Review Summary: Lorna Shore is Deathcore that unapologetically, unabashedly, and beautifully wears its heart on its sleeve.
The time is now for Lorna Shore fans as the highly anticipated fourth album from the band, “Pain Remains” released today. The band has recently exploded due to their breakout single “To the Hellfire” and has seen a lot of success following their EP “…And I Return to Nothingness”. The question on everyone’s mind has been, “can Lorna Shore live up to the monumental hype that they managed to conjure up?” and my answer to the question is…yes.
I myself haven’t been too big on the recent Lorna Shore stuff. I checked out the first 3 singles and thought ”this is alright” and it wasn’t until they released “Pain Remains I: Dancing Like Flames” that the flame (pardon the pun) was truly ignited. This album while being Deathcore has a healthy mix of symphonic and black metal elements that definitely create a very epic and grandiose atmosphere. A really cool juxtaposition is seen on this album where brutality is mixed with raw and unadulterated emotion (think Whitechapel’s ”The Valley” and ”Kin”). This is most evident in the movement that is Pain Remains I-III, a journey that is heavy both musically and emotionally. Every song on here provides what you expect from Lorna Shore’s EP “…And I Return to Nothingness” but on a grander scale. The run time of these songs are long but they don’t waste a second of it in showing you what they are capable of.
While the songs themselves are crafted well and the musicianship is top-notch, I do have some gripes with the album. First off, the production is thin. The bass is muted and is indiscernible in parts being buried by the myriad of other instruments blaring in the mix and while the guitars do have punch, sometimes they just sort of fall flat. I also think some of the symphonic elements and riff ideas are repeated just a tad too much. They sort of fall into the trap of sounding the same. It’s not that it sounds bad, it’s just not in a band’s best interest to have music that becomes predictable. Despite the issues that I have with this album, I find this to be a satisfying release that stands on its own with a unique identity.
While there are people who will no doubt hate the formula that Lorna Shore have crafted, it’s nice to see the guys in the band being comfortable in their skin and creating an album that they, their fans, and even the people on the outside of the genre looking in will enjoy. Nay-sayers will tell you that they “sold out” or “they’re a one trick pony” but ”Pain Remains” is here to silence them not only with expert musicianship, but with Deathcore that unapologetically, unabashedly, and beautifully wears its heart on its sleeve.
