It took me a few listens but now I’m fairly certain they’re screaming “cut their…cut their…cut their fucking heads off!” in the middle of the song “Broken Idol” not, “goddamn..goddamn..goddamn fucking bastards!” as I initially thought. First, are we allowed to curse in these reviews? Management? Anyone? Secondly, it’s a testament to Boston-based LUNGLUST’s sheer awesomeness that I gave their album, “Repetition is Hell”, more than a cursory listen or two. Look, I do my due diligence as a “music journalist” but, come on, I live in a world with Netflix and YouTube videos of skateboard accidents and increasingly improving episodes of Monday Night RAW; so the fact that I’ve dedicated a few hours solely to submerging myself in the metal hell-ride that is LUNGLUST’s newest means it’s pretty much album of the year in my book.

I wasn’t kidding about the “hell-ride” aspect. “Repetition is Hell” is a sinking descent into madness if that madness was soundtracked by SIEGE, NAILS, NEUROSIS, and MR. BUNGLE. Jumping from grindcore, to guitar-shredding metal, to hardcore breakdowns, to just plain weird noise over the album’s eight tracks with barely a moment to catch your breath, LUNGLUST has delivered us their master’s thesis on brutality. And I’m fairly certain they passed. Or failed? I have no idea how these things are graded? What I am certain of is that LUNGLUST is poised to become CONVERGE levels of popular the world over. Featuring members of other Boston heavyweights like ASCEND/DESCEND and having already shared the stage with luminaries like SIEGE and THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN, there’s no doubt in my mind your adolescent child will come home from school someday soon with a LUNGLUST shirt on and a note from their teacher suggesting a trip to the school psychologist. And for a band that traffics in chaos, there would be no higher honor. Available now digitally and on LP and tape (I think?) from War Fever Recordings.