Article By: Pat ‘Riot’ Whitaker ‡ Edited By: Leanne Ridgeway
From the Windy City of Chicago, comes the introductory release from the one-man entity that is SOUL ATTRITION.
‘Vashon Rain‘, July’s full-length release from this project masterminded by multi-instrumentalist Josh Parlette, is a true musical tour de force. If Parlette’s name seems familiar, it might be due to his place as bassist in the Second City-based Escape Is Not Freedom.
Within SOUL ATTRITION, Josh handled guitars, bass, percussion programming, and vocals while recording at Howl Street Recordings. Shane Hochstetler assisted with additional recording and production duties, and the results are quite fascinating. They are so because of their uniqueness and alluring stylistic qualities, melding grunge, post-metal, doom, and alt/goth rock into an oft haunting amalgamation.
Songs such as “Sinking“, “Remission“, and “Euclid” constantly emit dark shadowing in their somber, gloomy dole. Each stays in the mid-tempo range and despite their knack for moroseness, possesses an uplifting quality to them.
Other cuts are rife with more melodic transmissions, even bordering on emotive psych-rock like that found in “Fatal Flaw“, the “Vashon Rain” title track, or the powerful “Unexpected Affront“. The tinges of seeming despair in the latter song are nicely dispersed by the turn into passages of heavier jamming used to offset them.
Then there’s the downtrodden deluge of doom delivered with “Thirteen“, my own favorite track here. With crushing avalanches of very Type O Negative-like music and vocals that at times render a sense of agitation, the song is quite impressive.
In fact, Josh Parlette, operating as SOUL ATTRITION, has yielded an impressive work of heaviness with the “Vashon Rain” album. I invite you to experience it for yourself here in our review or glide on over to Bandcamp HERE for further streaming and purchase options.
