Lunglust – “War At Home”
Just a few scant, scantily dressed years ago, I remember a favorite pastime of mine while meditating, practicing yoga, and eating vegan, dry yak turds and also, doing tai-chi- all that I frequently engaged in-
I actually do the latter. Oh, and previous one at that!
During these activities, I would then listen to local bands that maybe didn’t fall completely into the power violence/ D-beat camps. But these bands were tittering closely on a tightrope wire, so much so as if to almost falling in.
But these bands certainly toppled into the heavy hardcore style, as a loud and potent force.
These bands had metal like precision and aggression- barking, growling, death/hardcore vocals and pulverizing, abrasive music and words that were powerful, uncompromising, substantial and exciting.
I’m thinking of such bands as I Am Become Death, Suffer On Acid and this band- Lunglust.
All excellent and all at the top of their genre, their style. And all of them produced excellent music.
Not so sure how active those three bands are now. But all I can add is, I flunked my recent cognizant test and now, being that I’m white, I’m male and I’m old- I’ve been given the green light to pursue my dream of holding the highest position in this land.
I mean, could I be anything worse?
But in the meantime, which is a groovy time, which Jimi Hendrix once shrewdly pointed out- I’m here to remind you that Lunglust grabs you by the throat while slaughtering your eardrums with a desire to smash all previous expectations, preconceptions, misconceptions while wielding a musical sledgehammer towards your mind, soul and heart, magnificently succeeding.
Let’s listen to them in action:
“The Host” starts out slow and ominous with some arpeggiated, dissonant guitar but soon an avalanche of sludge like sound is dropped upon our unsuspecting ears lopping off our frontal lobes in a sonic like lobotomy. This song affects us as if an anvil full of terror, pain and destruction dropped upon our now, severely damaged brain. This song is full of foreboding dissonant music coupled with angry, screaming vocals and produces one terrific cacophony of energy, emotion and excitement. It also produces my favorite song on this excellent EP.
“Legacy” prowls out like a punch drunk boxer, reacting instinctively to the bell to go another round. But this song throws enough punches and hits to suggest that a vengeful comeback has been ignited with a tremendous output of emotion and desire, that is then translated into words and sound. This song may be slow but surely packs a wallop of unrelenting, unforgiving, propulsive, passionate power that may not always be remembered. But the emotions, thoughts and feelings it suggests- should and will, never be passé’.
After a short drum fill, “Slave To Faith” roars out at us like a speeding locomotive going into a dark tunnel with vocals so venomous and intense that it’s like Satin, himself, is driving. There’s some chugging stops and starts along the way but the aggressive, heavy force never sways or falters delivering a powerful, awesomely potent tune.
“The War At Home,” begins dark and intense as all their songs tend to do, but this one is more subdued and subtle. There’s cello-like guitar, bell-like atmospheric sounds and tympani-like hits of rhythm. This song somehow reminds me of “All Tomorrow Parties” by probably my favorite band, The Velvet Underground. Eventually, the gears are shifted and we’re thrust into a charging, heavy hardcore assault- but then the two moods are mixed eloquently, creating two great songs in the guise of one.
Lunglust and the music they play is not going away, even if them and some of the bands mentioned, eventually will be.
D-beat, power violence, grindcore will always be underground music but the hardcore punk/metal genre they’re aligned with, I predict, and I know, will never die out.
Because, maybe some sixty years ago when hippies were singing about love and peace and flowers in their hair, that sentiment, while not invalid, seems much less relevant today. Where we have wage disparity, a deadly pandemic, riots in the streets (Just like the sixties!), and people questioning that their democratic rights are being infringed upon because we’re stopping them from inflecting a deadly disease upon others.
“War At Home” is the name of this release and though, recorded three years ago- I’d say the title is pretty apt now.
And musically, at least, it’s unquestionable- Lunglust has clearly won that battle!
(Slimedog)
