Lorna Shore showed why they’re metal superstars at the Midland

2 hours ago

Jason Colvin, Bentley Mahakijkittichai,

Lorna Shore. // photo by Bentley Mahakijkittichai

Lorna Shore
with Signs of the Swarm and Paleface Swiss
Midland Theater
Monday, May 4

Metal mayhem came through Kansas City on Monday, May 4, as Lorna Shore, along with opening acts Signs of the Swarm and Paleface Swiss, played the Midland Theater. Lorna Shore is on the second leg of dates through North America in support of their newest album, I Feel the Everblack Festering Within Me.

Signs of the Swarm. // photo by Bentley Mahakijkittichai

The night kicked off with a hard-hitting set from Pittsburgh’s Signs of the Swarm. Formed in 2014, the band released their sixth and newest album, To Rid Myself of Truth, in August of 2025. Despite navigating through frequent lineup changes over the years, the band has consistently asserted its dominance in the extreme metal scene. Through their thirty-minute set, they dropped head-banging breakdowns courtesy of band members Carl Schulz on guitar, Michael Cassese on bass, and drummer Bobby Crow. Vocalist David Simonich provided the aggressive, cavernous gutturals with varied, intense textures. Known for creating wet, gargling gravel sounds, Simonich’s goblin screams, with his deep growls, create a unique blend of metal vocals. Throughout the set, he continually called on the audience to up the energy while demanding more moshing and crowd-surfing.

“Let’s make these security guards work tonight,” Simonich called out to the fans. They had a tough job getting the Monday night crowd to match their high energy. Just as the mosh pits were forming and the crowd surfers were making their way to the barrier, the set came to a close.

Paleface Swiss. // photo by Bentley Mahakijkittichai

Now it was time for Swiss face-pounding metal band Paleface Swiss to continue to ignite a fire of energy in the Midland. Formed in Zurich, Switzerland, in 2017 originally as Paleface, they added the Swiss to their name after learning of another artist named Paleface. With three studio albums and three EPs as well as many stand-alone singles, they have been busy gaining international attention on the metal scene. Members Marc “Zelli” Zellweger on lead vocals, guitarist Yannick Lehmann, bassist Tommy Lee, and Cassiano “Cassi” Toma on drums play an extreme blend of deathcore, hardcore, nu metal, and thrash.

Paleface Swiss. // photo by Bentley Mahakijkittichai

From slow, punishing tempos and hard-hitting breakdowns to the tight, low-tuned guitars from Lehmann and thick, bone-crushing bass from Lee, my face was melting. Toma’s high-energy drums blasted across the snares, kick, and cymbals, making my heart pound and drawing me ever closer to the mosh pit. Between delivering chaotic, highly emotive vocals using a combination of high-pitched shrieks, rap-like cadences, deep guttural growls, and melodic singing, Zelli was constantly calling on the fans to up the energy.

“What day is it…it’s Monday, well, that’s no excuse,” Zelli said as he called on everyone to jump, mosh, and crowd surf. The crowd responded with ferocity as the mosh pit grew, and the floor was full of surfers on their way to the front. It was at this point I just couldn’t hold back any longer as I had to make my way into the pit. By the end of their ten-song set, the energy was on full blast as everyone there was fully ready for Lorna Shore to finish the night out. I left the pit, making sure to give a fist bump to the guy in a full chicken onesie, despite my now sprained thumb.

Lorna Shore. // photo by Bentley Mahakijkittichai

Lorna Shore has become one of the biggest and most popular deathcore bands over the past few years, and now it was time for them to take to the stage to showcase the reason for their dominance. Forming in 2009 out of New Jersey, the band went through some lineup changes, including current longest-running member Adam De Micco joining on guitars in 2010. In 2012, Austin Archey joined on drums. Playing rhythm guitar and adding synths in the studio, Andrew O’Connor joined in 2019. Through 2020-2021, Michael Yager joined on bass, backing vocals, and Will Ramos came on for lead vocals. This current lineup, with their shared vision and dedication for the band, has been the driving force for their global success. With their 2021 EP And I Return to Nothingness and 2022 full-length album Pain Remains, they have gained massive streaming numbers, sold-out tours worldwide, and found Billboard chart success. Their rise is driven by a unique symphonic metal sound and high-impact live performances.

