''Killing with a Smile'' is the debut studio album by Australian

metalcore Metalcore (also known as metallic hardcore) is a fusion music genre that combines elements of extreme metal and hardcore punk. As with other styles blending metal and hardcore, such as crust punk and grindcore, metalcore is noted for its use ...

band

Parkway Drive Parkway Drive is an Australian metalcore band from Byron Bay, New South Wales, formed in 2003. As of 2018, Parkway Drive have released six studio albums, one EP, two DVDs, a split album and one book, titled ''Ten Years of Parkway Drive''. The b ...

. It was released on 12 September 2005 through

Resist A resist, used in many areas of manufacturing and art, is something that is added to parts of an object to create a pattern by protecting these parts from being affected by a subsequent stage in the process. Often the resist is then removed. For ...

and

Epitaph Records Epitaph Records is an American independent record label owned by Bad Religion guitarist Brett Gurewitz. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, most acts signed to the label were punk and pop punk acts, while there are many post-hardcore and em ...

, and was produced by Adam Dutkiewicz. It was recorded in May 2005, over a period of just two weeks. It is the only album to feature bassist Shaun Cash.

Release and promotion

It released in September 2005 in Australia through

Resist Records Resist Records is an independent record label and retail store based in Newtown, New South Wales, Australia. The store was opened by Toe To Toe vocalist, Scotty McFadyen in 1996 before expanding to a record label in 1998. Resist also hosts an an ...

. They supported Evergreen Terrace on their headlining Australian tour in January 2006. The album was released in September 2006 in the U.S. through

. A video was produced for "Smoke 'Em If Ya Got 'Em". In October and November, the group went on the 2006 international edition of the Taste of Chaos tour, visiting New Zealand, Australia, Japan and Europe. From early July to early August, the band went on the 2007 edition of

Warped Tour The Warped Tour was a traveling rock tour that toured the United States plus three or four stops in Canada annually each summer from 1995 until 2019. It was the largest traveling music festival in the United States and the longest-running touri ...

Critical reception

Since its release, ''Killing with a Smile'' has received mixed to positive reviews. ''

AbsolutePunk ''AbsolutePunk'' was a website, online community, and alternative music news source founded by Jason Tate (the most recent CEO). The website mainly focused on artists who are relatively unknown to mainstream audiences, but it was known to fe ...

'' was very positive of the album, calling it a "true genre-defining" record. The reviewer praised the songs' structures, despite there being no defined verses or choruses. About.com reviewer Chad Bower was less positive about the album, but said "It's a very solid debut, and if you're a metalcore fan this is one worth checking out." He was slightly critical of the album's lyrics for being "a little on the emo side", but said the "angry vocals" cover it up pretty well.

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the dat ...

reviewer Corey Apar gave a mixed review of the album. He mainly noted how the album's lyrics deal with broken hearts and "just how pissed off they really are", citing "Romance is Dead" as "lyrical treasure". He concluded his review by comparing the band to

Bleeding Through Bleeding Through is an American metalcore band from Orange County, California, formed in 1999. In 2004, ''Revolver'' magazine hailed Bleeding Through as one of eight bands ushering in the "Future of Metal" cover story, and ''Spin'' called Blee ...

and "it just depends on where personal opinions currently stand on the necessity of another

act". ''Punknews.org'' reviewer Matt Whelihan was very critical of the album, calling it generic. Whelihan said the album "is a mindless affair that is unable to avoid any of metalcore's pitfalls. Parkway Drive could have created a picture of metalcore as they see it, but instead they were content to trace the works of those who came before."

In popular culture

The name for the song "Guns for Show, Knives for a Pro" is a quote from the film, '' Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels''. Australian surf group the Bra Boys featured four songs from the album in the documentary film '' Bra Boys: Blood Is Thicker than Water'', the songs featured are "Gimme A D", "Anasasis (Xenophontis)", "Mutiny" and "It's Hard to Speak Without a Tongue". The songs were all released on the soundtrack except for "It's Hard to Speak Without a Tongue".

Track listing

Personnel

Credits are adapted from the album liner notes. ;Parkway Drive * Winston McCall –

lead vocals The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of th ...

* Jeff Ling –

lead guitar Lead guitar (also known as solo guitar) is a musical part for a guitar in which the guitarist plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs and chords within a song structure. The lead is the feature ...

* Luke "Pig" Kilpatrick – rhythm guitar * Shaun "Cashy" Cash –

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

* Ben "Gaz" Gordon –

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair of matching drumsticks ...

;Additional personnel * Adam Dutkiewicz – production,

engineering Engineering is the use of scientific method, scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad rang ...

, mixing * Waynus Krupa – assistant engineering * Steve Smart and Tom Baker – mastering * Graham Nixon – management * ''Asterik Studio'' – art direction, design * Jerad Knudsen – photography

Chart performance

Certifications

Release history

References

External links

*
''Killing with a Smile''
at

Interview with Winston McCall including song explanations
{{Authority control 2005 debut albums Albums produced by Adam Dutkiewicz Epitaph Records albums Parkway Drive albums Resist Records albums