Lorna Shore - 'I Feel The Everblack Festering Within Me' - Album Review

Lighthouse Music
5 days ago
3 min read

BACKGROUND. Call it a sign of greatness, clever marketing or actulual talent, but some bands don't just deserve the attention, they demand it. We have had many examples of such outfits in the past, some heavier than others, but prior to Lorna Shore, very few operated at the more extreme deathcore corner of the scene. The fact that part of that very same niche's OG fans openly hate them and blame them for killing the genre, make them even more attractive and noteworthy. Perhaps sometimes it is all of the three factors at the start mixed into one brilliant whole, on top of the discovery and rise of one of the brightest talents and genuine sweethearts Will Ramos at the very core of it all, and the rest is history.

BAND. No point delving deep into Lorna Shore's history, for you probably know it better, and really I am one of the imposters that jumped on the bandwagon with that iconic 3-track ...And I Return To Nothingness (2021). The EP did change the way I see the deathcore scene and the more extreme modern metal as a whole, and judging by the reaction and subsequent events, this was the case for many of us. Then came Pain Remains (2022) with that immortal, soul-drenching title track trilogy, elevating the newly formed De Micco - Archey - Ramos driving engine to new songwriting and performing highs. And now we are up to the third chapter of Lorna Shore's new history - their latest LP with the most appropriate title possible, I Feel The Everblack Festering Within Me.

ALBUM. Expectedly grand, grim and gloomy, befitting said album's title and the band's reputation. A potential magnum opus that is as seamlessly epic and unpretentiously triumphant as Lorna Shore should be in 2025, capitalising on their overnight success without a sign of complacency, and expanding their legacy with remarkable determination. Much like all of their releases, I Feel The Everblack Festering Within Me is not for everyone and certainly not for every occasion, but there are those dark and cataclysmic days of impending doom, and then this becomes the most appropriate soundtrack to staring into the abyss with eyes wide shut. The album is a journey through the darkest parts of the scene and undoubted must for new and old fans alike.

SONGS. A truly macabre yet marvelously triumphant experience, fuelled by all those small details and intricate nuances, polished to absolute perfection. The opening deathcore mayhem of 'Prison of Flesh', the trademark overly dramatic melodeath grandeur of 'Oblivion', the refreshingly accessible metalcore ralying cry of 'Unbreakable', the beathtaking key change and haunting whispers of 'In Darkness', the captivating progressions and endless layers of 'Glenwood', the envigorating and anthemic feel to 'Lionheart', the crushing transition between the solo and breakdown of 'Death Can Take Me', the stomping ending of 'War Machine', the gentle folky intro of 'Forevermore' and its bonechilling development, climax and ultimate song and album finale. A masterpiece of doom and gloom.

FUTURE. Going forward, there isn't much left for Lorna Shore to prove, and not many options for them to explore. So far, they have managed to maintain a fresh and consistent music output, coming very close to genre cliches but avoiding them masterfuly, flirting with mainstream. Their future now is as uncertain as with any other modern band, but for modern-era Lorna Shore, it is also the added pressure, attention and anticipation, and how they deal with them going into their most glorious years will determine their true legacy and status amongst the greatest.

Lorna Shore - 'I Feel The Everblack Festering Within Me'

Country: USA (NJ)

Released: 12 September

Label: Century Media

Tracklisting:

1. Prison of Flesh

2. Oblivion

3. In Darkness

4. Unbreakable

5. Glenwood

6. Lionheart

7. Death Can Take Me