# Peyton Parrish
**Peyton Parrish** (born 1996) is an American singer known for a throaty blend of Viking-inspired rock, metal, and country, and for cover songs rebuilt with a heavier, cinematic edge[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/peyton-parrish-mn0004130711). He broke through in 2020 with a cover of "My Mother Told Me," a song from the video game *Assassin's Creed Valhalla* based on the Icelandic poem *Egil's Saga*, and his profile rose further when the track was used in the television series *[Vikings](https://www.edgepedia.org/vikings-tv-series)*[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/peyton-parrish-mn0004130711). Since then he has released a rapid run of albums spanning [Viking metal](https://www.edgepedia.org/viking-metal), Disney covers, and, most recently, [Christian rock](https://www.edgepedia.org/christian-rock).[2](https://music.apple.com/us/artist/peyton-parrish/789938918)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1996[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/peyton-parrish-mn0004130711) |
| Breakthrough | 2020 viral cover of "My Mother Told Me" from *Assassin's Creed Valhalla*, featured in the TV series *Vikings*[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/peyton-parrish-mn0004130711) |
| Debut album | *Cowboy Man* (2020), with the single "Ragnarök" and a cover of the Cranberries' "Zombie"[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/peyton-parrish-mn0004130711) |
| Viking album | *Rise of Vikingr*, 16 tracks in 51 minutes 21 seconds, released on Parrish Entertainment[3](https://www.allmusic.com/album/rise-of-vikingr-mw0004097848) |
| Disney covers album | *The Most Magical Album on Earth* (2023), with songs from *Aladdin*, *Mulan*, and others[4](https://crypticrock.com/peyton-parrish-soul-album-review/) |
| Chart peak | *Soul* became the #1 album in the USA, Finland, Germany, and the Czech Republic on its release day, January 5, 2024[4](https://crypticrock.com/peyton-parrish-soul-album-review/) |
| Latest direction | *EvangelCore 1* (2025), a Christian rock album following the single "Gates of Glory"[5](https://eternalflames.co.uk/en/news-gb/new-music/peyton-parrish-gates-of-glory-evangelcore-1) • [2](https://music.apple.com/us/artist/peyton-parrish/789938918) |
## Early life and online start
AllMusic's biography places Parrish's birth in 1996 in Washington, D.C., with a family move to Los Angeles, where he became interested in music in high school; he later moved back to Washington and earned a bachelor's degree[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/peyton-parrish-mn0004130711). A concert-listing page instead gives Tarzana, California, as his birthplace, in 1996[6](https://www.bandsintown.com/a/6253227-peyton-parrish?came_from=21); the year 1996 is the only detail the two accounts share. After college he began posting a mix of cover songs and originals online, and released several EPs, including *Vaccine* and *Thank God for You* in 2019[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/peyton-parrish-mn0004130711). A review in Cryptic Rock notes he had been putting out music from 2016 onward before his breakout[4](https://crypticrock.com/peyton-parrish-soul-album-review/).
## Breakthrough with "My Mother Told Me"
In 2020 Parrish's cover of "My Mother Told Me," the *Assassin's Creed Valhalla* theme, went viral and was featured on the television show *Vikings*, and he released his debut full-length album *Cowboy Man* the same year, featuring the single "Ragnarök" and a cover of the Cranberries' "Zombie"[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/peyton-parrish-mn0004130711). A later Viking-metal reworking of the song was sung in [Old Norse](https://www.edgepedia.org/old-norse) and drew on [video game culture](https://www.edgepedia.org/video-game-culture), and his audience grew through Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube[7](https://valkyrjian.ca/2022/08/09/peyton-parrish-unveils-a-striking-cover-of-my-mother-told-me-with-a-viking-metal-twist/). He also recorded a guest duet version of [Miracle of Sound](https://www.edgepedia.org/miracle-of-sound)'s "Valhalla Calling" in 2021[2](https://music.apple.com/us/artist/peyton-parrish/789938918).
## The Viking era
**Rise of Vikingr.** Parrish's Viking- and metalcore-inspired album *Rise of Vikingr* arrived with guest spots by Lone Wolf and David Michael Frank[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/peyton-parrish-mn0004130711). Dating is inconsistent across services: AllMusic's biography places it in 2021, while both the Apple Music album page (August 29, 2022) and AllMusic's album page (August 20, 2022) date it to 2022[8](https://music.apple.com/us/album/rise-of-vikingr/1634573596?at=10l9W2&ct=item&uo=4) • [3](https://www.allmusic.com/album/rise-of-vikingr-mw0004097848). The 16-track album opens with "Bardagi," built on chants and heavy drums, and features collaborations with Lone Wolf on "Dane" and David Michael Frank on "Helgafjell"[9](https://radioactive-mag.com/peyton-parrish-rise-of-vikingr-album-review/). Themes follow Viking life, love, war, and family.[9](https://radioactive-mag.com/peyton-parrish-rise-of-vikingr-album-review/)
**Skalds of Metal.** In 2023 Parrish released two albums. *The Most Magical Album on Earth*, issued first, compiled thirty Disney soundtrack covers running from *Aladdin* (1992) to *Mulan* (1998)[4](https://crypticrock.com/peyton-parrish-soul-album-review/). About six months later came *Skalds of Metal*, an album of original songs with further Norseman influence in its lyrics and musical tones[4](https://crypticrock.com/peyton-parrish-soul-album-review/). Reception of this material varied among critics: one album review acknowledged Parrish as a technically competent vocalist while criticizing the songwriting and the metalcore and nu metal instrumentation[10](https://wherestridesthebehemoth.wordpress.com/2023/12/11/album-review-peyton-parrish-skalds-of-metal/).
