Killing with a Smile

Killing with a Smile is the debut studio album by Australian metalcore band Parkway Drive. It was released on 12 September 2005 through Resist and Epitaph Records, 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.

Killing with a Smile
Studio album by
Parkway Drive
Released12 September 2005 (2005-09-12)
RecordedMay 2005
StudioZing Studios, Westfield, Massachusetts, U.S.
GenreMetalcore
Length39:42
Label
ProducerAdam Dutkiewicz
Parkway Drive chronology
Don't Close Your Eyes
(2004)		 Killing with a Smile
(2005)		 Horizons
(2007)

Release and promotion

It released in September 2005 in Australia through Resist Records, and in September 2006 in the U.S. through Epitaph Records. 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.[1] From early July to early August, the band went on the 2007 edition of Warped Tour.[2]

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
About.com[3]
AbsolutePunk90%[4]
AllMusic[5]
Punknews.org[6]

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

AbsolutePunk 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.[4] 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.[3]

AllMusic 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 and "it just depends on where personal opinions currently stand on the necessity of another metalcore act".[5]

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."[6]

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

All tracks are written by Parkway Drive.

No.TitleLength
1."Gimme A D"3:31
2."Anasasis (Xenophontis)"3:31
3."Pandora"3:58
4."Romance Is Dead"5:18
5."Guns for Show, Knives for a Pro" (contains sound clips from Die Hard 2)2:44
6."Blackout"2:43
7."Picture Perfect, Pathetic"2:44
8."It's Hard to Speak Without a Tongue"4:14
9."Mutiny" (contains sound clips from Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl)3:17
10."Smoke 'Em If Ya Got 'Em" (re-recorded version)3:40
11."A Cold Day in Hell"4:01
Total length:39:42

Personnel

Credits are adapted from the album liner notes.

Parkway Drive
  • Winston McCall – lead vocals
  • Jeff Ling – lead guitar
  • Luke "Pig" Kilpatrick – rhythm guitar
  • Shaun "Cashy" Cash – bass
  • Ben "Gaz" Gordon – drums
Additional personnel
  • Adam Dutkiewicz – production, engineering, mixing
  • Waynus Krupa – assistant engineering
  • Steve Smart and Tom Baker – mastering
  • Graham Nixon – management
  • Asterik Studio – art direction, design
  • Jerad Knudsen – photography

Chart performance
Chart (2005) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[7] 39

Release history
Region Date Label Format Catalog #
Australia 12 September 2005 Resist Compact Disc RES045[8]
EU 21 August 2006 Epitaph[9] Compact Disc 86824
US 22 August 2006
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References
  1. "Taking Back Sunday, Thursday, Underoath, Saosin on TOC Int'l". Alternative Press. 26 June 2006. Retrieved 29 July 2016.
  2. "Throwdown added to Warped 07; Madina Lake drop off". Alternative Press. 26 April 2007. Retrieved 21 August 2016.
  3. Bower, Chad. "About.com Review". About.com. Retrieved 16 April 2014.
  4. "Absolute Punk Review". AbsolutePunk. 6 December 2006. Retrieved 16 April 2014.
  5. Apar, Corey (22 August 2006). "AllMusic Review". AllMusic. Retrieved 16 April 2014.
  6. Whelihan, Matt (3 March 2006). "Punknews.org Review". Punknews.org. Retrieved 16 April 2014.
  7. "Australiancharts.com – Parkway Drive – Killing with a Smile". Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 November 2014.
  8. "Resist Records Releases". www.resistrecords.com. Resist Records. Retrieved 22 November 2014.
  9. "Epitaph Records: Parkway Drive - Killing With A Smile". www.epitaph.com. Epitaph. Retrieved 22 November 2014.
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