PARKWAY DRIVE : MONSTERS OF OZ TOUR with The AMity Affliction/Northlane/Make Them Suffer

PARKWAY DRIVE

MONSTERS OF OZ TOUR 2023

THE THEATER AT THE VIRGIN, LAS VEGAS

What a night at the Theater at the Virgin Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas! PARKWAY DRIVE brought their Monsters of Oz Tour to Vegas featuring a metalcore lineup with all four bands from Australia, and was a phenomenal out of this world show. From the opening band, Make Them Suffer, until the circus and spectacle that was Parkway Drive, the night was a sensory overload until the very end of an incredible evening of hardcore and heavy music.

MAKE THEM SUFFER from Perth started off hard, and hit the stage with such intensity, and what seemed like a million strobe lights. The crowd immediately started surfing and the mosh pit opened up on the main floor. This year makes the 10th Anniversary of their debut album Neverbloom, which made the set cut, and the band played their new single "Ghost of Me", that hopefully will culminate in a new record...? Time will tell. More info HERE.

I was really looking forward to seeing NORTHLANE live, a bit different than the other bands on the show, they were not as in your face, but seemed to ease into things before melting peoples faces off. Based in Sydney, Northlane have been active since 2009. I personally LOVED the vocals of singer Marcus Bridge and the experimental sound, Northlane was a breath of fresh air on the metalcore scene. Check them out HERE.

THE AMITY AFFLICTION took to the

stage in blinding white, non stop strobes and huge white LEDS which did not stop. I have never seen anything like it, it literally lit up the entire venue and even had people in the back covering their eyes. This has to be what it looks like the moment you ascend to heaven with all that white lighting. This band was in your face non stop their entire set, he crowd loved this band. TAA fans have a deep connection to the band, they mostly sing about stuff the fans can relate to - depression, anxiety, substance abuse, and the fans relate and give back. These topics are reflected in their newer release and eighth studio album, Not Without My Ghosts, hitting a heavier classic sound from the band. More on The Amity Affliction and new record HERE.

This was my first time seeing PARKWAY DRIVE and I had no idea what I was in for. I was in total awe, the level of production this band has brought was almost overwhelming. The insane pyro show started the very first song, and continued through the night. Singer Winston McCall, dressed in a sleeveless bulletproof looking vest and white pants, commandeered the stage, dodging fire blasts and belting out "Glitch" from the most recent (and seventh) album, Darker Still, as well as career spanning faves.

The new album is a monster, award-winning and puts them on the global top of their genre. Guitarist Jeff Ling’s riffs were amazing to hear live, and you can definitely hear how the band has transitioned away from their earlier style to a more hardcore metal sound.

The stage show was immense, spaced out about every 10 feet were pyro machines that shot fire out in different directions, and the drummer was set inside a round steel cage that had him rotate around in the flames. That was a sight to see, but the mainstay was the music, Parkway walks the walk... even if it is through fire lol. McCall commented that he never thought he would see the day when four Australian bands would go out on tour together, and neither did we! With Luke Kilpatrick on guitar, Jia O’Conner on bass and the beast on the drumkit Ben Gordon rounding out the group. Parkway Drive is a solid on the metal scene, from Austrailia to worldwide.

Parkway Drive's "Glitch" from most recent album Darker Still...