## Independent success and the shift to Christian rock
*Soul* opened 2024. Released on January 5 on his own label, it reached the number-one album position in the USA, Finland, Germany, and the Czech Republic within its first day, ahead of releases by artists including [Chris Stapleton](https://www.edgepedia.org/chris-stapleton) and [Taylor Swift](https://www.edgepedia.org/taylor-swift), without backing from a major label[4](https://crypticrock.com/peyton-parrish-soul-album-review/). The reviewer rated it 4 out of 5 stars, crediting Parrish's singing as its selling point[4](https://crypticrock.com/peyton-parrish-soul-album-review/). Before the release, his catalog counted over 15 million YouTube views and 5 million streams across platforms[11](https://www.livewiremusic.org/home/peytonparrishnews05012024).
2024 brought two more albums, *Kingdoms of Magical Rock* and *The Voice of Peyton Parrish (Acapella Version)*[2](https://music.apple.com/us/artist/peyton-parrish/789938918). A further shift followed in 2025 with *EvangelCore 1*, an album of Christian rock that music coverage described as a pivot toward personal conviction that reframes, rather than discards, his earlier Viking era[5](https://eternalflames.co.uk/en/news-gb/new-music/peyton-parrish-gates-of-glory-evangelcore-1) • [12](https://eternalflames.co.uk/en/news-gb/peyton-parrish-reimagines-his-sound-%E2%80%9Cevangelcore-1%E2%80%9D-and-the-voice-of-valhalla-singing-the-gospel). Singles such as "The Thunder Rolls," "Hurt," and "With Arms Wide Open" in 2025, and "Free" and "Sanctified" dated 2026, continue the covers-and-identity direction[2](https://music.apple.com/us/artist/peyton-parrish/789938918).
## Performing career
Parrish tours actively. He presented *Skalds of Metal* live at Trix in Antwerp on February 6, 2024[13](https://dumpmagazine.be/ShowNews/Photo_report__Peyton_Parrish), and an upcoming 2026 run of North American dates includes Nashville, Minneapolis, San Antonio, and Denver venues[14](https://www.eventworld.com/peyton-parrish-tickets/performer/24164).
## References
1. [Peyton Parrish — Biography, AllMusic (Matt Collar)](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/peyton-parrish-mn0004130711)
2. [Peyton Parrish — Apple Music artist page](https://music.apple.com/us/artist/peyton-parrish/789938918)
3. [Peyton Parrish: Rise of Vikingr — AllMusic album page](https://www.allmusic.com/album/rise-of-vikingr-mw0004097848)
4. [Peyton Parrish — Soul (Album Review), Cryptic Rock, January 6, 2024](https://crypticrock.com/peyton-parrish-soul-album-review/)
5. [Peyton Parrish: The New Viking Voice of Rock — "Gates of Glory" and EVANGELCORE 1, Eternal Flames](https://eternalflames.co.uk/en/news-gb/new-music/peyton-parrish-gates-of-glory-evangelcore-1)
6. [Peyton Parrish Concerts & Live Tour Dates, Bandsintown](https://www.bandsintown.com/a/6253227-peyton-parrish?came_from=21)
7. [Peyton Parrish unveils a striking cover of "My Mother Told Me" with a Viking Metal twist, Valkyrjian, August 9, 2022](https://valkyrjian.ca/2022/08/09/peyton-parrish-unveils-a-striking-cover-of-my-mother-told-me-with-a-viking-metal-twist/)
8. [Rise of Vikingr — Apple Music album page](https://music.apple.com/us/album/rise-of-vikingr/1634573596?at=10l9W2&ct=item&uo=4)
9. [Peyton Parrish "Rise Of Vikingr" Album Review, Radio:Active Magazine](https://radioactive-mag.com/peyton-parrish-rise-of-vikingr-album-review/)
10. [Album Review: Peyton Parrish – Skalds of Metal, Where Strides The Behemoth?, December 11, 2023](https://wherestridesthebehemoth.wordpress.com/2023/12/11/album-review-peyton-parrish-skalds-of-metal/)
11. [Viking Metaller Peyton Parrish drop new album "Soul," LiveWire Music](https://www.livewiremusic.org/home/peytonparrishnews05012024)
12. [Peyton Parrish Reimagines His Sound: "EvangelCore 1" and the Voice of Valhalla Singing the Gospel, Eternal Flames](https://eternalflames.co.uk/en/news-gb/peyton-parrish-reimagines-his-sound-%E2%80%9Cevangelcore-1%E2%80%9D-and-the-voice-of-valhalla-singing-the-gospel)
13. [Photo report: Peyton Parrish, Dumpmagazine, February 8, 2024](https://dumpmagazine.be/ShowNews/Photo_report__Peyton_Parrish)
14. [Peyton Parrish Tickets & 2026–2027 Tour Dates, Eventworld](https://www.eventworld.com/peyton-parrish-tickets/performer/24164)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musicians and ensembles › Individual musical biographies › Country, gospel, and western singers › Country pop and crossover singers › 2020s crossover singers*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 11, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license