In my short time on this planet, I have had the opportunity to attend some of the most brutal metal shows out there, from The Black Dahlia Murder to Judas Priest, from Whitechapel to Suicide Silence…but on Friday November 4^th, 2022, I witnessed one of the most insane metal concerts I’ve ever borne witness to. There is something primal about heavy metal (in all its forms), that feeds the animal inside of us. No matter how evolved humans have become, we will always have a part of us that that belongs to nature. A sequence in our genetic code that craves brutality. I feel like heavy metal is a conduit with which we can release our pent-up negative emotions, anger, despair, rage, and release them into the ether (rather than unleashing them on someone in a negative way). People have always asked me “why do you listen to this screamy screamo music? You can’t understand what they’re saying”. My answer will always be the same: those screams allow me to access a higher level of cathartic release, and most people still don’t even know half the words that Bon Jovi is singing but they listen to that music without questioning its merit. Singing alone is a great way to make yourself feel better but being able to unleash with these guttural emotion-ladened screams is something that can’t be compared.

                  At The Nile Theater, in the heart of Mesa, AZ, hundreds of metalheads gathered on the sidewalk waiting to get in. There were five different bands playing that night, but the one almost everyone was there to see was Lorna Shore. This band has been riding a rocket to the moon ever since vocalist Will Ramos joined the band in June of 2021. The day I heard Ramos on one of the new Lorna Shore singles, I couldn’t believe my ears. I was convinced that this man was either part Demon, or the devil himself come to earth. Their brand of melodic Deathcore is packed with emotion, and beautiful yet haunting stories that are capable of moving even the most stoic of metalheads to tears. Because of their ability to reach so deep into one’s soul their fanbase has exploded exponentially over the last year. The Nile Theater was completely sold out, I have been there for sold out shows and somehow this was even more crowded than those concerts. 

Before we get to Lorna Shore, I’d like to talk about the endless barrage of brutality that happened before they went on. The first band of the night was Ov Sulfur. These Vegas dudes really know how to bring the heat. Vocalist Ricky Hoover put in an awesome performance and was an absolute beast on that stage. They played a short set and did a phenomenal job of getting the crowd ready for the next band. 

Next to hit the stage was Angelmaker. This band is heavy as fuck to say the least. What I love most about Angelmaker is that they have two vocalists, Casey Tyson-Pearce, and Mike Greenwood. This duo is utterly insane together. I love their energy, and I am always blown away by their powerful chemistry. The simultaneous highs and lows will blow your mind when you hear them live. Near the end of their set, they played their most popular song “Leech” off their 2015 album Dissentient. Before the song Greenwood told the crowd that he needed everyone in the crowd to help with the intro and I was surprised at how many people knew the words. Nearly everyone in that audience was yelling at the top of their lungs: “You’re a fucking coward! No pity for the weak! Sever the ties! You suck the life out of me!”. I believe this band is another one of those that are rising quickly as more metalheads come across their phenomenally brutal music. 

After Angelmaker, we had the metal mercenaries of Manchester, Ingested! This band has always put on a great show. Ingested has been around for a while now (since 2006) and have played countless shows across the U.S. This evening they came out swinging! Being smack dab in the middle of a brutal line up such as this means you need to be at the top of your game. You must be able to keep that energy going strong! They played six songs, including some of their most popular bangers like “Ashes Lie Still”, “Shadows in Time”, and “Tides of Glass”. Ingested kept the crowd on their feet and whipped them up perfectly for the chaos that was to come next, 

Once Ingested said goodnight, the stage was set with backdrops depicting gory images and even two boxes containing zombified corpses lit with color changing LED lights. Aborted came out on stage and it was completely unhinged debauchery from beginning to end. I don’t think I have ever seen a band that caused so much chaos. The crowd was already losing their minds, but then in the middle of the set vocalist Sven de Caluwe told the crowd that he wanted to see more crowd surfing. From that moment on, all hell broke loose. There was a constant stream of crowd surfers after that. At one point there was probably about 10 other people on stage rocking out with the band. One girl crowd surfed to the stage, cracked a 160z. PBR and chugged the entire thing before jumping back into the crowd and disappearing into a sea of gyrating flesh. Aborted rocked the ever-living shit out of that venue and the crowd was more than warmed up for the main event!

When Lorna Shore took the stage, the entire venue was packed to the brim. People were overflowing onto the sides of the stage, beyond the barricades and not even security could clear them out. When Will Ramos made his way out the crowd went absolutely wild. This is completely understandable considering his vocals have been a topic of discussion in the metal world since the day he joined LS. Being that the band is only playing the songs they’ve released since Ramos joined the band, they played The Pain Remains album almost in its entirety. They substituted songs like “Soulless Existence” and “Apotheosis” for singles like “Into the Hellfire”. Lorna Shores performances are getting bigger and bigger every time I see them. They’ve added more lights, and even some Co2 cannons which added an awesome edge to their performance. They closed out the night with an encore that boasted “Pain Remains” 1,2, and 3. To see so many people screaming along with these beautifully tragic songs was a sight to behold. To hear the crowd scream “A world without you isn’t meant for me” still brings me chills when I think about it. This tour is almost over, and I believe that every date is already sold out, but if any of these bands make it to a town near you, I would suggest doing whatever you have to make it down to the show. Lorna Shore is on their way to the top, and I foresee some truly remarkable things for them down the road. Keep your eyes peeled for their next tour, I have a feeling it will be even bigger and better than this round!