Label: Wordlessness Records
Review by Tony Cannella
Hailing from Russia, The Lust plays Gothic Rock/Metal with a definite electronic/industrial edge. They formed in 2004 and that is the same year they released their debut album “Tangled”. Since then they have continued to release albums at a productive pace and their newest album “Decomposition Deluxe” is also their fifth, so they have been busy since their formation but one year before the band has released “One Life Ago” that is a compilation album made up primarily of rare tracks and alternate versions of some of their older songs.
The first six songs on “One Life Ago” are made up of unreleased tracks. The self-titled song starts things and right away I notice that their earlier stuff has more of an electronic/industrial edge to it. “Homely” is next and is definitely heavier than the previous song and places more emphasis on the guitars. The male grunt vocals are featured prominently on this one and this is the kind of stuff that I much prefer from The Lust. The Lust returns to the electronic sound for the next track “It’s a Freedom”. “Stronger” and a more rock version of the Sade song “Smooth Operator” brings the unreleased portion of the CD to a close. The Sade cover was an interesting choice, but The Lust certainly adds their own stamp to the song. The final six songs of this twelve song album features alternate versions, mixes and cuts of some of The Lust’s older material. I am not sure what this band sounded like before their latest (and excellent) album “Decomposition Deluxe” but from what I heard this is not a great representation of what this band is about. Having said that however, long time fans may come to enjoy the alternative takes of some of their songs, but in my opinion The Lust are at their best when they are playing their heavier stuff; still “One Life Ago” is an interesting release.
If “One Life Ago” was a mere compilation dedicated to who’s interested to deepen the band’s sound with some appetizing bonus tracks and b-sides, the things are getting serious with the full-lenght “Decomposition Deluxe” released via Sleazy Rider Records on 2011. The curious fact is that The Lust employs two lead singers who are drastically different from each other. The female Mirla has almost a Liv Kristine style to her voice whilst the male Yan (he also plays guitar) adds a rough, extreme style to the mix. It is difficult to compare bands, because someone might hear something totally different from you, but in listening to The Lust, Theatre of Tragedy (particularly their last two albums) is a band that comes to mind as a good comparison. 
After the electronic fueled intro “Visit of Mr. Nobody”, The Lust takes command with the crunchy and thrashy “It’s”. For the most part “Decomposition Deluxe” managed to hold my attention and proved to be an impressive album. As the album progresses you realize that female vocalist Mirla is the main singer with Yan lending his death growls here and there. That is a pretty good arrangement in my opinion as Mirla is more than capable of being the primary vocalist, and when Yan is called upon his voice packs a bigger impact (again in my opinion). The songs are played at a mostly upbeat tempo with plenty of crunchy guitar riffs, melody and some thrash metal like moments, with the exception of the largely acoustic closing instrumental “Between Two Worlds” which is actually quite a beautiful piece. I kept waiting for the vocals to come in and they never did, which was okay by me as this is a well played, well written instrumental. Other highlights include: “Nebula”, “Place I’ve Almost Been”, “Ever”,“Wrong Directions” and “Step From Day to Day”. For a band that has been around for as long they have, The Lust has certainly flown under the radar. On their new album “Decomposition Deluxe” however, it is definitely time that this Russian band will make themselves known to the masses.
Rating – 73/100
Rating – 90/100
Tracklist
“One Life Ago”
- One Life Ago
- Homely
- It’s a Freedom
- Stronger
- Smooth Operator
- Give It To Me
- Days In Black (Radio Cut)
- Dead End Love (Version 2003)
- Don’t Promise (Version 2003)
- Days in Black (Max Delmar Mix)
- Don’t Promise (Version 2003 Radio Cut)
- One Life Ago (DIY Mix)
“Deluxe Decomposition”
- Visit of Mr. Nobody
- It’s
- Nebula
- Place I’ve Almost Been
- Ever
- Take a Ride
- Wrong Directions
- Step From Day to Day
- Forever
- Between Two Worlds
Line Up
- Mirla – Vocals
- Yan – Vocals, Guitar
- Max – Keyboards
- Andy – Bass
- Marti – Drums