Review: Lorna Shore – I Feel the Everblack Festering Within Me

September 12, 2025

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The pain still, still remains.

Modern metal has a few names on everyone’s lips for good and bad reasons. From accessible artists like Ghost and Falling in Reverse, scene and core alums in the vein of Pierce the Veil and Dance Gavin Dance, thrash and death torch carries like Orbit Culture, divisive genre benders like Sleep Token and President, modern nu metalers like Tallah and extreme provocateurs like Slaughter to Prevail, one of the most talked about still is Lorna Shore. Since the lead up, roll out and aftermath of their previous effort, 2022’s Pain Remains, the Lorna Shore machine has been chugging, thrashing, moshing and burning through all corners of the scene. Love them or hate them, their new release, I Can Feel the Everblack Festering Within Me, is one of the highest profile releases of the entire year. Feeling very much linked to the record that came before it, this is a flag planting exclamation of the band’s commitment to brutality, riffage, and abrasiveness. It takes no prisoners, and while it’s not the full departure into experimentation some hoped it would be, this is another example as to why this band has such a devoted following and is on everyone’s minds. They have a thrilling formula they stick to and drill it into your skull ad nauseam.

Running through the lineup, there is a mix of seasoned metal vets here and the band displays cohesion, confidence and a penchant for destruction. Obviously, Will Ramos is the face and voice of this band. His devastating collection of screams, gutturals, shrieks, and wails have set him as a large looming voice in this generation of vocalists. He shines as expected here and leads the charge on this punishing voyage. Long time lead guitarist Adam De Micco really shines here as well, bringing a sense of classically-tinged shredding to the project that elevates the material exponentially. Austin Archey on drums is an absolute machine. As a drummer myself, I’m convinced he is either part cyborg or secretly is The Flash with how high speed yet precise his movements are. Andrew O’Connor on rhythm guitar brings in the necessary textures and complements the lead parts wonderfully. While the symphonic elements and production slightly numbs the bass presence on cursory listen, Michael Yager has some excellent bass and backing vocal contributions. This being the same lineup as their prior album, the cohesion is palpable and lays the foundation to a truly vicious listening experience.

Opening number “Prison Of Flesh” sets the tone for the rest of the project. At an exact 7 minutes in length the electronic, highly-produced cinematic opening immediately catches the attention of all those in its vicinity. Triggered pounding double kicks and snares give way to a brief reprieve—a momentary pause before Will Ramos begins his all out vocal battery on the listener. Around 2 minutes in there is a melodic chorus that brings in some Gothenburg tech death vibes and inklings of Viking metal à la Amon Amarth. It sounds cool but is slightly out of place with other Lorna Shore bits before. Inklings of experimentation and venturing out of comfort zones into a pounding pig squealing bit, there is so much stacked on in this opener it’s hard to pick it apart piece by piece. The track lengths on this album (with the exception of one track) are all over 5 minutes. That melodeath bit returns with blaring synths, giving this segment a victorious proclamation and introduction before a symphonic shredding guitar solo with accompanied heavy sludge bass and kinetic drumming. This track succeeds in telling a fully realized story that brings back bits of all the little breadcrumbs laid by the band. The ending breakdown is absolutely brutal. Wil has already shown off a massive diversity of screams and gutturals in this very exciting (if not slightly overstuffed) opener.

