Live Review: Lorna Shore @ AEC Theatre 17/10/26

Lorna Shore w/Whitechapel & The Acacia Strain @ AEC Theatre 17/10/26

"We made a home in the shadow of madness." – Will Ramos, Lorna Shore, 'In Darkness', I Feel The Everblack Festering Within Me (2015).

"Deathcore", the extreme metal subgenre, a hybrid of death metal, metalcore and hardcore in simplified terms, is not one made for arenas and stadiums.

Or so the story goes…

The three established acts at this event are no strangers to Australia, even Adelaide. Somewhat surprisingly, the headliners, New Jersey's Lorna Shore, possess the least amount of experience with South Australia, having only one visit prior to this night. Knoxville's Whitechapel have travelled through our nation many times, dating back to 2008, when they played Fowler's Live and included Mt. Gambier in their journey. Albany's The Acacia Strain toured around that same time; their first headlining show in Adelaide 17 years ago was, matter-of-factly, at the now-defunct Underground venue, but the five-piece have frequented our shores on many occasions.

The trio of bands have incredibly witnessed the uprising of their extreme music first-hand, playing shows to dozens, or hundreds of people, which then escalated to thousands in more recent times. Now, in an entirely different nation from their home country, the crowd numbers are astonishing, especially from all of their humble beginnings.

The distinctive art form of Lorna Shore, Whitechapel and The Acacia Strain is exclusive, aggressive, deafening, perilous, afflicted and, in truth, dangerous. All things considered, the madness of deathcore is arguably the exact home we currently crave and require.

A soothing jazz and hip hop soundtrack welcomed the early arriving heavy music enthusiasts in a rather confounding but soothing atmosphere. This calm soon became calamity once the Albanian deathcore squad The Acacia Strain made their entrance, but not without their own unconventional characteristics.

"We are The Acacia Strain, and we're here to fuck shit up!” vocalist Vincent Bennett exclaimed with a pleasant and foolish wave.

A beastly growl of "WHOA!" then powerfully projected from Vincent's entire spirit, with a barbaric hellishness that imprinted on all the spectators before the quintet.

The outlandish opener was to be 'Whoa! Shut It Down'; but in reality, The Acacia Strain opened everything up. The circle of ninja-mosh turbulence commenced dauntingly and delightfully, as two-step dance movements and gymnastic hardcore fighting erupted from the athletes of extreme music.

"Your world is about to come crashing down," Mr. Bennett roared in wild wretchedness.

BOOM! Breakdowns of cataclysmic nature exploded in a torrential storm of psychosis.

This was madness.

'Dr. Doom' lived up to the hope of the frantic frontman, with his circle-pit demands met, and the band's audience living the lyrics:

"I hope your ears bleed. I hope your skin crawls."

They did, in enthralling exhilaration.

Unfortunately, the poetic line, "And the blood runs down the mountain", was met with a moment of reality, with the first casualty of the night. Thankfully, the concertgoer was quickly and cautiously escorted from the insanity by aware crowd members, security and paramedics. Safety is paramount, always.

'Holy Moonlight' was devastating, in the best way possible. A shellshock of colossal brutality that was borderline inhumane in its dire honesty.

"Thank you! All we care about is that we have a good time. We like active and aggressive fun," Vinnie expressed, but with mindfulness of the fans' protection.

"I hate this barricade, get up here, fucking crowd surf!"

His wish was our command.

'SWAMP MENTALITY' was pure evil, a treacherous composition that the UK's Slimelord could only wish they had conjured up. It was then, at this juncture, that Vin Bennett exposed his authentic self. Underneath his immense presence, there is an insightful and attentive man.

"As I get older, I realise that more people I know and love sadly die. In the last 18 months, I have seen this more than ever. If you can, don't dwell on it. I have learned to just cherish the people I still have. Mourning is tough, but hold onto the people you love. Always let them know."

'Beast', with former Distinguisher vocalist Nick Chance, reiterated these very sentiments on a rather peculiar tangent. A scathing forthrightness that wasn’t without empathy or sympathy, just factuality.

"The fucking world is an ugly place," Vin and Nick bellowed together.

It can be, so remember where the beauty lies.

'A CALL BEYOND' felt like it came from beyond the grave, in all its deathcore glory.

"In all its deathcore glory" – arguably the best description for The Acacia Strain.

READ MORE: Live Review: Lamb of God & Trivium @ AEC Theatre 04/10/26

This writer is not sure where to begin with Knoxville's Whitechapel. This isn't ascribed to half-knowledge or misunderstanding; it is more so on the grounds that their latest studio album Hymns in Dissonance is their magnum opus in an already virtuous career.

It would seem that "We made a home in the shadow of madness" is exactly what the sextet has brilliantly accomplished.

The six-piece courageously created a concept LP revolving around the story of a demonic cult; the songs on the record essentially represent the seven deadly sins.

Whitechapel's performance was idyllically deadly.

