Lorna Shore – I Feel The Everblack Festering In Me
Release Date: 12th September 2025
Label: Century Media
Order/Stream
Genre: Deathcore
FFO: Whitechapel, To The Grave, A Night in Texas.
Review By: Jeff Finch
It’s almost poetic that this review is being written by yours truly: for the past couple of years, nearly every deathcore record review of mine has made some mention of Lorna Shore, most not for inherently positive reasons. Pain Remains was an exercise in excess and exhaustion to some, while being one of the best deathcore albums in years for others. So with this new one I Feel The Everblack Festering In Me, there’s likely two sides to the hype: those that loved Pain Remains and can’t wait to see where they’ve gone, and then those who felt the same way I did about Pain Remains and want to see if the band can actually write an album with melody to mix with the ferocity. And honestly, they kinda nail it.
There’s no point in beating around the bush: this album is fast, heavy, atmospheric, and angry. Exactly what would be expected of the band. Austin Archey’s double bass drumming is nearly unending, the speed and intensity the backdrop of nearly every song, for better or worse, while Adam De Micco’s guitar work is unwavering in its freneticism and technicality, almost at the cost of melody. Almost. Front and center, though, is the snarling prehistoric beast Will Ramos, a vocalist so powerful and vitriolic that it felt Pain Remains was written with the sole intent to make more people learn who he is, at the cost of memorable hooks and songs. This time, though the band hasn’t done anything to reinvent themselves, the music matches the vocals, the vocals match the music, the band refine their sound to eliminate the excess from their sound, for the most part.
What stands out about this one is the melody: instead of blistering us every song with punishingly fast beats whose only purpose is to lead to a breakdown/snarling beast, there are riffs that can be pulled from here, the symphonic elements enriching the soundscapes as De Micco’s riffs transition seamlessly between tremolo bedlam and soaring melodies, allowing the band to showcase both ferocity and refinement. Austin Archey slows down at points, allowing the drums to stand out based not on their lightning quick land speed record intensity but based on Archey’s tempo control, gnarly groove and laser like technical precision. Over the course of the near 70-minute runtime, there are plenty of moments where the drums and guitars hammer us unapologetically and remind us of any number of songs from Pain Remains. But it’s with these changes, the tempo shifts, the focus on more melody and actual songwriting, that the band shines. And given that the listener is likely not focused on how exhausting the music is, the utterly unbelievable talent that is Will Ramos can shine through the whole song, not just a breakdown.
On this album, Will uses black metal shrieks, hellaciously low death growls, and prehistoric snarls, each vocal style dependent on the groove, his transitions seemingly impossible for us mere mortals. This insane talent ranges from monstrous gutturals to piercing black metal shrieks, often on the same track and with seemingly little effort required. This chaotic range of delivery styles adds emotional intensity and dramatic contrast throughout the album, the band clearly bettering their songwriting to catch each part of the band at their best simultaneously.
But there are some portions of the album that just seem to slow the flow to a near halt: Austin Archey, though introducing additional tempo shifts and groove, still loves that double bass, at points the drums sounding programmed and taking up all of the ear drum, much to the chagrin of the ear. Meanwhile, Adam De Micco introduces multiple tracks worth of melody that automatically make this better than Pain Remains, but there are so many moments of pure tremolo riffing, coupled with the already overwhelming double bass, that songs once again bring on exhaustion. But the good news here is that the band, already documented as some of the best in the genre, don’t go for the jugular on every song and for the whole runtime. Their songwriting prowess is on point for the most part here, making I Feel The Everblack Festering In Me a far better record than Pain Remains, a nearly 70 minute roller coaster of atmospheric symphony blended with black metal pacing and death metal ferocity.
For fans of Lorna Shore, this album is a no-brainer for purchase / streaming; a fine continuation of their brutality and consistency. But this also might appeal to those that wanted some change from their last record. Either way, the album is going to appeal to a LOT of listeners, and whether we all like it or not, Lorna Shore is still one of the biggest groups in metal. Now they’ve just shown an additional piece of their arsenal.
(4 / 5)