“Oblivion” gives off horror movie-esque vibes. Similarly to the first track there is a stronger sense of verse and melody on this song compared to some of their earlier material. That said, it’s still absolutely brutal and not compromising the vision and standards of symphonic deathcore. This feels like a newer style that I’ll call “Cinematic Deathcore.” These tracks feel like sprawling three act epics. The replayability of each track might be questionable but in the moment they’re exciting, gripping, all-consuming and a bit overstimulating, especially for some casual metal fans that might check this out of curiosity since Lorna’s name and reputation have increasingly become more popular over the last few years. This one feels even more fully realized than the last track with Will sounding possessed and another headbang-inducing breakdown. I love the snare tone on this one; you can never have enough blast beats and symphonic crescendos and this track has them in spades—A truly impressive cut. A reprieve at 5 minutes sets up an unnerving run of vocals and a well-executed breakdown with the bass and drums creating a battering ram under Will’s distorted guttural disemboweling. This section goes on for slightly too long but is interspersed with a well-timed synth passage with the production pushing Will to the back, setting the stage for the rest of the band to come crashing back in. While not the most dramatic or impressive, Will’s shrieking wails around the 7-minute mark are spine-tingling. The synths are really adding a lot; I wasn’t expecting to like them as much. Just like the last track, another classically-influenced symphonic djenty solo masterfully rings out to let the electronic elements of the song end this odyssey, leaving me speechless and anticipating what’s next.

Angelic choir vocals open “In Darkness.” Will’s vocals bring equal parts triumphant choral cry and savage instrumentation. Again we hear a more melodic but still harsh vocal performance. These songs feel fully formed. I think some diehard Lorna fans might see this record as more accessible to newcomers while others might label it as focused. Again and again I could hear those drum fills and blast beats all day, this one must be absolutely killer live. The instruments drop out for an anthemic guitar solo and subtle driving drums that grow to another multi-pronged flashy demonstration of how technically gifted these gents are.. These first three songs are slightly formulaic in structure but each track does have its own standout moments.

The opening synths of the next track, “Unbreakable,” give off theatrical power metal vibes. The percussion explodes hard into another all-out barrage. This track knows when to cut lose and when to pull back and let the dramatic flare breathe. This is another that probably slays live. These songs are all fitting well together uniformly, maybe a bit too well as everything blends together. It’s a bit of a double-edged sword situation; on one hand this is a cohesive album that has a good flow. On the other side everything feels samey and at points even slightly monotonous. Those who love the Lorna Shore sound will have an awesome time with this, those who want them to attempt something daring will get it in small doses but might tire after the repetition. If you’re not a Lorna Shorian then this won’t be the record that converts you. The defiant outcry of “WE ARE UNBREAKABLE” into an incomprehensible breakdown is too much fun.

“Glenwood” is a personal favorite. The opening of this isn’t as heavy compared to the prior tracks but the exclamations of “Can we go back!?” with the emotive instrumentation really has a lot of power to it. After a minute the intensity kicks in. Between the last track and this one, the album hits its stride after the first three had a bit of a beginning-middle-end style that left the direction of the album already feeling like we climaxed and were on the denouement. Those first three tracks alone would have made a solid enough EP, but cuts like this one show why the album has the length and effort put into it. While it does slightly overstay its welcome, its soaring guitar work, melancholic pained shrieks and heavy rhythm section keep me hooked. Much like the last few songs there’s another great guitar solo. I feel there is a checklist the band is following to put certain aspects into each track. They lose some points for predictability but those points are added back for them doing it so well.

The mystical opening of “Lionheart” made up of hushed whispers and tribal drum accents sets the stage for the band to continue their all out auditory eradication of the listener’s hearing. Such fury and explosiveness—between the d-beats, blast beats and unrelenting pulse-pounding stick play on display, this track earns its title. This is another that once again leads to a thrilling guitar solo. While I do feel like Bill Murray in “Groundhog Day,” it happens to be one of my favorite movies so I don’t mind. The last minute of this track almost loses me when they try to do the big crowd amp up moment but once again they are playing their hands off here so of course I’m going to go along with it. While the record is well-produced and mixed, everything sounds in place and in time, some of the production choices do make the performances feel a little artificial at times but that is to be expected with this genre.

