Nate Parrish has just released his new album, Soul Surgery. It is full of the punk rock anthems and sharp and insightful lyrics that fans have come to expect from him.
The album starts out with “Purpose in Pain,” a strong opening track. The raucous drum beat infuses the song with an infectious energy that carries throughout the album. The bass line flows seamlessly beneath the lively guitars, and the vocal harmonies in the chorus are on point. In our lives there will be both sunshine and rain, both good times and bad, but we learn and grow from both. By shifting our perspective, we can find the purpose in our pain. “Attention Junkies” speaks perfectly of the world today. How often do we get caught up in scrolling through social media to numb the reality of our lives, or to make our lives seem perfect. We can get addicted to the attention, but none of this feeds our soul. “Attention Junkies” starts off with an animated drum beat and a fun sax solo, giving the song a bit of a different energy.
Next up is title track “Soul Surgery,” a good representation of the themes on the whole album. We can’t simply put a band-aid on a deep wound and expect it to heal, or medicate our symptoms and expect that to fix the underlying issue. Sometimes we need a deeper solution, a soul surgery, to remedy the real issues and change the way we think, bringing forth a rebirth of our soul. “Death By Self Preservation” has a bit of a different beat and feel to it, still an energetic beat on the drums, but not the frenetic driving rhythm of previous songs. It begins with a catchy guitar riff, mirroring the melody of the song. The lyrics cut deep and make you think. Are we living up to our true purpose that God has set for us, or do we become complacent and settle for uniformity? As the song ponders, “is living really worth risking your life?”
“Bullets and Blades” has a catchy melody and a dynamic bass line that helps maintain the forward momentum of the song. About halfway through, the sax reemerges for another superb solo. After the solo, the band drops down, allowing Parrish’s passionate voice to pierce through with an earnest call to stop focusing on settling scores if unity is what we are truly fighting for. Many in society want only to cause division and discontent, and use that as ammunition to further their cause. But we can bring an end to that if we stop giving them what they want, if we refuse to be the bullet in their gun. “In the Storm” has a bit of the feel of a hymn, lyrically and melodically, but with Nate Parrish’s signature punk attitude. The lyrics are reassuring that no matter what storm we go through in life, the Lord will be there for us. Even when the dark clouds come and obstruct our view of the heavens, we can have faith in the promise that God will never leave nor forsake us.
“This Is Who We Are” is the perfect way to wrap up the album. It reflects the exciting punk energy of the opening track, and lyrically wraps up the themes from the entire album quite well. As Parrish states, this life can often feel like we’re on a “journey to heaven through hell.” We encounter many storms and difficulties throughout our life that can cause us to veer off course, but none of that defines us. If we’ve made a relationship with God our anchor, and have allowed Him to do some painful but necessary soul surgery, we will come out on the other side stronger. Faith is not just something we turn to when it’s convenient for us, but it defines us. It is who we are.
Nate Parrish is quite the talented musician, and that is fully evident on Soul Surgery. His guitar playing saturates the album with an intensity to match his fierce lyrics, which are often a social commentary on the state of the world today. And while dwelling on such things too much can often bring one down, this album offers a hope that can only be found beyond the problems of this world, when we reach out to our Creator and Heavenly Father.