Today brings us the deathcore album we’ve all been waiting so patiently for: Lorna Shore: Pain Remains. Since the album dropped at midnight, I’ve listened to it start to finish a few times already, and HOLY SHIT! It’s a banger and a half! From the opening symphonics of Welcome Back, O’ Sleeping Dreamer through the EPIC conclusion of the 3 part Pain Remains Trilogy, this album DOES NOT LET UP. The tandem guitar work of Adam De Micco and Andrew O’Connor is the stuff of legend, and crosses so many different styles of metal from death metal, to black metal, to symphonic metal, and wraps it up in this tidy little package of deathcore magic. Austin Archey throws down some of the most dynamic drumming I’ve heard, while Michael Yager brings the low end, and that rhythm section ties the entire package together nicely.
Will Ramos, probably one of the most talked about vocalists on the scene right now, literally delivers the most impressive vocal performance I’ve heard to date. It’s not just crazy range and brutality in his voice, there’s REAL EMOTION behind his screams/growls. I can’t say enough about what he’s done for this band, because his not just a singer, he’s the face of the band and has no problems at all being down to earth and funny in interviews. I’m sure everyone who’s a fan has watched them all, and knows exactly what I’m talking about. I’m not going to sit here and link every video I’ve seen, but a quick search for Will Ramos on YouTube will give you an almost endless supply of the interviews that he’s done to date.
Lorna Shore – Pain Remains:
- Welcome Back, O’ Sleeping Dreamer
- Into The Earth (video)
- Sun//Eater (video)
- Cursed to Die (video)
- Soulless Existence
- Apotheosis
- Wrath
- Pain Remains I: Dancing Like Flames (video)
- Pain Remains II: After All I’ve Done, I’ll Disappear (age gated video)
- Pain Remains III: In a Sea of Fire (video)
Pain Remains III: In a Sea of Fire
Along with the entire new album being released today, we also received the final video in the Pain Trilogy.
View the newest video here:
Overall Impressions
With almost half of the album being released as singles over the last 5 months, I was initially concerned that we’d heard all of the good songs on the album… However, that couldn’t have been any further from the reality of it all. This is a non-stop onslaught of senses, and an incredibly emotional journey from start to finish. I’m usually not one to find the opening track of an album as a stand-out track, but holy shit Welcome Back, O’ Sleeping Dreamer comes out of nowhere and high fives you in the face with a steel folding chair.
Of the songs released as singles (not including the first two parts of the Pain Trilogy, we’ll discuss that in depth in a moment), I’d have to say that Into The Earth was my favorite song. It hit so hard, was absolutely relentless, and covered so much ground over the course of just over 5 minutes. It’s a great representation of everything that this album was going to be.
After spending the day listening to nothing but this album, I can say without a doubt, The Pain Trilogy is by far and away the best showing of what these guys are capable of. From my personal experience of losing someone near to my heart, the trilogy really hit home on so many levels. The raw emotion conveyed through the lyrics and vocal delivery are exceptionally powerful. The orchestration builds so many textures on top of what would be “just another deathcore song”, making it what is probably the best song (yes, I’m calling the trilogy one song) of the year.
This album deserves ALL of the hype it’s receiving!
I have to say that with the almost movie-score style orchestration, would be fitting as a backdrop for an epic fantasy movie… Perhaps “Lorna of the Rings“??
The Pain Trilogy Breakdown
“The Pain Trilogy” is a three-part tale focusing on the stages of grief and vulnerability – exemplifying it through a love story. The band comments on the tracks as follows:
“Pain Remains I: Dancing Like Flames”
“The first song, ‘Dancing like Flames’, begins with the main character becoming enamored by the person within his dreams. He decides to turn to this reality as a sense of purpose despite knowing that the closer he gets to his goal, the further it seems to drift away.”
“Pain Remains II: After All I’ve Done, I’ll Disappear”
“This leads to the second song, ‘After All I’ve Done, I’ll Disappear’. This is the part where the person vanishes, and the main character struggles to accept the pain. He as well wishes to disappear and seeks to throw it all away.”
“Pain Remains III: In a Sea of Fire”
“Finally, the trilogy ends with the last song, ‘In a Sea of Fire’, which focuses with not just acceptance but also anger. Anger at not just himself, but the world around him. The song ends with the main character choosing to wake up by igniting the world. As the fires grow, he is absolved in a sea of fire so that he too may finally disappear.”
Final Verdict
10/10 – Perfect Album!
After spending countless hours listening to this, I have to say that there isn’t anything I can find that I didn’t like on this album. The writing, orchestration, production, and the fantastic musicianship make this, hands down, a flawless album.
Lorna Shore Online
https://lornashorestore.com/
https://www.facebook.com/LornaShore
https://www.instagram.com/lornashore/
https://twitter.com/LornaShore