“Death Can Take Me” has such a wondrously desolate musical pallet. The gloomy atmosphere sets its opening apart as a gothic exercise in tension building. Definitely one of the more aggressive lions in the pride. The pit during this song probably has a lot of karate happening. As mentioned countless times, it’s all very well packaged and presented. Though there’s satisfying guitar work, the bass isn’t as present as I’d want it to be on these tracks but it meshes well with the drums and the symphonic elements add a lot in the background. This is another cut where the synths add a necessary element of gravitas. As one of the longer numbers on the record, it might lose some people, but I would say it’s another example of their cinematic deathcore style. These songs all feel like arthouse thrillers. The last minute of the track feels like it’s going to be a pure atmospheric fade into obscurity but then Will unleashes an absolutely unhinged run of gutturals that took me aback the first time I heard them. Your mom might not like it, but I thought it was pretty gnarly.

One of the most savage cuts from the project is “War Machine.” It starts with some spacey synth work and militaristic snare rolls; before long, the title of the song becomes clear when the backing noises turn into human shrieks. It’s off-putting but sets the stage for another barn burning blitzkrieg. There are shades of groove metal in this one, pretty satisfying. Again this track shares the same strengths and weaknesses; make of that what you will. The solo here went on for slightly longer, again those guitar bits are so exhilarating. The breakdown shifts the whole dynamic of the song near the end but certainly makes this one of the more unique songs in the record’s repertoire.

“A Nameless Hymn” brings us into the final stretch of the record. It begins with noises straight out of a ritual sacrifice; the shrieks on display are absolutely hair-raising. There are heavier bands; there are more extreme bands; its not a contest, but there is something about how Lorna Shore presents their brand of brutality that keeps me on the edge of my seat. The symphonic elements in the background of this track during Ramos’s goblin vocal runs invoke feelings of Danny Elfman compositions. Really fascinating, giving this track another gothic swashbuckling feeling akin to the Tim Burton “Batman” or Guillermo Del Toro “Hellboy” Movies. “We are forsaken” is going to sound so menacing when an entire crowd echoes the lyrics throughout a darkened, chaotic venue. It seems like each track tries to outdo each prior cut in terms of how ridiculously heavy the breakdowns can be. This one might just take the cake. Downright apocalyptic.

At long last, quoth the raven, “Forevermore” is our big finale, clocking in at a hair under 10 minutes. The big finale takes time to build up. Beginning with siren-esque sooth sayings this number lures the auditorily battered listener into a cathartic sense of enlightenment. The song truly kicks off about a minute and half in with the same triumphant feelings. This has been one vicious, exhilarating (but admittedly same sounding) thrill ride. Some of my favorite guitar playing is present here. The piano at the second soft remission is a welcomed touch. The symphonic mesh overtakes the listener until Will breaks through again to bring the song into another harsh verse. While it’s so unrelenting it gets disorienting to try and pick individual performances out, just the sheer amount of ambition and instrumental talent on display here is ridiculously impressive. At 6 minutes in when the next “intermission” mercifully cradles the listener you have to wonder “what are they going to do next to draw this out for another 3 minutes?” The angelic choral arrangement here blending into the guitar solo is a thing of beauty, maybe one of my favorite moments on the album from an emotional standpoint. The neoclassical guitar makes one defiant last stand and like its brethren echoed in previous tracks; this one is well rounded, precise and captivating, bringing us back in one more time for a taste of harshness and finally relenting into a calming divine string arrangement like a mix of ocean waves and piano keys brings this journey to a close……

I Feel the Everblack Festering Within me is a dark fantasy epic, equal parts titanic, theatrical bombast and reliable yet formulaic deathcore excess. Lorna Shore knows who they are and they’re on a war path. While this record might let down those who want a bold new direction for the band and won’t indoctrinate any naysayers, those who can tolerate longer length tracks are in for a treat here. Much like their previous project, Pain Remains, this is a super cohesive and satisfying listening experience for those with a taste for this style of music. Traditional metal fans might want something more standard and casual metal fans might find this album inaccessible (even though this feels like the most accessible record of theirs in recent memory). With that being said, the sheer crushing weight of this album isn’t for everyone and might not facilitate replays but I can see loyal fans of this group satisfied and hungry for more to come.