PHOTOS: Lorna Shore brings a brutally metal show to San Diego.

Lorna Shore brought their headlining tour to San Diego on Oct 13, just off the heels of their recent hit release album I Feel The Everblack Festering Within Me. Alongside the symphonic blackened death core majors were PeelingFlesh, Shadow of Intent, and The Black Dahlia Murder. From Slam to Symphonic, these death core metal roster is like a headbangers made from heaven and boy did they show up and early. San Diego filled the perfect venue for the occasion, Soma, early for the evening kickoff with PeelingFlesh.

Representing Oklahoma City, Damonteal Harris (Vocals) backed by his heavy hitting band Mychal Soto (Guitar), Jason Parrish (Guitar), and Joe Pelletier (drums); PeelingFlesh put us in the deathcore space with no fear as they drew in the early bird crowd straight from the doors to their pit with Damonteal’s brutal vocals and thrash-style riffs that truly take life’s edge off. The guys also love to lean into the comedic factor of their personalities to embrace what some can describe as a goofyness to the genre but making it metal. Samples of the ever viral “Jet Two Holiday” among other easter eggs were thrown throughout the set, to end strongly with a crowd pleaser hit “F.F.W.A.S”

Up next, Connecticut boys Shadow of Intent delivered a full force set despite a vocal fill in for their usual frontman Ben Duerr, who was home present for the birth of his second child! Adam Mercer (Deathstroke and Animation Sequence) stepped in with big shoes to fill, and boy did he deliver. Anyone who didn’t know the band before didn’t have the slightest clue these guys don’t usually play together live, the chemistry was just there. Mastermind behind the band Christ Wiseman (Lead Guitar) had his vision come to life with cutthroat vocals delivered with precision alongside hard-hitting riffs and insane mosh pits in response. This tour comes at a perfect time following the release of their widely received album Imperium Delirium, filling SOMA with fans eager and ready to hear their new favorite record live. Enthusiasts were ecstatic to receive 6 fantastic tracks from the recent release and in their finale treated the longtime fans in the room to their 2017 breakthrough hit “The Heretic Prevails” off their album Reclaimer.

Up next household name Black Dahlia Murder have been around the world and back with huge artists such as Cannibal Corpse and Whitechapel, seen more lineup changes than imaginable but prevails through in solidarity to their late lead singer Trevor Strnad (a loss that shook the metal community to its core). The guys opened with their smash hit “What a Horrible Night To Have A Curse” which instantly brought the audience back to life after two hard hitting performances already set in. The band exuded chemistry and flow like they were just having happy to be performing alongside each other with fans right alongside them. Their final song, “Deathmask Devine” left us brutally transported back to 2007. A bittersweet closure, as Lorna was about to take the stage.

Lorna Shore took the stage and I knew I was lucky to catch them in this moment at Soma because I knew their next tour would be at the next biggest venue. The room erupted as the guys went straight into “Oblivion” off their newest release I feel The Everblack Festering Within me. The crowd was locked and loaded, pits galore and surfers flowing around side them in chaotic harmony. The band, with Adam De Micco (lead guitar), Andrew O’Connor (rhythm guitar), Michael “Moke” Yager (bass guitar) debuted new vibrantly colored custom guitars contrasting their heavy, headbang-enducing sound back by powerhouse drummer Austin Archey. The frontman, Will Ramos, sports his vibrance through his perfectly pink locks while he flawlessly delivered every vocal, every growl, with such perfection that should have been used for live album recordings. The audience went absolutely insane for “To The Hellfire’ where Ramos makes the gnarly animal grunt that made the song go viral in 2021. Notably, this song also put Lorna Shore back on the metalcore map as Ramos’s first song with the band (and marking their new beginning.) At the time of the finale, the audience was put to complete awe as the guys seamlessly executed their 21 minute tune “Pain Remains Trilogy.” We were slayed, and Lorna Shore did it perfectly.