REVIEW: Parkway Drive - Horizons - Forum, Melbourne
Parkway Drive: Night Two, Horizons Hits Fucking Hard
If you went to both nights of Parkway Drive at the Forum, you probably walked away with the same question I did:
Which album goes harder?
On Sunday night, Killing With a Smile felt like a fucking 10.
Last night, Horizons hit fucking hard.
And somehow, I still don’t have an answer.
Parkway Drive came out for night two with the same sense of occasion, but something felt different. Winston mentioned that he was feeling a lot better than he had the night before, and you could feel it in the room. The energy was absolutely electric.
Maybe it was because I spent most of the night in the pit.
And fuck me, that pit was good.
The circle pits were flying, the floor was slippery as hell, everyone was throwing themselves around and, in what might be the most humbling experience of my 20 years as a Parkway fan, I somehow managed to cop a fat lip from a 5’2”, 19-year-old girl absolutely sending it during Boneyards and Dead Man’s Chest.
I’m 192cm and about 100 kilos.
She was tiny.
She absolutely cracked me.
Respect.
That’s the beauty of Parkway Drive. Twenty years into their career, the room still brings together some of the toughest-looking blokes from regional Victoria with teenagers who might have only discovered the band three years ago.
And they’re all screaming the same words.
That’s the thing that really stood out to me across these two nights. Parkway aren’t just a nostalgic band playing old records for a bunch of ageing metalcore fans.
They’re still bringing people into the scene.
They’re still creating that connection.
They’re still fucking relevant.
And standing in the Forum, watching 19-year-olds lose their minds alongside people who were listening to Killing With a Smile when it came out, you realise just how much Parkway Drive have meant to Australian heavy music.
The merch was flying off the shelves. The room was packed. The love for the band was obvious.
And Horizons?
Fuck me.
Carrion.
Boneyards.
Dead Man’s Chest.
Idols and Anchors.
Horizons.
Hearing those songs in that room, surrounded by a couple of thousand people who know exactly what they’re there for, was fucking special.
I’m still not sure whether Killing With a Smile or Horizons is the better album.
Sunday night, I was convinced it was Killing With a Smile.
Last night, standing in the middle of that pit with a fat lip and a beer in my hand, I’m leaning towards Horizons.
Ask me again tomorrow and I might have changed my mind.
What I do know is that getting to see Parkway Drive play both of these records at the Forum was a fucking treat.
As a fan who’s been listening to this band for 20 years, I’m incredibly grateful for it.
Grateful for the music.
Grateful for the memories.
Grateful for the people I’ve met through it.
And, apparently, grateful to the tiny 19-year-old who reminded me that no matter how big you think you are, there’s always someone in the pit willing to humble you.
Parkway Drive aren’t just celebrating their past.
They’re proving why it mattered in the first place.
And after two nights at the Forum, I’m still standing here asking the same question:
Killing With a Smile or Horizons?
Fuck knows.
Both went hard.
Parkway Drive - Killing Horizons Australian Tour 2026
Sat 1 Aug 2026 – Metro City – Perth, WA
Sun 2 Aug 2026 – Metro City – Perth, WA
Tue 4 Aug 2026 – Hindley St Music Hall – Adelaide, SA
Wed 5 Aug 2026 – Hindley St Music Hall – Adelaide, SA
Sun 9 Aug 2026 – Forum – Melbourne, VIC
Mon 10 Aug 2026 – Forum – Melbourne, VIC
Wed 12 Aug 2026 – Enmore Theatre – Sydney, NSW
Thu 13 Aug 2026 – Enmore Theatre – Sydney, NSW
Sat 15 Aug 2026 – Fortitude Music Hall – Brisbane, QLD
Sun 16 Aug 2026 – Fortitude Music Hall – Brisbane, QLD
Fri 21 Aug 2026 – Enmore Theatre – Sydney, NSW
Sat 22 Aug 2026 – Enmore Theatre – Sydney, NSW
Mon 24 Aug 2026 – Forum – Melbourne, VIC
Tue 25 Aug 2026 – Forum – Melbourne, VIC
