Images: Parkway Drive, Miss May I, Thy Art Is Murder, In Hearts Wake December 6, 2015 at the House of Blues

In support of their new album, Ire, Australian metal outfit Parkway Drive wrapped up their North American tour here in Las Vegas at the House of Blues. With a stacked lineup of fellow bands from the land down under, In Hearts Wake and Thy Art Is Murder, along with Ohio’s Miss May I, fans were bound to get their money’s worth.

Tapped to open and hype the crowd up for the night was In Hearts Wake. This was the band’s first time in the states and they expressed thanks to Parkway Drive for bringing them out on the tour. As the band played through material mostly from their 2014 record Earthwalker, the crowd started to warm up and form one large mosh pit in the center of the venue floor. The band ended on a newer song, “Breakaway,” which they dedicated to their tour mates in Miss May I. As the song started bass player and vocalist of Miss May I, Ryan Neff, came out to help sing along.

Following up was Sydney’s Thy Art Is Murder. Before they took the stage, fans crowded towards the front and I could hear a few young fans chatting about how excited they were to see these guys. As the beginning sounds of “Absolute Genocide” began to ring out, the crowd erupted and the mosh pit got going immediately. With as many people moshing around and headbanging to the songs, you would think these guys were the headliners. The first few crowd surfers of the night came as the band continued on with “Coffin Dagger,” another from Holy War, the band’s newest record. Even though Thy Art is Murder wasn’t much my musical taste, the band sounded great and tight behind frontman Chris McMahon’s vocals. The guys ended their high energy set with their latest single “Holy War” which had the crowd chanting along.

I’ve followed Miss May I for awhile now but this was my first time catching them live. As the house lights illuminated the stage, one by one the guys came out to cheers from the fans. From the time the band kicked off with their single “I.H.E.,” the die hard fans upfront sang along and with Levi Benton and Ryan Neff. The high energy set continued with a mix of old and new material including one of my personal favorites “Relentless Chaos.” The set wrapped up with the band’s biggest hit and fan favorite “Hey Mister,” which found frontman Levi Benton working his way into the crowd, sticking his mic into the cluster of fans to allow them to sing along.

Nearing a decade since their first full length as a band, Parkway Drive has come a long way since their Killing With A Smile days and their fan base has grown immensely. With the release of Ire this past September, the band continues to grow in popularity and take over the metal scene. Confetti cannons went off during the band’s opening song “Destroyer,” and as I photographed them with confetti raining down and fans singing behind me, I could tell this was going to a special set and great way to end the night.

Immediately the aussies jumped into “Dying to Believe” and then into older tracks “Carrion,” “Dark Days,” and “Karma.” It was amazing to watch vocalist Winston McCall instruct the crowd to chant/sing/jump along and have everyone do so. The only time I witnessed the mosh pits stop were in between songs to listen to what McCall had to say. Midset saw more from Ire as the guys powered through “Vice Grip,” “Wild Eyes,” and “Bottom Feeder.” At this point, the confetti cannons had only been fired off once but I just had a feeling that there would be more. Unfortunately security would not allow me to have my cameras out during the encore “Home is for the Heartless” but just as I thought, halfway through the song the confetti was fired off and filled the entire air, engulfing everyone. The band sounded tight together and overall, I would say that the guys sounded just like they do on the record.

The band’s performance was easily one of the top performances I’ve seen all year. I would recommend anyone to check these guys out next time they come into their town.

-Tylor Thuirer | https://www.instagram.com/thuirer/