The Forefront Of Deathcore: Lorna Shore

Story and Photos: Brian Schmidt

Lorna Shore, Paleface Swiss, Signs of the Swarm (4.20.26)

Good evening Boils and Ghouls, and every creature in between. Long time no read? Long time no write? Something like that. It's been a few years since I've written for a publication, and certainly a century since I've crept out of my retirement from debauchery, but for this dastardly slate of deathcore bands, I'd do anything.

To give you a point of reference, the last time I covered Lorna Shore was way back in 2022, for this very publication, and in those 4 years a lot has happened. So let's put on our crypt crawling shoes (checkered Vans,) it's time to trounce through the torrid tombs of modern Deathcore.

Up first was Signs of the Swarm. Funnily enough, the last time I saw this band was also with Lorna, at the very show I mentioned earlier. They've been infesting the deathcore scene for a little over a decade now, and while they're first on the bill, it’s certainly not for a lack of talent. This band RIPS!

Like how do you feasibly open for Lorna Shore? They're one of the heaviest bands on the market, and arguably the biggest band in Deathcore. Well, you recruit the swarm! Like ants, Signs of the Swarm can lift up to 10 to 50 times their bodyweight, and they were doing a lot of heavy lifting, f-ing brutal, guttural, face smashingly heavy.

From the start of their maybe half an hour set, there was a ton of movement. People were stoked! The heavy use of the smoke machine, incredible light work (special thanks to The Steelhouse’s million dollar light system,) and frontman David Simonich’s fantastic crowdwork made for a super fun set. And Simonich was really working the crowd. Simonich directed the crowd to scream, headbang, jump, crowdsurf, and even do the wave. And there certainly was a wave of people surfing. At one point I counted 8 surfers being lifted to the stage all at once. Simonich’s commanding stage presence is clearly one of the best weapons in The Swarm’s arsenal, and you could tell the man revels in it!

As if there weren’t enough charismatic frontmen in the show, Paleface Swiss took the stage with all the swagger of a quirked up white boy, ayahuasca journey in tow. They pulled up and asked for the opp's coordinates, they said, “sir, this is a wendys.” This stuff ain’t nothing to them man. Frontman Marc "Zelli" Zellweger strode out with his shoulder length blond lochs, black mesh sweater, and chunky white K-Swiss’, ready to charm the pants off of all the Gen Z kids, (Swiss Cobain.)

So, I hadn’t heard of Paleface Swiss before this show (mistake) and before their set I heard a rumor that the band is notorious for putting on the wildest shows, sending trampled pit dudes to the hospital (ouch,) climbing light scaffolding (get down from there,) and kissing each other onstage (hot.) I don’t know how much of that is true, but after that set, I believe it. Knocking imaginary fastballs out the park, literally floating 30 feet in the air, and… calling out the venue for effing up their merch sales? This band’s certainly got moxie. Being in the crowd was like weathering a storm out at sea. At one point the band had the crowd crouch, then told them to jump on the drop, and when the crowd was almost peak rowdy, Zelli commanded them to, “FIGHT SOMEBODY!”

Up next was the Top Dog of Deathcore, Lorna Shore, and boy oh boy, things have changed. The first thing that was evident when they walked on stage is that this band is no longer young and hungry, they're killers, and killers with a budget. The band's stage setup consisted of 6 humongous LED panels which framed the band in other worlds, with imagery that consisted of white rain over a pitch black sea, a forest grave marked with an x pelted in blood rain, and the surface of the sun. I even caught some Master of Puppets white cross imagery over the top of a track with a suspiciously Metallica sounding riff.This was no longer the band that was opening to a clubs of 100 people, this was peak Deathcore. 

“Omaha, I wanna see you on your worst behavior!” and “This is the scary sh$t!“ were ordered from the high king of deathcore in between the most guttural, gut curling breakdowns. (I’m joking, but am I tho? Tell me how I’m wrong in the comments.) Seriously Will Ramos is probably the most talented screamer in the game right now, and the power that this band has behind it is crazy. I haven’t met a single metal fan that doesn’t put respect on this band’s name. (I’m sure there’s someone out there. Lorna haters sound off in the comments.) Seeing this band get the backing that they deserve feels like a huge turning point in metal. We live in a time where Spiritbox, Knocked Loose, and Poppy are performing on the late night talk show circuit. It’s kind of nuts considering the large majority of Metal’s lifespan it’s been treated like a wart on the butt-end of society.

Lorna played some classics like "Immortal", "Pain Remains", (yeah like all 3 of em,)  my favorite track of theirs "Sun//Eater", as well as a few newer tracks off their latest album, I Feel the Everblack Festering Within Me (IFEFW for short,) And after another end of show fakeout, they of course played "To the Hellfire".

It’s interesting to see how much this band has changed over the years, but the core of the band is still there: the same fakeout show closer: the same rich orchestral scores: the same sheer utter brutality. What I witnessed at the show was three bands at the forefront of Deathcore, thriving in the community they’ve cultivated, at the top of their craft. A more confident visage of deathcore. 

Thank you guys for reading my quixotic drivel. It’s been a minute since I’ve covered a show, and it certainly took a little bit of grease to get me rolling. If you’d like you can check out the last Lorna Shore article I wrote a while back for stories here.

Thanks so much to Lorna Shore management and Steelhouse for photo access.

Thanks for reading and we'll see you at the next one!