LORNA SHORE - PAIN REMAINS
credit: mike elliot
Deathcore has always been a tricky genre to follow. Following its rise to popularity during the early 2000s it has seen a steady decline ever since. Multiple publications have asked the question of “is deathcore burning out?” for a few years now, that is until 2019, when a new and refreshed Lorna Shore appeared on the scene with their exquisite EP ...And I Return to Nothingness which released in 2021.
The EP signalled a new era for the band, with Will Ramos taking the reins vocally. Indeed, it was met with critical reception, it was the heaviest the band and the genre had sounded in years, and most importantly, the lead single ‘To the Hellfire’ went viral, leading to deathcore's sudden and exciting re-emergence onto the scene.
The excitement and buzz surrounding the announcement of Pain Remains came as no surprise. Up until now, every track Lorna Shore released were equally as brilliant and as heavy as everyone hoped they’d be, and this quality and brutality shines through more than ever with the bands fourth full length project.
Pain Remains is an important album for many reasons. It raises the bar for what is achievable vocally in deathcore, it throws you off guard with split second switches and breakdowns, it heralds raw emotion and phenomenal evolution for the genre. It is a new chapter for deathcore, and one that can quite easily launch it to the top after years of decline. The album makes this revival very clear from the opening track ‘Welcome Back, O’ Sleeping Dreamer’. Beginning with an orchestral and magnificent cinematic build up, it slowly descends into madness, signalling brutal breakdowns, riffs and jaw-dropping vocal techniques.
The cadence of the album never seems to lose its pace throughout its duration. It masterfully creates this engulfing atmosphere in which the listener is fully engaged and processes the whole instrumentation flow and seamless blend with Will’s harrowing vocals. Each track bounces off each other to create a dark, and emotionally charged theme that revolves around loss and pain.
Whether it be through the in-your-face tone of ‘Into the Earth’, the unexpectedness of ‘Sun//Eater’ and ‘Cursed to Die’, or the band’s more traditional sounding ‘Soulless Existence’, ‘Apotheosis’ and ‘Wrath’, Lorna Shore break past the barrier of a one hit viral wonder, while also evolving their own sound, lyricism and identity.
This evolution is most apparent in the album’s last three tracks. Arriving in the form of a trilogy named after the record, ‘Pain Remains I: Dancing Like Flames’, ‘Pain Remains II: After All I’ve Done, I’ll Disappear’ and ‘Pain Remains III: In a Sea of Fire’ not only prove the band’s versatility within the genre they are accustomed to, but subsequently open a whole new gateway to how deathcore can evolve as a genre lyrically and sonically. Easily the highlights of the record, the heart-breaking tone subtly featured within the lyrics, the dramatically effective instrumentation that feels as if you were trapped inside of a twisted hellish opera, paired with what can easily be described as the best vocals within the deathcore scene at the minute create this breath-taking 20-minute experience that solidifies Lorna Shore as the next big thing in the scene.
In conclusion, Pain Remains not only builds on the hype and expectations surrounding Lorna Shore’s name in this current time, but goes beyond exceeding them, building a solid foundation for the band's future domination.
Dan Tsourekas
★★★★☆