Alliant Energy Powerhouse

Lorna Shore

Location: Alliant Energy PowerHouse
Time: 6:30 PM to 9:30 PM
370 1st Ave NE
Cedar Rapids, Iowa

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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.”

ORNA 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 Lewnadowski (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 Awesome Studios 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.