San Francisco’s Sophia Mengrosso released “Lust” on December 12th, her final single of 2025. Mengrosso is a classically trained opera singer and composer who’s found her place in rock and heavy metal, blending her voice with the raw intensity of the genre. She pulls from Evanescence, Nightwish, Metallica, Seether, and Halestorm to create her sound. Her debut full-length album Unforgiven dropped last year, dealing with strength, trauma, and empowerment across 13 tracks about her life, relationships, and how she’s overcome them.
She followed that up with “Fading Into Silence” earlier this year. “Lust” explores passion at its most dangerous and intoxicating. The song captures all-consuming desire, the kind that thrives despite the risk of burning out. Sophia Mengrosso has been vocal about using honesty in her process, examining her experiences and struggles as inspiration for her lyrics rather than seeing them as limitations.
Musically, the song has an epic melodic motif that is repeated across different instrumentation combinations like a character theme in a movie or play. The dramatic theater-like presentation courses through the veins of every element of this song, especially the vocal delivery. It has the sensibilities of symphonic metal but is a bit softer around the edges.
Sophia Mengrosso has carved out space where opera training and metal intensity meet without one undermining the other. “Lust” shows she’s not backing away from the heavier side of her sound while keeping the vocal sophistication that sets her apart. She’s planning to collaborate with like-minded artists and continue building a discography around strength and perseverance. For someone using music to process pain and create space for empowerment, “Lust” fits that mission without being heavy-handed about it.
