2023 has been Lorna Shore’s year. Since the release of “To The Hellfire” in 2021 has become the biggest band in the deathcore genre & quite frankly a household name within the metal scene. “The Pain Remains European Tour” sees the band reaching their biggest venues to date. Tonight a sold-out show at the legendary Kentish Town Forum.
2 ‘500 strong deathcore fans have gathered to celebrate Lorna Shores’ well-deserved success. And with a stellar tour package featuring some of the elitist touring bands, tonight is going to be marvellous.
Opening up tonight’s show is Rotterdam’s DISTANT. One of the bands riding the current wave of deathcore bands is getting a big push from the modern generation of deathcore bands. The group has been on my radar for some time but tonight was the first time hearing them live. As soon as they hit the stage the crowd were already hungry for it. And you can tell a huge number of ticket holders are here for DISTANT.
Alan Grnja the band’s vocalist has a puppet master-like quality Commanding the audience between earth-shattering guttural lows.
The band may have heavy ass breakdowns but they are also able to bring great rhythm sections to their songs. Keeping it from being boring or stale, the group keeps your interest firmly on the stage & can hold it for the entirety of their performance. It might not be my favourite style of deathcore but what they offer is still very challenging & impressive to a generation of cookie-cutter bands. DISTANT has something special up its sleeve.
Next up are the ever-amazing Slamchester boys in Ingested.
Seeing the group kill it at the same venue earlier in the year at the Cannibal Corpse tour was a delight & so was tonight. Whenever Ingested are in town you are always in for a great night.
“Shadows in Time” now a staple for the band feels like a great first song to get the crowd warmed up & the pits starting early. Ingested are now OG’s when it comes to the deathcore/death metal genre.
They have toured the globe more times than you can count on legendary packages, but they are still each year & every time I see them they can make it feel like the first time seeing the group. Kicking it is an exciting & fun show always.
Bringing out a classic with “Skinned and Fucked” was a great surprise to see on such a big show for the band but it also felt like a lesson for the modern generation on how death metal should be done. The pits for this were ridiculous & that’s how it should be for such a UKDM classic.
Closing out their set with “Echoes of Hate” the band can justify just how much of a powerhouse they are. No matter where on a bill the band are, opening, between bands or headline Ingested will always blow the fucking roof off!
Now the main supporters are Pennsylvania’s RIVERS OF NIHIL. Coming out to Robocop’s main theme was a pure delight before smashing into “The Silent Life”.
Rivers Of Nihil always brings a different & nice diversity to a lineup. They are heavy as hell boarding on tech death but they also lean heavily into progressive elements which give the line up a nice break-up from the constant barrage of breakdowns.
In the last few years, the group’s lineup has changed and bassist Adam Biggs is handling bass & vocal duties & I must say he’s killing it. Having a great presence & a fantastic vocal delivery the band are in great bands.
As the band closes out their set with the modern epic “Where Owls Know My Name” the new era of River Of Nihil feels like something special. And with that, they were able to grab the audience & for sure leave a huge impact!
https://www.riversofnihil.com/
As the show is closing to its end the anticipation for our headliners is unreal. Lorna Shore takes the stage to an ear-shattering scream from the audience as they smash into “Welcome Back, O’ Sleeping Dreamer”.
The stage production the band has been able to create for this tour is one of the most impressive I’ve seen all year. A fantastic stage setup of cold steel, a million flashing lights & great pyro shows the band’s epic stage show matches their epic music.
Through the set, we get some special appearances from Jason of Ingested & Alan Grnja of Distant. And as the set builds the band unleashes into “To the Hellfire”, which resulted in the biggest pit I’ve seen of the year. It’s so great to see a hardworking band who’s been road dogs for years & finally get the chance to showcase how great they are to thousands of loyal fans was a special thing.
The bands return for their encore, playing the Pain Remains trilogy is a beautiful way to cap off a superb night for the band. Whatever “hype” is around the band is well deserved. These guys are fantastic musicians and truly can hold onto the mantle of the current kings of modern deathcore. 2024 is going to be a big year for these guys that’s for sure!
Review: Joseph Mitchell
Photography: Tony Giannattasio
Band Members:
Will Ramos – Vocals
Adam De Micco – Guitar
Andrew O’Connor – Guitar
Michael Yager – Bass
Austin Archey – DrumsSocial Media Links:
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