From the moment they took to the stage and began playing “Oblivion,” the first single from the new album, everyone in attendance knew they were in for one of those high-impact shows. Elevated above the rest of the stage with a massive high-resolution screen behind him was Archey, blasting away on his massive drum set. Another long rectangle screen under his drum stand and four tall rectangle LCD screens, two on each side of the stage, provided stunning visuals along with a massive light show. Lightning cracked across the screens as they began the set with thunderous applause.

The fans never hesitated to yell out lyrics when called upon to do so through “Oblivion” and the second song “Unbreakable.” Ramos then took a moment to let us know “we are just getting started,” as he then introduced his favorite song to play live, “War Machine.” Through each song, every band member showed off their skills with technical perfection that showcased the band’s unique metal sounds. Di Micco’s guitaring provided a cinematic landscape through his fast alternate picking lines with his signature pinch harmonics and dramatic phrasing. He creates highly emotive, beautiful sounds that can hypnotize you despite the aggressive metal the band blasts out. Archey speedily blasts beats with clean surgical precision, able to reach tempos of up to 260 BPM. Yager’s bass provided a thick, metallic low-end distorted foundation all while he drops in backing vocals, rocking your core. O’Connor’s rhythm guitar added a low-end tightness and distinct high-end grit that serves as a textured glue holding all the elements together.

Lorna Shore. // photo by Bentley Mahakijkittichai

Then there are Ramos’ vocals. An entire article could be written about his unique vocal range and ability to create sounds inhumanly possible. From deep, guttural lows to high-pitched, piercing overtones, he creates extreme sounds that go from biological to mechanical. He is known for his signature monster sounds. Using different pig squeals ranging from high to low pitches, as well as his being able to create a hollow tunnel sound used for his most inhuman sounding gutturals. His technique is so unique that it was famously analyzed by The Charismatic Voice. Despite the intensity of his sound, medical tests have confirmed his vocal cords remain in perfect health. When you put that voice together with all the other elements that the band brings to the stage, it is no wonder that they have taken the metal world by storm and crossed over into mainstream music. Their sound truly deserves your attention no matter what your musical tastes are.

Six of the first eight songs in the set were from the new album, while they included “Sun//Eater” and “Cursed to Die” from Pain Remains in that stretch. Wrapping up that run of songs was “Prison of Flesh.” During an interview last month with De Micco, I asked about what his favorite songs to play live are. “I have a 50-50 love-hate relationship with ‘Prison of Flesh.’ When I nail it, it’s awesome. When I don’t nail it, it’s my least favorite song in the set. When I do nail it, I feel on top of the world,” he told me.

Lorna Shore. // photo by Bentley Mahakijkittichai

This night, he should have been feeling on top of the world as he and the rest of the band definitely nailed it. With that, Ramos announced they only had one song left to play for the night, but thankfully for us, it was the “Pain Remains” trilogy. A three-part conceptual story focusing on the stages of grief, loss, and vulnerability, framed through a narrative of love and emotional devastation that totals about twenty minutes. The song highlights yet another reason for their growing popularity as they show an ability to blend intense deathcore with deeply emotional, melodic storytelling. As the powerful song came to an end, the band left the stage. Fans eager for more chanted “One more song” over and over until the band came back out.

For the encore, the band delivered “To the Hellfire,” their hit 2021 single from …And I Return to Nothingness. It was a perfect song to close out a show highlighting their recent successful songs. This was the song that launched the band into the mainstream as it became a viral success when released. It peaked at number 4 on the Spotify Viral Chart’s Top 10, at one point was voted by readers of Revolver as the “Best Song of 2021 So Far,” and was elected by Loudwire as the best metal song of 2021. The song effectively illustrates that the current lineup comprises individuals, each possessing distinct talents and aspirations, who have collectively established a shared objective of creating an exceptional outcome. They see their music as an art, and as Di Micco put it, “we share a similar end goal in our art…I feel like everyone’s on the same page, like a search for life.” As a metal fan and someone who thrives on almost any live music, this life was once again moved by their epic performance.

All photos by Bentley Mahakijkittichai

Lorna Shore