Killing with a Smile

Release

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. From early July to early August, the band went on the 2007 edition of Warped Tour.

Critical reception

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

Absolute Punk 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. 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.

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".

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."

Public reception

Killing with a Smile was well received by the public. On Rate Your Music the album has an average rating of 3.24 of 5, based on more than 500 ratings, and on Sputnikmusic the album has an "excellent" average rating of 3.8 of 5, based on more than 1,450 ratings.

In popular culture

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 written by Parkway Drive.

Personnel

Production and performance credits are adapted from the album liner notes.