Parkway Drive will release their sixth studio album, Reverence, this Friday (May 4). Reaction to the Australian band’s new material has been mixed, with some fans criticizing Parkway for drifting away from their pure metalcore roots. This isn’t a sentiment that vocalist Winston McCall is hiding from, however, as he’s definitively stated that Parkway Drive have outgrown the genre.

New Parkway tracks like “The Void” have been noticeably radio-friendly, mixing the basis of metalcore with a more anthemic, mainstream sound. During a Facebook Live interview we recently streamed with McCall, a fan asked the vocalist if he agrees with a Dutch publication which claimed Parkway Drive has “outgrown metalcore.”

“Yes, I would agree,” McCall says. “Ultimately, I want people to listen to our music and just say, ‘That sounds like Parkway Drive.’ That’s it. I don’t aim to say we have to be a metalcore band or a metal band or whatever genre.”

McCall continues, “Creatively, the older we get, the more stuff we’re gonna do. We’re always going to be a heavy band … What do we like doing? Melodic stuff, heavy stuff, things we’re interested in. That actually spans a hell of a lot, so we’re going to keep going to those areas.”

To pre-order Parkway Drive’s Reverence album, click here. Also, make sure you check out Parkway’s upcoming U.S. tour dates.

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