“We were what Adam D referred to as riff salad”: Parkway Drive look back on being produced by Killswitch Engage’s guitarist

Parkway Drive have spoken about being produced by Killswitch Engage guitarist Adam D.

The Australian metalcore band were accompanied by the Killswitch founder, full name Adam Dutkiewicz, when recording their first two albums, Killing With A Smile (2005) and Horizons (2007). Talking exclusively to Metal Hammer, frontman Winston McCall says that the guitarist also helped to steer them as songwriters during their early years.

Looking back on the Killswitch material that made Parkway familiar with Dutkiewicz’s work, McCall says, “It was undeniable that he had something. The clarity that he recorded with, the precision, the snap: it was defining for a generation. Everyone wanted that sound.”

The Aussies hooked up with Dutkiewicz through their guitarist Luke Kilpatrick, who sent the Killswitch man an email asking him to twiddle the dials on their debut album. The response was a surprising, “Yeah, why not?”

“When we were in the studio, we were like, ‘Why the fuck did you want to work with us?’” laughs McCall. “I’ve never got an answer to that.”

The singer continues: “One of the massive things for us was the lack of clean singing; we were attached to the aggression to begin with. Before Killing With A Smile, we were what Adam referred to as riff salad, which we referred to as risotto. We got everything and threw it together until you had enough bits and you called it a song.”

McCall then credits Adam with helping to develop the band’s style: “He was like, ‘Dude, this riff is sick. Why are you only playing it for four bars? That’s the best part of the song.’”

Dutkiewicz’s advice was clearly heeded, as Parkway have become one of the biggest names in the metalcore genre. Killing With A Smile and Horizons helped establish the band in Australia, with Horizons hitting number six on the album charts Down Under. They started to enjoy international success with 2010’s Deep Blue (produced by Joe Barresi), which also charted in the UK, the US, New Zealand, Austria and other markets.

Parkway’s latest album, 2022’s Darker Still, topped the charts in Australia and broke the top 10 in Austria and Germany. The band will reach arena status in Europe this autumn, when they kick off a 20th-anniversary tour in Leipzig, Germany, on September 19. The run will feature three UK shows, including a stop at the 12,500-capacity Wembley Arena in London on October 4. See all dates and details below.

The Parkway interview is taken from Metal Hammer issue 405, which will be available from September 18. The current issue is a blockbuster celebration of Ozzy Osbourne, also featuring an in-depth oral history of German power metal luminaries Helloween. You can get your copy with an exclusive Helloween cover and shirt via the Louder webstore.

Parkway Drive 2025 European tour dates:

Sep 19: Leipzig Quarterback Immobilien Arena, Germany
Sep 20: Munich Olympiahalle, Germany
Sep 21: Vienna Stadthalle, Austria
Sep 23: Zürich Hallenstadion, Switzerland
Sep 24: Frankfurt Festhalle, Germany
Sep 26: Hamburg Barclaycard Arena, Germany
Sep 27: Dortmund Westfalenhalle, Germany
Sep 28: Stuttgart Schleyerhalle, Germany
Sep 30: Amsterdam Ziggo Dome, Netherlands
Oct 01: Brussels Forest National, Belgium
Oct 02: Paris Zenith, France

Oct 04: London Wembley Arena, UK
Oct 05: Birmingham Utilita Arena, UK
Oct 06: Manchester AO Arena, UK

Oct 30: Lisbon Campo Pequeno, Portugal
Nov 01: Madrid Palacio Vistalegre, Spain
Nov 02: Barcelona Sant Jordi Club, Spain
Nov 05: Lyon Halle Tony Garnier, France
Nov 07: Prague Fortuna Hall, Czech Republic
Nov 08: Budapest MVM Dome, Hungary
Nov 10: Łódź Atlas Arena, Poland
Nov 12: Helsinki Ice Hall, Finland
Nov 14: Stockholm Hovet Ice Hall, Sweden
Nov 15: Gothenburg Scandinavium, Sweden
Nov 16: Copenhagen KB Hallen, Denmark