Parkway Drive Storm Into Aus And UK Charts

Parkway Drive have landed in both the Australian and UK charts this week following the release of their fourth album, Atlas.

The Byron Bay based metalcore band are arguably Australia's biggest heavy band at the moment, and were only kept from the top spot by country pop juggernaut Taylor Swift's Red and pop darling Delta Goodrem, who debuted at two with Child Of The Universe.

The hard touring globe-trotters also made their presence felt in the UK this week, with Atlas landing 48 on debut. They weren't the only locals to debut in the motherland this week, with Kylie Minogue's The Abbey Road Sessions landing at two and Peter Andre's Angels And Demons at 18.

"It's crazy that a band the sounds like Parkway can chart between Taylor Swift, Delta and Pink and II can't believe the band is still growing," frontman Winston McCall told theMusic.com.au this afternoon. "Thanks everyone who picked the record up. Australian independent music, killing it"

Parkway are no strangers to the ARIA Album Chart – they're ARIA Award winners, no less – and as was predicted they were posting very strong figures all week and looked like equalling the record of their previous album Deep Blue, which debuted at two in 2010. But they were pipped at the post by Goodrem, whose profile has risen considerably this year with her stint judging The Voice. Parkway got the better of her for the Digital Album Chart with Atlas at two and Goodrem at three. Further down the Digital chart New Zealand dub outfit Kora managed 43 with Light Years and Tuka 44 with Feedback Loop.

While Minogue's managed a top two in the UK, her album landed at seven locally, with Sarah Blasko's I Awake debuting at nine on the ARIA Album Chart.

There's only one local artist in the ARIA Singles Chart top 15 currently, with Guy Sebastian and Lupe Fiasco's Battle Scars holding on to five. Psy's Gangnam Style retains top spot ahead of Swedish House Mafia's Don't You Worry Child and Calvin Harris and Florence Welch's Sweet Nothing.