I think parallel compression is a great way of enhancing a mix while maintaining punch.
The Flux Syrah does great parallel compression, also in combination with the de-expansion feature. Since this can be entirely threshold independent you don't get any nasty sideeffects such as pumping.
Parallel compression in the Flux Solera can lift information in an interesting way, especially in the high frequencies.
BTW, there's a 50% off sale at Flux at the moment:
Flux:: sound and picture development