Peyton Parrish’s ‘EvangelCore 1’ Takes Listeners On A Faith Journey — Album Review

Since 2016, Peyton Parrish has been making a name for himself orchestrating Viking-themed rock music with singles such as “My Mother Told Me,” “Valhalla Calling,” “Ragnarok,” and “We are Vikings.” It was much to everyone’s surprise when the multi-talented singer announced that his newest release, ‘EvangelCore 1,‘ would be a Christ-centered album revolving around his faith and pledging allegiance to the Christian savior. Met with a fair amount of skepticism from both sides of the fence, it was clear the artist had much in the way of proving himself as not just another fraud phoning it in and hoping to load his bank account with righteous dollar bills.

After just one listen, it is easy to say Parrish’s heart — and faith — are in the right place.

The album begins with the heavy-hitting “Word of God.” With guttural grunts reminiscent of Disturbed’s David Draiman, Parrish means serious business.

Here, the vocalist sings about “the Word of God,” which is another name for Jesus. He carries Jesus everywhere he goes to bring glory to his God. These aren’t just some generic lyrics; these are words from somebody who truly has a relationship with their God and wants to point others towards Him.

“Promise Land” follows shortly afterwards, but doesn’t lack the power of the first track. The electronic beats and guitars flow smoothly together with just enough groove to make you want to bop your head.

Parrish’s croon suits the song just fine, but the grunts seem slightly out of place on this tune. With lines like “No power stronger than the Lord” and “Salvation comes from the Lord,” this song would fit perfectly on any Christian radio station if toned down a few degrees.

The third track, “Gates of Glory,” peels back a few layers, giving us a Creed vibe. This nice, tender energy is what I believed was going to be the entire album. Not that what we got is a bad thing, it’s only different.

As Parrish sings, “I pray I’m worthy to enter the gates of glory,” it’s hard to keep a dry eye. Not a single one of us hasn’t felt unworthy of God at some point in our lives. It’s comforting to know we aren’t alone in these feelings.

“Child of God” is a suitable follow-up, discussing the importance of listening to God’s voice when He calls. So often we want to run the other way, afraid of punishment and judgment, but what God really wants to do is call us His child. Lyrics aside, the exquisite guitar solo gives the listener goosebumps.

“Deliverance” scratches the surface of the industrial genre. Here, the singer verbalises spiritual warfare. Demons, whether literal or metaphorical, come to him at night, and he begs for God’s deliverance.

Christian or not, we all have something we want to be delivered from; maybe turning to someone greater than ourselves will offer us liberation.

Possibly the hardest song on the album, “Demon Slayer,” is a continuation of the themes put forward by “Deliverance.” Unfortunately, parts of the song come off as borderline cheesy, with the badly delivered one-liner “demon slayer” and the sloppy rap lines towards the middle. Given his history of working with other artists, it’s hard to believe he couldn’t have phoned a friend to help him out.

“Catch Up To You” is another slower song expressing raw emotion that isn’t as apparent in the aggressive growls and grunts. Parrish tells a story about chasing after  God but never quite measuring up. Perfectly painted with words like “Every step you take, I’m two behind. I’m trying to catch up to you.”

The truth is, no matter how close we get, we will always be a mile away from perfection. Although we chase after God, we will never be Him.

So far in the album, Peyton Parrish has sung about God, but “Babylon” is the first song to call upon the name of Jesus. Clearly calling out sin for what it is and stating, “The consequences of your secret life will come to light, and that you know. That’s why we need our Savior, Jesus Christ, our Lord.”

Wow! Such a bold statement from someone who is known first and foremost as a secular artist. Could you imagine what a stir this would cause if someone higher up the music chain said something similar? In a world of watering down our faith, Parrish fully displays his beliefs for all to see.

“The Great I Am” follows suit properly. On this track, Parrish uses a very personal name for God that most readers of the Bible will know: The Great I Am. When Parrish announces, “The Great I Am will reign,” every believer will feel a shiver down their spine.

“Son of Man” closes out the album without shying away from Parrish’s mission: to bring glory to his God.

“Jesus paid the price for you and I” may not be the most profound lyrics, but they are true and from the artist’s heart. Just like elsewhere on the album, Parrish refuses to shy away from speaking what is seen as very controversial these days, but controversy is not necessarily a bad thing here. Controversy sparks conversation, and conversation builds understanding.

While ‘EvangelCore 1’ is a good album, one can’t help but hope for a little more individuality within the music on the next album. Good artists mimic the sounds of other greats like Disturbed, Creed, and a little bit of Daughtry, but great artists break the mold, forging a sound unlike anyone currently signed.

If Peyton Parrish stamped his own originality on this project, there is no telling how far this album could go. As is, ‘EvangelCore 1’ simply gets a passing grade. Nothing more, nothing less.

What is your favorite track on ‘EvangelCore 1 ‘?

Listen to ‘EvangelCore 1′:

 

 

 

 

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