REVIEW: Lorna Shore - 'Immortal'
Lorna Shore have been no stranger to controversy lately, given the abrupt removal of vocalist CJ McCreery from the band; however, the rest of the band has worked tirelessly to deliver this massively heavy 10-track tour de force on January 31st via Century Media Records. While the lineup has changed for their third release, the band has not forgotten the diverse instrumental roots explored on previous efforts Flesh Coffin and Psalms. Though their catalogue has always fallen under the distinct category of melodic black metal, the band has kept its gravid puissance in strides with Immortal.
Lorna Shore Immortal Cover Art
From the first track, “Immortal”, Lorna Shore offers a darkly beautiful instrumental experience, with hints of technical fervor enveloped between. While this band is truly gifted at intermingling symphonic flavors within their music, their incorporation of elephantine breakdowns and breakneck drumwork prove they can still deliver massively melodic heaviness at its finest.
Other tracks such as “Death Portrait”t and “Hollow Sentence” contain the same melo-tech imagery, with vocals that progress towards the agitated and heavier registers, demonstrating the talent and ingenuity this band has to create a sound that flows between crepuscular instrumental vigor and mellifluous undertones.
Once we dip our toes into the dark waters of the last track, “Relentless Torment”, Lorna Shore wraps up our music journey with a violent surge of symphonic atmospheric vigor encapsulated with a myriad of aggressive soundscapes. To say that this is a beast of an album is an understatement. There is plenty to unpack within Immortal and the band urges fans to set aside the drama that surrounds the release to engage the music with an open mind.