Lords of Fire: Parkway Drive Turn Madrid Into a Metalcore Inferno

Text by: Cris Cañedo

Pics by: @Darachriss

There are concerts you enjoy, and then there are concerts you live. Parkway Drive’s show in Madrid this Saturday was one of the latter — the Australian band turned the Palacio Vistalegre into a full-blown celebration of metalcore at its purest: two hours of intensity, passion, and pure spectacle.

The band arrived in Spain as part of their 20th-anniversary tour — two decades that have seen them evolve from rising hopefuls to absolute icons of modern metal. Their promise was no small thing: the biggest and most ambitious show of their career. And although the Madrid venue required scaling down part of the production, what they achieved on stage was nothing short of monumental.

From the very first minute, it was clear the night would be unforgettable. Winston McCall and his crew emerged from within the crowd, cutting through blinding lights and a deafening roar. When the opening notes of “Carrion” thundered through the hall, the audience became one pulsating mass, jumping and screaming in unison. What followed was an unstoppable, ever-rising journey — “Prey,” “Glitch,” “Vice Grip” — each song hitting harder than the last, unleashing a collective energy rarely seen at Vistalegre.

The visual production was simply stunning. Parkway Drive doesn’t just play — they build an entire universe on stage. There were dancers moving in sync with the riffs, moving pillars, explosions of light and fire — a lot of fire. Every single element felt meticulously crafted to amplify the music rather than overshadow it. The entire show ran like clockwork, with a precision and force that left the crowd breathless.

One of the night’s most striking moments came with “Wishing Wells,” as a curtain of water poured down over McCall while he sang, turning the stage into a sort of ritual. Moments later, the frontman dove into the pit during “Idols and Anchors,” setting off a massive circle pit. Soon after, a string quartet joined in, adding an extra layer of drama and grandeur to songs like “Chronos” and “Darker Still,” expanding the band’s sonic range. And to close, a jaw-dropping finale: drummer Ben Gordon delivering a solo atop a rotating platform as the stage erupted in flames, while McCall rose above it all on an elevated runway like a true lord of fire.

It was a cinematic ending — a statement from a band that has turned metalcore into a total experience. Few acts manage to merge brutality, emotion, and stage precision the way Parkway Drive does. When they return — hopefully soon — we’ll be there again to celebrate them.