Lorna Shore - Full-Throttle in Toronto

jaybroderick
Oct 30
5 min read

By: Jay Broderick

Toronto, Canada - Toronto’s Great Canadian Casino Resort got a baptism by fire on October 27 as deathcore juggernauts Lorna Shore tore through the third-last night of their tour with Shadow of Intent and The Black Dahlia Murder. This is the first time I've even attended a show at this venue, let alone covering a show here, and it quickly proved it could handle the heat, and the crowd surfing, moshing, and sheer madness that came with it.

I have a guest with me tonight. Spencer, a young metal family member initiated the conversation to go to this show as he is a big fan of opening act Peeling Flesh. Of course I accepted his proposition. Ya gotta nurture your own kind! ;) Unfortunately, Spencer got some bad news a couple days before the show when Peeling Flesh announced they would not be travelling to Canada due to some issues at the border. But I felt certain that the other 3 acts were going to blow his freakin' mind all the same!

Shadow of Intent

Ahead of tonight's opening act Shadow of Intent, I asked a couple fans in the front row if I could grab a shot of them. Lucy and Pim happily obliged, and Pim said "That's from the UK... with love!!" This simple shit hits my heart strings. So damned cool that these 2 made the trek across the pond, and now here they are at the Lorna Shore show in Toronto! But Shadow of Intent made it clear they weren’t just here to warm up the crowd... they were here to dominate! With Adam Mercer stepping in for vocalist Ben Duerr (who’s awaiting the birth of his child), the band didn’t miss a beat. Mercer’s guttural growls were strong, and the rhythm section pounded like a war drum, as the band thundered out their opening track "Prepare to Die".

The light show was arena-level, casting the band in strobes and shadows worthy of a headliner. By the fifth track "Infinity of Horrors", Mercer called for a wall of death, and the savage metal fans split down the middle and roared towards each other. Bodies flew over the barricade from the start, fists raised, devil horns punching skyward. The crowd was so engaged, by the final track "The Heretic Prevails", they were deafening and begging for more.

The Black Dahlia Murder

Pent-up energy exploded as The Black Dahlia Murder hit the stage. The band wasted no time, launching into their set with a call to “punch this fucking ceiling down!” just as they raged into their opening song "What a Horrible Night to Have a Curse". And just like that, crowd surfers were over the wall before the first notes finished ringing out. Seriously, this set hasn't even started and the crowd is amped!

I've had The Black Dahlia Murder on my list to see for a long time. The start to this set was far beyond anything I could have imagined. A sea of bodies flew over the security barricade as the band kicked into high gear during their next 2 tracks "Everything Went Black" and "Nightbringers".

A circus theme plays throughout the venue ahead of the band's 6th song of their set. An ape appears from stage left, and thrashes as red and green spotlights blaze throughout the theatre. Blow-up bananas are tossed out into the crowd. Of course you know what this all means... "Statutory Ape"! "Let's hear your voices" Eschbach asks of the crowd, and they chant HEY! HEY! HEY!" as they punch the sky.

As the band winds down their set, Eschbach shares the bad news that they have only one song left. He has a huge favour to ask of the crowd as he shares the news of Tyler’s birthday (a guy who works with them). "You know what he wants for his birthday? A Canadian circle pit around the soundboard." As the band explodes into their last song "Deathmask Divine", the friendly Canadians give Tyler his wish!

ABSOLUTE FIRE! YES!!!

Lorna Shore

A white curtain veiled the stage as ominous music crept in. When it dropped, Lorna Shore launched into "Oblivion", the second track off the band's brand new album I Feel the Everblack Festering Within Me, released just one month prior. It was the start of a blistering set that felt like the end of days, in the best way possible.

Lead singer Will Ramos shares the band's gratitude after their 3rd track "Out of the Abyss". The crowd erupted after Ramos asked who was at the band's show in Toronto last year. Wait a minute... EVERYBODY??? Well, perhaps not, but Lorna Shore clearly has a devout following. Ramos takes a quick moment to thank the previous bands, and thanks the crowd for the energy which brings another deafening roar. "But you gotta keep it going though! Can you do that?" And with that, the band erupts into "Sun//Eater", and the unrelenting madness continues!

Lorna Shore use a ton of white light in their set design. White spotlights, white backdrops, white video screen visuals. It's makes my job tough, but it looks so damned cool as the players on stage are cast in silhouette. Even with the light changing to reds, yellows, and blues, it is heavily backlit, giving a dark, distorted view of the band.

Will Ramos performs live at GCCR Toronto. Photo By: Jay Broderick

As tonight's headlining act starts to wind down their set, Ramos gives the bad news... "Only 2 songs left". But he quickly follows it up with the good news that the band saved the ass beaters til the end. “Prison of Flesh” was a brutal penultimate track, a nonstop barrage of moshing and madness. Then the stage turns red. Fire burns on the video monitors, and the band kicks into their last track "To the Hellfire". Man, Ramos' throaty growls are intense. How does he do this night after night?. As the song ends, the crowd detonates into applause, and chants of "LORNA SHORE!" fill the concert venue.

An encore? But of course! A storm. Thunder cracks, rain fills the stage, and the band returns for the full “Pain Remains” trilogy. The final wall of death was summoned with one last growl: “EXPLODE!”, and cell phones lit up the venue as the singer closed with a message of love and unity.

Set List

Oblivion

Unbreakable

Of the Abyss

Sun//Eater

Cursed to Die

Into the Earth

Glenwood

Prison of Flesh

To the Hellfire

Encore:

Pain Remains I: Dancing Like Flames

Pain Remains II: After All I’ve Done, I’ll Disappear

Pain Remains III: In a Sea of Fire

Three bands. One night. A young fan named Spencer may have missed Peeling Flesh, but he, and everyone else got their minds blown. This was deathcore at its most theatrical, most punishing, and most unforgettable. Toronto (and the United Kingdom), you showed up. And Lorna Shore made damn sure you’ll never forget it.

The Great Canadian Casino Resort is a beast... wide like History Toronto, deep like a stadium, and packed to the rafters. The sound was pristine, the lighting immersive, and the crowd relentless. Despite the logistical nightmare for me getting there, and the bizarre playlist between sets (shoutout to the fans gloriously singing along with “Total Eclipse of the Heart”), the venue delivered just as well as the bands on stage.

Concert Photo Gallery (all photos by: Jay Broderick)