A bombardment of noise enraptured and ruptured the thousands of souls witnessing this articulation of heavy music artistry in a manner this scribe had not encountered with the deathcore subgenre before. This was an extreme metal venture that achieved the capacity to teRIFFy, terrorise, and energise all at once. 'Prisoner 666' and 'Hymns In Dissonance' were DEMONstrations of elite artistry in a frightful manner.

Could you envisage The Wicker Man film with a dangerous death metal reimagination? It was perplexing, but also beyond thrilling.

Vocalist Phil Bozeman barely broke a sweat or missed a beat with his devilish vocal delivery – he was practically speaking in tongues. The marvellously mutant soundtrack and its captivating cacophony of metallic madness left thousands bewildered and wild in response.

'Bedlam' assaulted the deathcore subgenre with its genius – "You will never be reborn," Phil shrieked in a ferocious tone. Truthfully, the extreme music category just had been.

Bozeman eventually grabbed the mask from the conceptual cult that was attached to Brandon Zackey's drum kit, and eerily placed it on his own face.

A deafening cheer ensued from the capacity crowd, but with a degree of mystification. This was enhanced ceremoniously by the chant: "We hunt, we kill, we feast, we conquer…"

'Hate Cult Ritual' became a divine disconnection from reality.

"We’re going to play some old shit," Bozeman announced to an elated response.

However, perhaps the cult story had become too powerful at that moment?

'The Somatic Defilement' was a magnificent monstrosity of heaviness. A noise complaint could have been filed by The Hindley Street Country Club, who were literally performing next door – this was the elite rampancy of Whitechapel's resounding ferocity.

Then, 'This Is Exile', a theatrical musical of machine gun madness in its lunacy. Practically malevolent with its severity, it was genuinely surprising the ground beneath the Adelaide CBD didn't collapse from the vicious onslaught of ruination.

A return headline tour is a requirement.

READ MORE: Live Review: Electric Callboy @ AEC Arena 06/09/26

"Once upon a time I was falling in love, but now I'm only falling apart...A total eclipse of the heart."

Confused? This is more than comprehensible; these are the lyrics to Bonnie Tyler's 1983 smash hit 'Total Eclipse Of The Heart'.

This was the scintillating single utilised to eclipse Adelaide into a pandemonium of eagerness for New Jersey's cinematic deathcore trailblazers Lorna Shore.

Our hearts were ready, home in the shadow of madness.

"Shaking hands with death, a means of fallacy / Take all of your regret and fucking bathe in it."

The curtain featuring the Lorna Shore symbol dropped.

All hell broke loose.

Pyrotechnics, rhythm beyond conceivable human abilities, transfixing film imagery on the back screen, disastrous breakdowns of obscene stature and a "unicorn" vocalist who screeched, growled and devastated thousands with the unhallowed animalistic roar that would petrify David Attenborough.

Adelaide had entered the shadow of madness, and it was magical.

"We are just getting started, y'all!" Frontman extraordinaire Will Ramos exclaimed.

Yet, a brief pause was required.

Casualty number two had occurred, and Lorna was committed to their safety.

"Wow, Adelaide, you go as hard as SHIT! That was only the first breakdown."

After the secure departure of the injured concertgoer, the New Jerseyans maniacally launched into 'Unbreakable', a spiritualistic experience of anthemic rock with malicious metal that does not seem achievable.

Leave that to Will, bassist Michael Yager, drummer Austin Archey and guitarists Adam De Micco and Andrew O'Connor – they achieve the unattainable in deathcore.

"It's good to be back! Ramos yelled vivaciously.

After a quick check-in that South Australia was ok from the barrage of picturesque savagery in metal we had endured, LS uppercut us with 'War Machine' featuring Nick Chance again.

"Let's dance!" Will shrieked.

If dancing means crowd surfers, circle pits, flying items of clothing, mosh-ninjas and enraptured fear…then Adelaide are champion flamencores.

When 'In Darkness' was delivered live, a celebration was engaged and magnified. A reverence, an awakening to spellbound madness that no other band can execute.

That is Lorna Shore.

'Into The Earth' embodied an orchestral deathcore design with a crushing choir that the Sydney Opera House could not contain. 'Glenwood' was a ballad that would have fit flawlessly in The Lord Of The Rings if it underwent a metallic reimagining about the hobbits missing The Shire. Peculiar? Sure. Prodigious? Absolutely.

Counteractively, 'Prison Of Flesh' summoned a scene from the phenomenal film The Ritual, where hope is lost to horror, masterfully. The trilogy of 'Pain Remains' was carried out with such immeasurable artistic integrity that it did not appear to be of this universe. A deliverance from an undiscovered dimension.

Lorna Shore: "A deliverance from an undiscovered dimension".

The conclusion, 'To The Hellfire' – simply mind-bending, unimaginably.

This is the five-piece's triumph; they pursue and achieve the unimaginable in the deathcore genre. Cinema, splendour, entrancement, connection, viciousness…And love. Even for a man in a banana uniform.

"We made a home in the shadow of madness."

We have never felt so at home.

Want more pics of the gig? Check out our full photo gallery here.