{"id":568994,"date":"2026-04-07T02:38:11","date_gmt":"2026-04-07T02:38:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/568994\/"},"modified":"2026-04-07T02:38:11","modified_gmt":"2026-04-07T02:38:11","slug":"lost-society-hell-is-a-state-of-mind-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/568994\/","title":{"rendered":"Lost Society – Hell Is A State Of Mind Review"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Maybe it\u2019s the state of the world burning around me. Maybe it\u2019s some sort of sadomasochistic impulse, an act of self-flagellation born out of just wanting to feel something after four straight 3.0s. Somehow, I ended up with the monster-energy-encrusted promo for Hell Is A State Of Mind, the latest serving from Lost Society. For the uninitiated, Lost Society is a Finnish band that once upon a time (2013) dropped a fun and in-your-face thrash debut in the form of Fast Loud Death. Since then, the corruption from the profane phylactery at Nuclear Blast\u2019s core must have gotten to the band, because they\u2019ve morphed into purveyors of schizophrenic, genre-mashing radio rock that makes N\u00fc metal\u2019s heyday seem tasteful. As defender of the N\u00fc faith, I reckon I have a higher tolerance than most for this sort of schlock, and the singles were garishly awful in a way that only over-produced Euro label money could conjure. There\u2019s no way this whole album is good\u2026 right?<\/p>\n

On Hell Is A State Of Mind, Lost Society sound like what would happen if you threw Jeris Johnson, Ronnie Radke (Falling in Reverse) and Corey Taylor (Stone Sour and his solo stuff specifically) into a cage fight and made them all compete for an audience share of divorced dads who \u201cmiss when rock was dangerous\u201d and TikTok-obsessed teenagers who think Sleep Token is a little \u201ctoo mature.\u201d Across the tracklist, Lost Society mash together over-the-top orchestral electronic beats (\u201cBlood Diamond), contemporary tough-guy buttrock stylings (\u201cDead People Scare Me (But The Living Make Me Sick)\u201d), and overwrought, commercial emo-tinged power balladry (\u201cIs This What You Wanted\u201d) into a sonic amalgamation unlike anything I\u2019ve ever heard. There\u2019s plenty of popular radio rock and metalcore that clumsily mixes other styles with crunchy guitars into a Liquid Metal-approved chorus-focused mush but Lost Society\u2019s take on it is genuinely unhinged in a way I almost begrudgingly respect. A song like opener \u201cAfterlife\u201d blends trap beats, syncopated djent guitars, electronic wubs, fast scream-rapping, synthetic strings, and autotuned vocal harmonies with such irreverence that it almost works, and it isn\u2019t alone on the track list. Like most of the record tho, it\u2019s handicapped by an overpowering \u201cedginess\u201d that you could prick your finger on.<\/p>\n

In many ways, the sensibilities of Hell Is A State Of Mind feel largely dictated by what would seem cool at your local Hot Topic circa 2007. The lyrics on this thing consist entirely of clich\u00e9 aphorisms (\u201cNo Longer Human\u201d), half-baked meditations on mortality (\u201cHell Is A State Of Mind\u201d), and eyeroll-inducing \u201cdevil\/angel\u201d metaphors (\u201cSynthetic.) In combination with the constantly shifting, in-your-face musical palette, the result is an album that I would\u2019ve been embarrassed listening to in middle school, much less now. Vocalist\/guitarist Samy Elbanna is a commanding and charismatic presence on the mic who sounds confident screaming, rapping, and singing throughout but lines like \u201cAsphyxiating, I\u2019m high again \/ Your love is a chemical, and I want it all\u201d and \u201cOut of time like a heretic tic tic tic tic toc, trickshot, cold, I\u2019m a sick fuck\u201d make it utterly impossible to take any of this seriously. More than anything, a full listen of this record means wading through a near-lethal amount of cringe.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

To the band\u2019s credit, Lost Society does accomplish some feats here that are exciting on a songwriting and production level. They know how to write engaging hooks and instrumental parts, and how to arrange them in ways that don\u2019t feel nearly as obvious as some of their contemporaries; the genre acrobatics on display are genuinely impressive. Beyond the awful lyrics, \u201cSynthetic\u201d is a fun, danceable EDM- and darkwave-influenced banger with a nasty harmonized guitar solo and a satisfying escalation of intensity. \u201cL\u2019appel du vide\u201d features an interesting marriage of symphonic metal and classic \u201980s heavy metal high-speed riffing built on the bones of a more accessible radio-rock song. Everyone in this band can play their asses off, and there\u2019s no shortage of tasty production flourishes like little orchestral stabs or guitar melodies that would be fairly respectable in another context. Looking past the gut reaction to this intensely embarrassing music, the songcraft is at a significantly higher level than many of their contemporaries\u2014but it\u2019s in service of a sound that, for most underground metalheads, is unlistenable.<\/p>\n

Hell Is A State Of Mind is the sort of record I\u2019d show my metalhead friends over a round of beers so we can bask in its awful majesty. Lost Society have delivered an ostentatious slab of n\u00fc metal\/EDM\/heavy metal\/symphonic\/hard rock that\u2019s honestly impressive in its assured sonic depravity. Is it a good record? No\u2014not even close. But it\u2019s sure as hell entertaining.<\/p>\n

\ufeff<\/p>\n

Rating: 1.5\/5.0
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 256 kbps mp3
Label: Nuclear Blast<\/a>
Websites: facebook.com\/lostsocietyfinland<\/a> | instagram.com\/lostsocietyfi<\/a>
Releases Worldwide: March 6th, 2026<\/p>\n