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Album Review: Lorna Shore – I Feel The Everblack Festering Within Me

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Posted on 6th September 2025

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Review by Rick Eaglestone for MPM

There are moments in extreme metal where a band transcends the boundaries of their genre and creates something that feels both monumentally heavy and impossibly beautiful.

Lorna Shore’s latest offering, ‘I Feel The Everblack Festering’, is precisely one of those moments – a symphonic deathcore masterpiece that does not just push boundaries, it obliterates them entirely and rebuilds the landscape in its own terrifying image.

Will Ramos continues to cement his position as one of extreme metal’s most versatile and technically proficient vocalists. His range here is simply staggering – from the lowest guttural growls that seem to emerge from the earth’s core to piercing highs that could shatter glass, and everything in between. But it is not just the technical prowess that impresses; the emotional weight behind every scream, every whisper, every perfectly placed vocal accent that elevates these songs from mere technical exercises to genuine emotional experiences.

De Micco’s riffing has evolved, incorporating elements that feel fresh within the deathcore context while never abandoning the crushing heaviness that defines the genre. The interplay between his lead work and the orchestral arrangements creates moments of genuine beauty amidst the chaos – brief respites that make the return to brutality even more impactful. His solos, when they appear, are perfectly placed and serve the songs rather than simply showcasing technical ability.

Archey’s drumming is a masterclass in controlled chaos. The man’s ability to maintain groove and feel while executing some of the most technically demanding passages in modern deathcore is genuinely awe-inspiring. His blast beats have a musical quality that many drummers in this genre struggle to achieve, and his use of dynamics throughout the album shows a maturity that elevates the entire band’s performance.

Yager’s bass work, while often buried beneath the wall of sound, provides crucial low-end foundation that gives these songs their earth-moving power. In the quieter, more atmospheric moments, his playing certainly becomes more prominent and of course there is O’Connor and absolute conclave of sound to pull together the collective cinematically creating an abundance of atmosphere to already colossal machine. It’s all there – strings soar during a particularly devastating breakdown, or when choir vocals add an ethereal quality to an already haunting passage, the effect is nothing short of spine-tingling.

The album opens with a seven-minute stunner in the form of ‘Prison of Flesh’ which is not only a massive statement of intent but a track I could listen to on repeat whilst binging the more graphic elements of Alien Earth which is then followed by the bands blistering first single “Oblivion.”

Says vocalist Will Ramos of the track, “Writing this song felt like the culmination of all the things that we’ve done in the past, but brought to the next level; a more evolved version of what Lorna Shore truly is.” He adds, “I imagined a post-apocalyptic world in the (hopefully distant) future. A world where we have sown the seeds of our own destruction. The idea that we wished for better, hoped we were doing something that would help save us in this dying world, only to end up accelerating its inevitable destruction. This brings up the question; what is right? Do we even know what we’re doing? What have we done to try and actually change anything? Are we watering the earth or just feeding a constantly growing fire?”

Lyrically, the album explores themes of isolation, internal struggle, and the search for meaning in an increasingly chaotic world. While the vocal delivery often renders the words incomprehensible without consulting the lyric sheet, the emotional intent comes through clearly in Ramos’s performance. The lyrics themselves, when examined, reveal a band grappling with weighty philosophical and emotional concepts rather than relying on the gore-obsessed imagery that often plagues the genre.

The album’s pacing is expertly managed, with heavier moments balanced by atmospheric interludes that allow the listener to catch their breath before the next assault. This is not an album that beats you into submission through relentless brutality – though it’s certainly capable of that – but rather one that takes you on an emotional journey through its carefully constructed peaks and valleys.

From a technical standpoint, the album highlights a band at the absolute peak of their abilities. The polyrhythmic passages that have become a Lorna Shore trademark are more sophisticated than ever, yet they never feel like empty displays of technical prowess. Every complex time signature change, every intricate drum fill, every sweeping orchestral passage serves the greater good of the song.

The album’s standout tracks such as ‘Death Can Take Me’ and concluding score like ‘Forevermore’ really encapsulating band’s evolution full establishing the album’s ambitious scope.

What is most impressive about ‘I Feel The Everblack Festering’ after a few spins is how it manages to sound unmistakably like Lorna Shore while simultaneously pushing the band into a fresh territory. This is certainly in no way a radical reinvention that alienates longtime fans, nor is it a safe rehash of past glories. It is a natural evolution that honours the band’s roots while reaching toward new possibilities.

In the context of modern deathcore, this album stands as a towering achievement that other bands will be measuring themselves against for years to come. It proves that the genre still has room for innovation and emotional depth, that it can be both crushingly heavy and genuinely moving. Lorna Shore has created something that works on multiple levels – it satisfies the most demanding technical metal fans while offering enough melody and atmosphere to appeal to listeners who might normally dismiss deathcore as mindless brutality.

“I would say aside from me dealing with depression and anxiety and all this other stuff that motivates me to write music, I feel what everyone’s saying, but maybe in a different way,” says De Micco. “I know from being a fan of music, getting lost into something separates you from the shit you’re dealing with. I think our job as musicians is to be the wedge between people and the shit they’re going through. And I hope we can create a little bit of that solace and peace for five minutes the way someone watches a movie for two hours or binges a video game all weekend. I feel like that’s my big motivation because I think a lot of people are dealing with a lot of heavy stuff and I think you have to write compelling music to go against the shit that people are dealing with. I feel that motivation to allow what has existed for me to exist for others.”

For longtime followers of Lorna Shore, this album represents the full realization of the potential they have been showing for years. For newcomers to the band or the genre, it serves as an excellent entry point that showcases deathcore at its most sophisticated and emotionally resonant. For the broader metal community, it’s a reminder that extreme music can be both punishingly heavy and deeply beautiful. Lorna Shore has crafted something truly special here – an album that honours the traditions of extreme metal while pointing toward exciting new possibilities for the genre’s future.

This is the sound of a band operating at the absolute peak of their creative powers, and the results are nothing short of magnificent.