REVIEW: Lorna Shore - I Feel The Everblack Festering Within Me

LORNA SHORE’s fifth album, I Feel The Everblack Festering Within Me, is not just a collection of songs; it’s an experience - an unflinching plunge into darkness, despair, and catharsis that leaves a lingering mark on the listener. Emerging three years after Pain Remains, the band returns with a record that is simultaneously ferocious and cinematic, brutal yet hauntingly beautiful, proving once again why they are one of the most compelling extreme metal acts of the modern era.

From the opening tremors of Prison of Flesh, it’s clear that this is an album that demands attention. The track begins with a suffocating heaviness, a sonic weight that presses against the listener, immediately drawing you into LORNA SHORE’s bleak, post-apocalyptic vision. The guitars cut through like shards of glass, drums hammer with relentless precision, and WILL RAMOS’ vocals range from guttural devastation to soaring, almost ethereal highs. It’s a relentless introduction, yet beneath the chaos lies a meticulous structure, a subtle orchestration that elevates the track beyond simple aggression. It’s a declaration: this is a band unafraid to confront darkness head-on.

The first single, Oblivion, feels like the heart of the album. RAMOS himself describes it as a vision of humanity’s self-inflicted demise, a world of fire and ruin where hope is fleeting. The track perfectly embodies this narrative: it is apocalyptic yet intimate, massive yet personal. The blast beats and tremolo riffs create a sense of unstoppable momentum, while atmospheric layers and haunting melodies whisper moments of fragile beauty amidst the carnage. Oblivion is catharsis in sound - a terrifying, exhilarating meditation on destruction, responsibility, and the human condition.

In Darkness and Unbreakable continue this journey, showing a band comfortable with contrasts. Moments of blistering intensity are juxtaposed with atmospheric interludes, giving the listener room to breathe before being thrown back into the maelstrom. In Darkness feels suffocating and oppressive, perfectly mirroring the emotional weight of the album’s themes. Unbreakable, by contrast, is a rallying cry, a glimpse of resilience amidst despair, reminding listeners that even in the darkest worlds, there are threads of defiance.

The album’s middle section, with Glenwood and Lionheart, highlights LORNA SHORE’s ability to blend narrative, emotion, and sheer technical mastery. “Glenwood” builds tension with almost cinematic precision, its layers of melody and atmospheric effects creating a ghostly, haunting aura. Lionheart unleashes full-scale aggression, riffs slicing like blades over precise, punishing percussion. It’s here that the album feels most alive - a perfect balance of brutality and storytelling, demonstrating that LORNA SHORE have mastered the art of emotional extremity.

Death Can Take Me and War Machine are relentless in their ferocity, but they also carry a weight beyond physical intensity. These tracks are steeped in existential reflection, questioning mortality, purpose, and human agency. The interplay of crushing riffs, rapid-fire drumming, and RAMOS’ expressive vocals evokes a sense of struggle and catharsis, drawing the listener into a shared confrontation with despair and resilience. It’s a testament to the band’s ability to craft not only technically impressive music but emotionally resonant experiences.

A Nameless Hymn is a standout moment, blending melodic undercurrents with choral atmospheres that feel both mournful and transcendent. The track’s sense of scale and emotional depth is staggering, a reminder that LORNA SHORE are not just destroyers of sound, but architects of experience. The closing track, Forevermore, serves as both an elegy and a triumphant farewell. It encapsulates the album’s themes of destruction, reflection, and catharsis, leaving the listener in awe of the emotional journey they’ve just undergone.

What makes I Feel The Everblack Festering Within Me extraordinary is its ability to balance extremes; brutality and beauty, despair and catharsis, chaos and precision. LORNA SHORE’s technical mastery is unquestionable, but it’s their emotional depth that truly sets this album apart. Each track feels intentional, each crescendo and silence laden with meaning, each moment crafted to evoke a visceral response. The album is a journey through darkness, but it’s also a testament to resilience, to confronting the void and finding meaning amidst the ruin. In a musical landscape where extreme metal can sometimes feel repetitive or formulaic, LORNA SHORE refuse to compromise. They challenge themselves, their listeners, and the genre itself, demanding not only attention but reflection. I Feel the Everblack Festering Within Me is not easy listening, nor should it be. It is an experience, a statement, a work of art that confronts mortality, despair, and the human spirit with unflinching honesty.

This album confirms LORNA SHORE’s position at the forefront of modern extreme metal. It is ambitious, unrelenting, and emotionally resonant - a true masterpiece of the genre. For fans of intensity, complexity, and music that doesn’t shy away from the darkness, I Feel the Everblack Festering Within Me is an essential listen.

Rating: 9.5/10

I Feel The Everblack Festering Within Me was released on September 12th 2025.

Words: Mia Gailey

Photos: Lorna Shore