Parkway Drive, I Prevail, The Ghost Inside, Void Of Vision @ Entertainment Centre, Adelaide 27/9/2024

Some shows are in your face, others serene. Some shows are chaotic, others laid back. Few are as cinematic, glorious and epic as Parkway Drive.

On a twenty year anniversary run, the Byron bay boys have left no stone unturned in bringing you arguably Australia’s greatest ever show. To be fair, with the exception of arguably Kiss, the greatest show Australia has ever seen.

Before we even get to the fireworks, flames and twirling drum kits, we also have three support bands at their absolute best from across the globe. Each one an assassin in music.

Parkway Drive may be the headliners with their own stage show however they have respectfully set up the supports with their own huge backdrop of vision screens, graphics and a crisp sound.

Void Of Vision open and off the back of their epic new album What I’ll Leave Behind, they sound big. Vocalist Jack Bergin is in control, the music hits and with four tracks from the new album landing, they whip up multiple pits already. Despite the early start, and in an arena, it’s safe to say that there are a couple of thousand here enjoying Gamma Knife and Empty as they should. Loud and passionate.

Americans The Ghost Inside open with Death Grip and it’s something they don’t let go off. Stray beach balls bounce in unison with the crowd, which includes fellows such as Mario and Luigi, as they roar back ‘if you want it, come and get it’ during Earn It.

That’s what The Ghost Inside do, the bring epic breakdowns, moments the audience can chant and get rowdy too, and a killer set list which peaks with Avalanche and Aftermath. This is only band two! Phew!

I, Prevail were here last year for Good Things but didn’t make it as far as Adelaide so the anticipation in the hordes of now sweaty, stinky and slightly drunk metalheads is tangible. I, Prevail add the to the tension with an epic opening, making full use of the screens and rattle through their selection of metalcore riffs, rap rhythms and melodic vocals.

Body Bag is blast of beats, Self Destruction raises the temperature even more and Choke is headline arena worthy.

By the time last song Bow Down – full of riffs and hard hits – the pits are growing, the voices getting hoarse, and the the band have successfully created a scene that looks like an old school bar room brawl such is the chaos. Well played chaps.

However it’s Australia’s biggest contemporary metal band we are here for. A band that heave steadily and stealthy just gone about their business getting bigger year on year. Parkway Drive.

All reports previously mention how spectacular the show is. The theatre, cinematic visuals, flames, fireworks, rain, dancers, orchestration. All we need is Jesus to be rising from the dead. Hang on, we kind get that too in a way.

The shows starts epic but small, with the band hi-fiving members of the crowd on their way to a small stage set in the middle where they open with Carrion.

Every detail of this show is thought out. The band dressed in dark clothes are often silhouettes on a backdrop that is like a black and white movie while vocalist Winston McCall is unmissable decked out in a white robe that pierces the avant garden nature of what’s happening.

The crowd are loving it, why wouldn’t they. Every song is a classic, the band sound electrified, and with the flames making a first appearance – who doesn’t love a bit of pyrotechnics? – it’s compulsive viewing.

Adelaide’s own Michael Crafters from I Killed The Prom Queen gets up on Boneyards which is earthquake worthy heavy before Horizons has guitarist Jeff Ling elevated above the crowd.

It’s hard to not write every single thing down, like the rains during Wishing Well or when McCall appears in the middle of the room and gets crowd surfed back to the stage.

On the orchestration enhancing Darker Still with the bands logo draped in flames however it’s Crushed, a song drenched in flames that illuminates the room like being in Hell with McCall, arms outstretched like Jesus being elevated above the room, that is as grandiose as it is heavy, which is the pièce de résistance of the evening.

So much theatre, so much Hollywood, and a soundtrack score that underlines how sensational tonight was. This is Parkway Drive’s world and we are just living in it.

Live Review By Iain McCallum