Parkway Drive frontman Winston McCall has revealed that the band entered group therapy after reaching a crisis point, cancelling their US tour to address internal conflicts. In an interview, McCall admitted that the band knew about issues with their management but chose to focus on repairing relationships within the group.
The Australian metalcore band, formed in 2003, had been self-managed, which McCall described as a source of pressure. The therapy sessions, held in a neighbouring town to their native Byron Bay, helped uncover deep-seated problems, including a disconnect between members with and without children, and the realisation that the other four members “don’t connect” to McCall’s lyrics.
McCall reflected on the band’s long-standing attitude of downplaying their success, saying: “We’ve grown up in the band with a concept of ‘if everyone is nothing then we’re all equal’ – so rather than lift each other up we just tore each other down.” He noted that the music industry lacks the support systems found in other sectors, with no regular mediation or wellbeing initiatives.
The band’s seventh album, Darker Still, was released after the therapy sessions, and McCall described its arc as being based around “the dark night of the soul”. Despite their success, including a No. 1 debut in Australia for their previous album Reverence, the band had struggled with the pressures of touring and the fear of losing everything they had worked for.
