I don’t know that I’m the best person to be reviewing this record. Though I’m not sure who would be, if some degree of objectivity is required, such is the divisive nature of Lorna Shore. Think about it for a second. Deathcore: most people despise it, some people adore it. Will Ramos: held up by some as the vocalist of his generation, whilst for others…? Little more than a repulsive sideshow in audible form. And the fact that Lorna Shore have (broadly speaking) infused their most recent work with sweeping, epic, symphonic stylistic elements? Well. For a start, that sort of shit does not play to my preferences, and I imagine I’m not alone. So within all of these artistic decisions, it’s very likely that Lorna Shore will have alienated a LOT of potential listeners. And yet, as it stands, they are one of the biggest heavy/alternative bands in the world. That’s undeniable. They sell out stadiums. So…how the fuck has this happened?

Will Ramos is demonstrably saleable as a figure in the alt/heavy scene. Especially in the more Octane-core-friendly corners of the metal world. And were I to identify an element of LS’s work that I genuinely respect, it’s their commitment to theidentity that they‘ve been cultivating for the last few years. The grand, synthesised, quasi-ecclesiastical backdrop that they’ve begun leaning into on the the last few records does have a particular ring to it, and one that is both identifiable and not without its charm. What I struggle with however, is why they feel it requires an 60 minute runtime to land. Because it doesn’t. It just doesn’t. Were there a couple of songs that punched through the 6-minute barrier then I’d think that was maybe pushing their luck a little. But 10 songs, 66 minutes? Absolutely not. That’s absurd for a deathcore band. Even one with a penchant for the more expansive version of their genre.

And maybe that’s the issue. The genre footprint of deathcore is notoriously narrow. Attempting to push those boundaries should then be commended. However. The experimentation involved in this record, especially if one were to compare it to the last Lorna Shore record, is negligible. It’s largely more of the same (the last record clocked in at over an hour as well) but with arguably an even more maximalist approach to basically similar material.

As I mentioned above, this isn’t really aimed at me, I don’t think. What makes me a little sad though, is that there are bands who scratch the itch this record aims at, far more powerfully, concisely and with less unnecessary bluster and filler. But then the people who are willing to listen to 66 mins of Lorna Shore will, for the most part, not be interested in listening to atmospheric, sacrilegious black metal. Or the more stirring, affecting end of death metal. And I don’t imagine those folk want some fucker like me telling them what they should listen to, either. All that being said, I’m going to give this record the score I think it deserves, not the one that a whole army of early-20’s folk think it deserves. Because Lorna Shore might be their band, but this is MY review. So fuck off.