Lorna Shore's ferocious tour kickoff at Stage AE

A dark storm was brewing over Pittsburgh, but it wasn’t rainclouds for once. Lorna Shore chose Stage AE’s outdoor setting in Pittsburgh as the launchpad for their massive North American tour, celebrating their monstrous new album I Feel The Everblack Festering Within Me. Already hailed as one of the defining acts in modern deathcore, the band entered this run with an arsenal of fresh material and a reputation for devastating live shows. Fans packed in to see not only the headliners, but a stacked lineup that promised unrelenting heaviness from start to finish.

PeelingFlesh started things with no mercy and no hesitation, throwing down a barrage of riffs that instantly ignited the pit. Their raw, abrasive sound carried the grit of old-school brutality with a modern edge that hit like a hammer. The band’s relentless pace had the crowd whipped into motion early, setting a tone of aggression that would only grow heavier as the evening unfolded.

Shadow of Intent followed with precision and atmosphere, balancing sheer force with eerie melodic flourishes. Their blend of symphonic touches and guttural heaviness gave the crowd something vast to latch onto, adding a cinematic quality to the night. The audience responded with waves of movement, bodies crashing and swirling in the pit as orchestral layers soared above crushing breakdowns. Vocalist Ben Duerr’s piercing gaze was so intense, it felt as if he was staring straight into your soul. Shadow of Intent leveled the energy of the night even further, leaving everyone begging for more.

The Black Dahlia Murder delivered as only veterans of the scene can, bringing both chaos and celebration in equal measure. Last in Pittsburgh headlining at the Roxian in 2023, they filled the much larger Stage AE to the brim with absolute darkness. Their set was a reminder of why they remain a cornerstone of extreme metal, packing every moment with technical mastery and vicious intensity. Fans screamed along with every lyric, crowdsurfers passed overhead in waves, and the band themselves seemed to feed off the unrelenting frenzy. TBDM pulled out a few deeper cuts for the set; “A Vulgar Picture” and “Malenchantments of the Necrosphere” were played live for the first time since 2016 and 2019, respectively, and were very popular additions based on the shouts they got from the crowd. It was a triumphant performance that honored their legacy while proving their fire still burns just as fiercely.

When it was finally time for Lorna Shore, the atmosphere transformed into something otherworldly. The stage was sheilded by a curtain to amplify the mystique, and the second it dropped, all hell broke loose. Thick clouds of smoke rolled across the stage, strobes painted the night in bursts of blinding light, and moody colors washed over the band as they emerged. From the first note of the incredibly cinematic “Oblivion,” everyone was swept into a maelstrom of sound and spectacle. The pit became a nonstop surge of movement, with crowdsurfers launching one after another while the sheer force of the music reverberated through the air. Every breakdown, every blast beat, every piercing scream drew the crowd deeper and deeper into the madness, creating a shared chaos that felt alive.

The set leaned heavily into I Feel The Everblack Festering Within Me, and the new songs already sounded like instant classics. The album’s darker textures and crushing heaviness translated with devastating effect in the live setting, each track hitting harder than the last. Emotion dripped from every lyric screamed by Will Remos, and fans matched his intensity with feverish devotion, proving that the new material had already embedded itself deep into the Lorna Shore faithful. Being the very first show of the tour, a few songs had their live debut. “Unbreakable” was an explosive burst of energy and power. The more melodic “Glenwood” was an emotional powerhouse, with both the masterclass guitar work and the passionate lyrics giving goosebumps. The opening track of the album, “Prison of Flesh,” had the entire pit mashing and swirling in pure chaos to match its ungody heaviness. Older favourites were peppered in to keep the balance, but the spotlight was firmly on this fresh wave of devastation, cementing the record as a bold new chapter for the band.

With live music, anything is bound to happen, especially with the opening night of such a large tour. Very early in the set, Lorna Shore pulled a surprise by inviting Pittsburgh’s own David Simonich of Signs of the Swarm to share the stage, sending the crowd into absolute pandemonium. Ramos had recently been fetured on Signs of the Swarm’s “Clouded Retinas,” but this was the live collab not a soul expected. Simonich’s vocals paired with Ramos’ were unmatched. You never really know what might happen at a show, and that unpredictability is part of the thrill.

The encore was somehow even more soul-crushingly heavy than the rest of the set. Lorna Shore played the entire Pain Remains trilogy, and the crushing emotional heaviness paired with electric shredding and demonic screams was the perfect ending to the set. As the last notes rang out and fans staggered from the pit, constant murmers could be heard from everyone raving about the metal madness that had just been witnessed. If the kickoff at Stage AE was any indication, the everblack is not just festering, it’s consuming everything in its path.