Customer Reviews

Deep Blue

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

if you thought horizons was sick, this album has cancer, butt-aids, lupus and a congenital heart defect all at once. i'm not going to pick this album apart like the overabundance of aspiring critics that plague this site. listen to the demos, that's what they're there for...then buy it, you will not be repentant. ready your aural cavity for an all out assault!!!

PS - these guys are on warped tour 2010...show up, rock out, hug an emo (they hate it), and leave before andrew w.k. gets a chance to bleed on something

It was the summer of 2008 when a friend of mine introduced me to Parkway Drive's phenomenal second album, Horizons. I was immediately taken aback by its one-two combo attack of brutality and clearly technical musicianship. It was, at once, a definitively heavy album, while bringing with it a pervasive musicianship that is rarely seen within the genre many label "metalcore". The album has an epic sense, along with strong lyrics backed by equally impressive instrument work. It truly felt like a story, with a beginning, middle, and end. Parkway Drive scaled the summit of the modern metal scene with these haunting, beautiful melodies and breakdowns that put them in a unique place. I doubt I'll ever come across a closing track as vast and sobering as "Horizons".

"Deep Blue", while having moments of this refreshing musicianship and technicality, seems to stop short of what could have been the next grand chapter in the Parkway Drive storyline. The album does shine in some aspects, however; the lyrics are incredible. Everyone in the band seems to have a definite grasp over their instruments, as tracks "Sleepwalker", "Karma", and "Home is for the Heartless" will inevitably tell the listener.

Unfortunately, nearly every song is riddled with a breakdown. Breakdowns are satisfying and cathartic when used tastefully, but all I could think of was bands like Limp Bizkit after continually hearing the pounding of the bass drums and open-chord, palm-muted growls of the guitar. It just gets a bit boring. Thankfully, there are a few excellent riffs in the album, as noted in the tracks above, but they tend to get lost in the stagnant mixing and same-y sound of the tracks.

I'm a bit disappointed, because Parkway Drive was so able to create a sonic landscape of grand proportion with their previous work. This album is heavy, no doubt about it, but it lacks the very technicality and musicianship that the band is CLEARLY capable of. Certain tracks from Deep Blue will undoubtedly find their way onto my playlists, but overall, it doesn't come close to what Parkway Drive achieved with Horizons. It feels as if this should have been one of their FIRST albums, as the natural progression of their sound would suggest.

In my humble opinion.

This is what metal is all about. Somehow, Parkway was able to step their game up! This album is so full of intensity, you might go blind. The production on this is supreme. The timing they hold in their songs and their songwriting ability is absolutely insane. You won't be disappointed. The re-listen factor on this is also very high! It doesn't seem to get old, I feel like a kid in a candy store everytime I listen to it.

For Parkway Drive fans this is a must buy. But if you've never listened to PWD before, I suggest you listen to Horizons and Killing With A Smile first. Don't get me wrong, the music on this album is great, and they are still one of my favorite bands, but Parkway Drive made a BIG mistake in not selecting Adam D, of Killswitch Engage as their producer. Adam did the previous 2 albums and they sounded amazing. Deep Blue definitely takes a step back in terms of production. It just lacks that full, vibrant, in your face, metal sound. When listening to Horizons or KWAS the music literally punches you in the face, you're definitely not going to get this feeling when listening to Deep Blue. The sound of the guitars and drums are not full/loud enough to even compare to the other albums. I will say Winston's vocals sound great like usual. I was expecting SO MUCH MORE though. Again, its a good album but it did not exceed expectations, in fact it fell short. 3 years for this?? Come on Parkway.
On another note, some of the more memorable tracks on the album are Sleepwalker and Home is For the Heartless.

first i gotta say PWD is a band with no mistakes. they exceed standards for great music. time to say what i really think. this album was excelent just i think this would have been better if this album came before horizons. because horizons was a magnificent album. PWD always continues to blow my mind rock on!

I don't even know how to being to explain the awesomeness of this album. This is definitely unlike anything I've ever heard. I was a fan of the song "Carrion." So I figured I would buy this CD and see if I liked it. Oh man! I was not disappointed. The music is so heavy and authentic. There is nothing like them around right now. I love this band and this album. I recommend this to any metal lover.

This was a great CD, Parkway Drive's best! The CD came in perfect condition, in good timing, and works great. Highly recommended!

PARKWAY DRIVE ARE A VERY HEAVY AND ALSO A VERY UNIQUE BAND I REALLY HAVE NEVER HEARD OF ANY HARDCORE AUSTRALIAN BANDS, OTHER THEN I KILLED THE PROM QUEEN THIS BAND IS AMAZING AND NO ONE ELSE SOUNDS LIKE THEM.

After looking into the album for quite some time, I managed to get my hands on it after several months. I shut the door, threw it into WinAmp, wielded the headphones, and let it roll through all forty-five minutes as I painted. At times, I literally stopped working and head-banged in the privacy of my own room. The heavy drums, the extremely rough yet soothing guitars and the almost skin-scraping sound of the screams above them got me drunk with excitement.

About lyrics: they are brutal, pessimistic, and yet has some gentle touch with out-of-the-box thoughts.

An absolute fantastic addition to any metal collection. Highlight sons of my liking are "Alone", "Home is for the Heartless", "Sleepwalker", and especially "Leviathon I".

Parkway Drive's Deep Blue is incredible to me and I don't normally listen to this type of music. I don't think I've ever heard any album more beautiful and brutal all at once (and yes I've heard their other releases). For me, Deep Blue stands on top of Killing With a Smile and Horizons. This album must be special to be able to pull in someone who can't stand listening to most the bands out there in this genre. The only other metalcore band I've heard that I've enjoyed is Misery Signals and I don't know if they can even come close to creating something as beautiful and powerful as Deep Blue. If this was my main listening genre, I'd be kissing Parkway Drives ass for releasing something so much better than any other band in this genre not low balling them because it wasn't exactly what I wanted. 5 stars all the way for me!