Single Slam – Prey by Parkway Drive (Reverence)

Australian metalcore masters, Parkway Drive, have released another single from their upcoming album, Reverence. That single is called Prey. The hotly anticipated album, Reverence, will be released on the 4th of May via Epitaph Records.

There have been two insanely good singles released from Reverence before Prey. Both have been reviewed here at GBHBL and both are rock solid tracks. You can read more on Wishing Wells and The Void by clicking on the links.

Reverence will be the 6th studio album from the Aussie group and follows on from 2015’s release, Ire. Ire in itself was a marked change for the band being the first time they had ever used clean vocals on a record. Reverence continues that but from what I have heard so far is more expansive and progressive then anything I have heard from them before. Pre Wishing Wells, I wouldn’t have even said I was too bothered about them releasing a new album. Here I am now, 3 singles later and Reverence is one of the albums due out in 2018 I am most looking forward to.

You can probably guess by that statement that I like Prey. I really like it. Prey is just over 4 minutes long. It has a quiet building intro, just for a few seconds, that jumps into a guitar line before all the instruments come crashing in with a catchy rhythm. It is really different and unique sounding as a track. I love it. Ben Gordon’s drums bash out a military esque pattern while the guitars of Luke Kilpatrick and Jeff Ling add rhythm and a higher, drawn out tone. Winston McCall’s vocals come in and are whispered menacingly as the song starts to take shape. It kicks in a bit with the vocals raising in tone and aggression. The guitars turn to a stop start style with that continuous marching drum beat.

The chorus has a thick layer of Jia O’Connor’s bass underneath it giving tons of depth and is one of the catchiest I have heard this year. Lots of backing vocals and gang vocals add to the fast tempo and intensity on show. Some intricate guitar lines join the mix in the second verse before a crunching riff takes over. There is time for a guitar driven instrumental and a crunching breakdown punctuated with gang vocal chants of “Prey”. A slow down near the end brings back the menacing whispered vocals and a tight guitar lead before we head back for one more crushing breakdown and a chorus through to finish.

Prey is an exhilarating listen. Expansive and progressive without dropping the heaviness. The guitars are glorious to listen to and McCall’s vocals are strong and powerful. The drum patterns on Prey are the standout though with Gordon sounding on fire. It is a brilliant track – absolutely faultless and is one of the most inventive and exciting metalcore songs I have heard in the last few years. Reverence is going to be banging.

Check it out for yourself on Parkway Drive’s YouTube channel here. It is available at all the usual streaming services like Apple Music and Spotify. You can also grab it and more from the band at the links below. It isn’t too late to preorder Reverence so visit here to grab your copy. Finally, find out more on the band and release or tour information at their website, on Instagram, Twitter or on Facebook.

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