times listening, I found my self head banging... They wanted to sound unique and they made it happen. I would also add that people should stop comparing PWD to metalcore.

Album is not my thing. But the title track is one of my favorite songs in years of any genre

8:50 for me was the most cringe moment, but damn it had some competition.

I've listen to the Album while driving around and for me, they Sound Like a Mixture of Hardrock and Santiano ( a German Folk Band who Plays Pirate Songs)

Are they trolling us?

1. Winston: He can't sing, his lyrics and delivery on this album were insanely cringe and empty and he seems to be forcing his Nick Cave LARP on the band with disastrous effects. 2. The drummer has checked out since Ire. He apparently refuses to play anything more complex than absolute beginner child level. 3. While Jeff is without doubt the biggest musical talent in the band, his riffs have become repetitive and stale. The overuse of the wah pedal leads is so grating. Some riffs are pathetically basic & dull as well. 4. The producer is the same one since Ire and it sounds like it. He arranges the most repetitive sounding songs over and over again. He uses this disney pirate melodic resolve in almost every song. Seems like a Yes-Man who doesn't tell the band when they're creating bland crap. Worst album they've released would be an understatement. I guess just playing to festival crowds to make a living is what they're in it for now.

I agree "If God can bleed" is a pretty crappy song, but I like the rest of the album. I knew you wouldn't lol You should react to old Parkway Albums to see if it's as good as people remember it to be.

It feels like they wanted to make reverence again, but they didn’t have the same emotion to pour in so they slapped a bunch of shit together. It’s like reverence lite

Honestly, I don't think it's a bad album. If it came from an up and coming small band, I'd say wow, great production, good instrumentals, weird af vocals, but they sort of work at some parts of the album. But coming from Parkway Drive, I just think they could've come up with something better, because I know they are so much better than this.

Pretty sure they had an AI read some Edgar Allen Poe or something and then write the lyrics for the album.

Did Winston get lyric advice from Anthony Keidis? 😅

Fear fire and faith. 🔥🙏🏼

The cringe face Bodgan makes is absolutely hilarious, and has such high re-watchability.

This album just makes me sad

And that kids is the difference between a band like Architects and Parkway Drive. The quality of songwriting

Can you make a new video when you listen to darker still a second time?

That new Miss May I is Solar Flare levels of heat...

I’m right there with you man in everything you said. Don’t wanna come off like an asshole for your opinion. I wish I could give you back your time!

“What is an A bomb” ? lol

How the mighty have fallen

These are the same guys that made Horizons and Deep Blue? Jesus.

Am I the only one that likes this album????? Minus a God can bleed

Some of the instrumentals are pretty solid. And usually I let mediorce lyrics go if the rest is great. But 95% of this was ass

Serious WAOTY contender here boys

Yeah I’ve been pretty disappointed with Parkway’s recent output too but Fit For An Autopsy fill that Deep Blue void. All the stuff with Joe Bad on vox for sure reminds me of the Deep Blue/Atlas sound.

Lord of the lost is actually my favourite song of darker still. But its nothing vs reverence or ire.

Parkway Dive

Respect men

Idk i really like darker still, hits pretty fucking hard in my opinion

At first I agreed with this review, but after a few more listenings Darker Still definitely grew on me. Love the production, lyrics, melodies and energy. Yeah, that "drop the beat" sounds a little cringey but it's a line in a 43 minutes record, so it's not really a big issue. Also, "If a god can bleed" is their worst song, but it's not that bad, just a little boring in my opinion. Also also, I do recognize some Sabaton resemblances but I don't think they are so influent to say that PD sound like them. These songs may not be as complex and heavy as their first records but are fun and emotional, perfect bangers during concerts. Absolutely loving the direction this band took after Atlas (which remains my fav PD album). One of the bands I'd love to see live the most

there's always a chance they can come back, Look at In Flames right now !

This is a good album.

If you don't get the lyrics, watch Interviews with Winston, where he explains the Story behind this Album. And the storylines on spoitify. The lyrics are anything but meaningless.

8:44 dude in chat better be sarcastic.

Not going to lie, I really like Glitch. It's just a fun song for me, I like the overall vibe and the breakdown. The god of nevermore, or whatever, was a decent single... I go back to it once and a while... but holy shit... if a god can bleed is actually awful. I heard it was awful, but I didn't believe it could actually be THAT bad.

I like it

You guys are all trippin this album is fire wtf

Sometimes when I feel gloomy, I come to this video and laugh cus every single thing he says I feel the same way 😂

I'm kinda new to metal, this is my first contact with Parkway Drive, and I feel sad