Band Line Up 2022
For LORNA SHORE, the triumvirate of songs at the heart of
“…And I Return to Nothingness” are nothing short of an
exorcism – and a plunge into something darker. “There were
points where we didn’t know if we could come back from
where things left off,” recounts drummer Austin Archey of
the tumultuous weeks after the release of the band’s 2019
album, “Immortal”. “The last year and a half was nothing
short of a trial by fire.” LORNA SHORE’s latest round of pitch
black soul-coughing says that in no uncertain terms. From
orchestral passage that opens the EP’s title track, straight
into a bombast of blackened intensities and rampaging
grandeur, these New Jersey-born extremists are back, rising
from the askes like a phoenix. Reborn and sworn to the dark. A coming fire that even the
LORNA SHORE faithful will be stunned by.
“We had nothing to lose,” states guitarist Adam DeMicco. “As dark as things seemed for us,
that also gave us the confidence to push things to places we always wanted to go.” Having
finished the US leg of the 2019 Summer Slaughter tour with Cattle Decapitation several
months before, LORNA SHORE found themselves cutting ties with vocalist CJ McCreery in
December 2019. A new voice was found in A Wake In Providence front man, Will Ramos, a
longtime friend of the band and veteran of the scene that birthed LORNA SHORE. “They were
one of the biggest influences for me as a vocalist,” says Ramos. “Going back to the records
with Tom Barber [original LORNA SHORE vocalist] on vocals, but also seeing how they
developed since, they were always an inspiration. LORNA SHORE is one of those bands who
you can really call a pioneer.”
Undaunted, LORNA SHORE began what was to be both a trial by fire and a victory lap on the
European Faces of Death tour, headlined by Polish thrashers, Decapitated. They held their
own and won over crowds only to face the challenge of the tour being cancelled and being a
continent away as the world shut down amidst the wildfire spread of Covid-19. Returning to
America, LORNA SHORE remained bloodied but unbowed and determined.
In that time, the seeds of “…And I Return to Nothingness” were sown. As the world locked down, DeMicco, Archey, Ramos and guitarist Andrew O’ Connor plunged deeper into the creative instincts that initially made LORNA SHORE a fixture in the extreme metal scene with landmark albums: 2015’s “Psalms” and 2017’s “Flesh Coffin”. Since then, they’ve twisted together influences and ideas ranging from the symphonic grimness of European black metal to death metal’s complex fatal sonic formulas and hardcore’s aural intensities. What LORNA SHORE arrived at was a new level of blackened technicality and the next step in their darkside journey.
Embellished with artwork by noted Polish painter Mariusz Lewandowski (Bell Witch, Fuming Mouth) “…And I Return to Nothingness” reaffirms LORNA SHORE’s creative focus and intensity. Teaming once again with “Immortal” producer Josh Schroeder at Random AwesomeStudios in Midland, Michigan, the band was ready to take the next step. “The whole studio experience was smoother than I expected,” says Ramos of the recording sessions. “Working with Josh, seeing how dedicated and focused the band was going into this record. I think that confidence really came across to final product.” The EP’s three tracks: “To the Hellfire”, “Of the Abyss” and the title track are proof that LORNA SHORE isn’t just continuing their fiery legacy. They’re reigniting it and spectacularly setting their very legacy ablaze.
