Full disclaimer, I am not the biggest Deathcore fan or Death Metal fan. My knowledge on this music is limited compared to other sub genres of Metal. I love heavy, extreme, brutal music for the most part, but don’t often seek out Deathcore. Like many people, Lorna Shore is an exception however. I feel that Lorna Shore’s “To The Hellfire” is one of the most iconic Metal songs in two decades. This song is responsible for so many people getting in to this type of music, as evident on the comments on YouTube on the song and the Reaction videos. It’s not very often a Metal band goes viral for a good song, and Lorna Shore did this emphatically. That puts Lorna Shore in a very unique position in Extreme Metal or Deathcore to be on the world’s biggest stages. What they’ve done for the longevity of Metal is unprecedented. Between some of the most epic music we’ve ever heard and wholesome fan interactions that rival any VIP Experience, this band has a microscope put upon them by millions. This level of success has never been possible for this kind of music before Lorna Shore. I feel like there’s too many reasons to name to get into this band, even if they’re not typically your style of music. Their heartfelt, personal, uncensored, vulnerable lyrics combined with unrivaled technicality and an immersive ambience of descending into ethereal hell worlds is an experience like no other on the planet. Lorna Shore combines the lightness, the sensitivity and grandeur sounds of Classical Music with the most brutal Speed riffs and demonic sounds in a seemingly impossible feat. I don’t even know how this level of music is mixed, balanced, or played live on a regular basis. It’s like Dimmu Borgir, Death, Strapping Young Lad, and Vivaldi had a cursed offspring that bloomed into something beautiful. Whatever genre or style Lorna Shore is, it’s completely unexpected and so locked in that there’s nothing like it..
I wasn’t a fan of Pain Remains as much. Maybe I wasn’t in the right headspace to appreciate it, or maybe I just didn’t understand it. In time, I will probably come to love it when I come back around to it. My expectations for this new album were low. Heavy Music feels like it’s on a lull to me; most of it sounds like bands just going through the motions or heavy for the sake of being heavy with no purpose other than shock and brutal-ism. So the last thing I wanted was a Lorna Shore record in this point in time. I didn’t expect to like it or be able to even get through this album. “I Feel the Everblack Festering Within Me” is not even a shred of what I expected in the best way possible. I don’t review albums anymore unless it’s something innovative or thought provoking, and of course Lorna Shore achieved a spot on my blog. “I Feel the Everblack Festering Within Me” is an insane journey of sonic excellence. This album has everything I want in a Metal record, but at the highest level. The symphonic sounds are perfectly layered with the guitars from the incomparable Adam De Micco, who I think is one of the greatest guitarists of all time. The synths and orchestration is done by guitarist/bassist Andrew O’Connor and he did an impeccable job at it. The orchestration rivals any Symphonic Metal band in thirty years, and I mean that as a huge Symphonic Metal buff. I find “I Feel the Everblack Festering Within Me” to be more melodic and anthemic than any of their previous releases. Songs like Unbreakable, Glenwood, and Forevermore are gigantic songs that feel deserved of being played with a full orchestra and choir at Plovdiv or Sydney Opera House. Everywhere you think the album could go, it strafes and goes even grander. I am truly blown away by this album, which hasn’t happened this year by many releases for me. I never expected a Lorna Shore album to have a Celtic or Tolkien vibe to it. It works. The different sound to it freshens Lorna Shore’s sound in a way I didn’t expect. Listening to “I Feel the Everblack Festering Within Me” is an exhilarating and inspiring experience from beginning to end. There’s not a weak track. It is the most epic battle music. Every member is peak on this album. You will not be disappointed even as a first time listener. This is by far one of the greatest albums of the year and shockingly perfect from a band continually reinventing itself. Lorna Shore pushed every boundary, every theme, every ounce of their being with this album. Austin Archey on drums is always perfect, but this album is an unbelievable feat of Extreme Metal drumming that rivals anything else. He is a drummer for the ages. He doesn’t just blast, he utterly destroys laws of human anatomy and physics on every song. I cannot express how incredible he is. If nothing else, just listen to the drums on this record.
Overall, I do think this is Lorna Shore’s best album yet. It’s the most fully immersive and complete release I’ve heard since Ramos joined the band. Some of his demon noises get a bit repetitive and don’t really add much, but the technicality and uniqueness is surely a novelty. I think this album sets itself apart from any heavy record of the year, because it’s not just heavy for shock and awe. This level of brutality is well thought out, intentional, and meaningful. It is not for attention, it’s for art. It’s like the utter despair and pain Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy expressed in Extreme Metal form. It’s all class, no filler, and fantastic composition. If you’re a reader of this blog, you know how much I love “Wall of Sound” production style, and this album nails that completely deep and wide listening experience. The wall is an infinite abyss. It is a cacophony, and I absolutely love it. It doesn’t get any better than “I Feel the Everblack Festering Within Me” in 2025. This is a huge album of the year contender for me. No spoilers, but Forevermore might be one of my favorite songs of all time.
Links:
https://centurymedia.store/pages/lorna-shore-i-feel-the-everblack-festering-within-me
https://lornashoreband.com/pages/about
[photo credit: Daniel Sommer] 
Metal Valkyrie 