Words – @rixoncaptures
Photos – @photo.amai
Selling out 8 months in advance, Lorna Shore’s inaugural visit to Australia has been one of the most anticipated tours of 2025. Despite an hour’s wait between doors opening and the first support band, the queue to enter The Forum wrapped around 3 sides of the iconic venue; a procession of black shirt after black shirt that would startle the average Melbourne tourist. Once I stepped through the doors I was immediately met with another insanely long queue, as the merchandise line snaked down from the mezzanine, crossed over the doors of the main room, and curled around the ramps towards the bars inside. It’s a testament to how eager these fans have been to catch one of deathcore’s biggest names in Australia.
Opening tonight’s proceedings was Sydney band To The Grave. The five members stomped onto stage and the lights had completely dimmed, which might have detracted from their threatening presence had vocalist Dane Evans not been kitted out in a realistic pig head mask and butcher’s apron. He glared down at the crowd, pacing back and forth on the stage platform and announcing “This is direct action, this is animal liberation, this is To The Grave.” The band launched into the opening track Vegan Day of Violence and set the theme of their performance as animal rescue and veganism, with backing vocals provided by bassist Matt Clarke and guitarist Nic Webb matching the aggression of their message.
After ripping through similarly charged songs DxE or Die and Dead Wrong, the band unveiled an unreleased song Sawn Off that perfectly fit their formula of fast double kicks from drummer Raymond Martin, screeching pig squeals, and chugging guitar riffs. Guitarists Nic and Jack Simioni traded solos and high-pitched fills as Dane (now free of his pig mask) held a butcher’s knife to the crowd to incite the night’s first wall of death. With the packed room now at their mercy, To The Grave closed their set with tracks Wastage and Made In Aus as patrons thrashed about in the opening mosh pit and crowd-surfed over the barrier in the hopes of yelling into the microphone held out to them. This band is the reason I have been meat-free for seven years, and with their upward trajectory both in Australia and overseas, I can bet I’m not the only one.
After a collection of intermission songs fit for the blood rave from Blade, it was time for Bodysnatcher’s set. Opening with 2022 hit E.D.A., the Floridian (from Melbourne, Florida – ironically) four-piece had the crowd moving from the very first note as the pit opened wider. Their hardcore influences were apparent as their songs switched into half-time sections and circle pits were replaced with two-stepping. The band had definitely picked up the local lingo as vocalist Kyle Medina fondly referred to the crowd as “cunts” while calling for crowd-surfers. His vocals were thick and punchy in popular tracks Infested and Ego Killer as drummer Chris Whited provided accompanying yells.
The band launched further into their set without introducing any of their songs, however dedicating Take Me To Hell to Melbourne favourites Alpha Wolf, and Murder8 to anyone who had lost a friend to drug abuse while bringing out touring photographer Nick Chance from Distinguisher for guest vocals. The climax of their set was by far King of the Rats as the crowd yelled the iconic opening lyrics “What’s up bitch? Fuck you” and recording phones were more commonly held up than fists. For their first tour of Australia, the enthusiastic reaction to Bodysnatcher’s performance is sure to see them return shortly.
The air was thick with excitement as we waited for the night’s main event. Lorna Shore’s name was spread high over the stage on a black and white banner that engulfed the entire back wall. As the lights dimmed and the backdrop faded into shadow, the symphonic choir of Welcome Back, O’Sleeping Dreamer roused a sea of eagerly recording phones like a snake charmer’s song. Truly, it seemed like every second or third person in the crowd had their phone out to film; screens echoing the flickering of the stage lights milliseconds behind.
As Will Ramos’ guttural screams carried to the back of the room, pillars of fire erupted across the front of the stage and illuminated every awed face in bursts of orange glow. A lone spotlight shone down on guitarist Adam De Micco as he whipped through intricate solos, and the small pauses between the flames were filled with gusts of steam. On the other side of the stage, bassist Michael Yager and rhythm guitarist Andrew O’Connor chugged through tracks Of The Abyss and …And I Return To Nothingness while overhead lights flickered in time to each strum. Drummer Austin Archey perched high above his bandmates on a platform surrounded by rotating lights and rows of LED panels; a spectacle of the incredible production quality mirroring the musicianship we were witnessing.
When it was announced that the band had one song left, the sea of phones returned in anticipation to catch the song that pulled Lorna Shore from the ashes like a phoenix, and introduced the masses to Will’s extraordinary vocal ability. As To The Hellfire began, the already vigorous crowd found an extra reserve of energy and erupted again. The usual pause before a band’s encore was filled with ambient rain sounds to accompany the crowd’s cheering and pleading for more, and the band reemerged to deliver the Pain Remains trilogy: I: Dancing Like Flames, II: After All I’ve Done, I’ll Disappear, and III: In a Sea of Fire, closing the night with a quick happy birthday to Austin before the band disappeared backstage.
As we shuffled out of the sold-out venue and spilled onto Flinders Street, the sounds of awe and amazement overlapped as the parting crowd described how impressed they were with tonight’s show to one another. If this is the spectacle we can expect from Lorna Shore’s first time in Australia, then the possibilities for what their next tour will look like are endless. Even more fire? Stadium shows? I know I can’t wait.
A huge thanks to the Forum crew, Destroy All Lines, and Dallas Does PR for having us.
EVERYDAY METAL – SUPPORT LOCAL HEAVY METAL
