{"id":572394,"date":"2026-05-08T05:13:24","date_gmt":"2026-05-08T05:13:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/572394\/"},"modified":"2026-05-08T05:13:24","modified_gmt":"2026-05-08T05:13:24","slug":"backstage-with-one-of-metals-most-shocking-success-stories","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/572394\/","title":{"rendered":"Backstage with one of metal’s most shocking success stories"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s 2pm, and Manchester\u2019s O2 Victoria Warehouse smells like a bonfire. We walk through the venue to meet Lorna Shore\u2019s tour manager, Jonathan Jarrell, who immediately addresses the lingering haze.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve been roastin\u2019 marshmallows,\u201d he shrugs, a smile tugging at his lips. His deadpan delivery could have you fooled \u2013 perhaps tonight really will see the New Jersey deathcore<\/a> titans sharing a few s\u2019mores onstage.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

In fact, frontman Will Ramos looks like he could use a cosy fireside singalong. He\u2019s been battling illness the last few days, and is swamped in a hoodie for today\u2019s soundcheck. The material covers his washed-out pink hair, hands transformed into paws beneath long sleeves, as he nonchalantly fiddles with his crossbody sling bag. In his softened state, he looks like butter wouldn\u2019t melt in his mouth.<\/p>\n

You may like<\/p>\n

Latest Videos From\"\"\"\"<\/p>\n

Of course, that\u2019s utter bullshit. All at once, the band burst into War Machine, and a shower of pyro erupts. Suddenly, Will is a demon decked out in streetwear, speaking in tongues previously confined to the darkest depths of Hell, emphasised by the band\u2019s gut-wrenching wall of riffs and bruising drums.<\/p>\n

More songs follow, the full-body assault of blastbeats and vocal violence taking your breath away. To round off, the posterboy for deathcore grips the mic one last time, and utters an odious, booming curse: \u201cWIZARD!\u201d What?<\/p>\n

LORNA SHORE – To the Hellfire (OFFICIAL VIDEO) – YouTube
\n\"LORNA<\/p>\n

Watch On <\/a><\/p>\n

Manchester is the third and final date of Lorna Shore\u2019s UK run, off the back of last year\u2019s album, I Feel The Everblack Festering Within Me \u2013 and it\u2019s clear the band are in high spirits. Backstage, Lorna Shore\u2019s dynamic is that of a wayward family of five, guitarist Adam De Micco serving as the single dad trying to keep things together.<\/p>\n

As Will releases photographer Nick Chance from a headlock, drummer Austin Archey stumbles around the kitchen like a sleepy bear, bassist Michael \u2018Moke\u2019 Yager plays RuneScape on his laptop, and guitarist Andrew O\u2019Connor gossips with a front of house tech. Adam opts to sit on the sofa, eyes closed, for a moment of peace.<\/p>\n

Sign up below to get the latest from Metal Hammer, plus exclusive special offers, direct to your inbox!<\/p>\n

Lorna Shore are the biggest band in deathcore right now. As well as playing to 3,500 people in Manchester tonight, this tour has taken in the 3,000-capacity O2 Academy Birmingham and London\u2019s 10,000-capacity Alexandra Palace. This puts them several thousand punters above Slaughter To Prevail, who headlined the same venues in Manchester and Birmingham last month, but peaked at 5,000-capacity at London\u2019s Brixton Academy.<\/p>\n

“The house was always very quiet until he woke up.”<\/p>\n

Austin Archey<\/p>\n

While selling out bigger rooms could be down to the tour package \u2013 it\u2019s a deathcore extravaganza, with support from Whitechapel, Shadow Of Intent and Humanity\u2019s Last Breath \u2013 it says something that Lorna Shore have been able to reach such a massive milestone before any of those peers.<\/p>\n

While Lorna Shore have been fine-tuning their brand of blackened aggro and technical riffs since 2009, they broke through in 2021 when Will joined as frontman. After releasing To The Hellfire<\/a> from the \u2026And I Return To Nothingness EP, Will\u2019s unearthly pig squeals and magnetic personality catapulted the band to stardom. Coupled with their heavy but melodic sound, Lorna Shore have become the gateway band for deathcore, bringing in people who previously hadn\u2019t engaged with it.<\/p>\n

What to read next<\/p>\n

Opening his eyes and flashing us a knowing smile, Adam wrangles Will and Austin into another room with us for a chat, and we start by addressing the elephant in the room. Or, rather, the wizard. All three guys start laughing.<\/p>\n

\u201cYesterday, I tried changing the lyrics to the chorus of a song \u2013 then I fucked the whole chorus up,\u201d Will admits sheepishly. \u201cI was making sure I practised for tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n

Apparently, the front of house team dared him to add \u2018wizard\u2019. We quickly realise that Will is the fabled kid who would absolutely jump off a bridge if you told him to\u2026 so we challenge him to do it again tonight. He narrows his eyes like an evil madman, cogs turning. But pig squeals are famously challenging to decipher \u2013 how will we know if he follows through?<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you need confirmation that the \u2018wizard\u2019 has successfully landed, just look to front of house, and they\u2019ll be doing this\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam grins, before moving his hands above his head in a triangle, symbolising a wizard\u2019s pointed hat. Both Will and Austin do the same pose. For Will, who first encountered Lorna Shore while listening to 2013\u2019s Godmaker on LSD, being in the band has been one hell of a trip. He fitted in quickly, partly because he had already been living with Austin, who\u2019d had to vacate his home during the pandemic and ended up moving in with him. The pair vaguely knew each other from the local scene.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe bond became real \u2013 we saw a lot of each other\u2026\u201d Will says, eyes widening twice in emphasis.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe house was always very quiet until he woke up,\u201d Austin smirks. \u201cHe\u2019d start the day singing really loudly while making his coffee. Then he got an electric keyboard in the living room, and, for some reason, he\u2019d turn it on while he was drinking the coffee!\u201d<\/p>\n

Touring together is another way to fast-track a friendship. It\u2019s why the entire team is so close. They all know when it\u2019s time to rag on bassist Moke for playing RuneScape, or finish someone else\u2019s sentence. Photographer Nick, formerly of Las Vegas metalcore unit Distinguisher, regularly hops out to feature on Lorna track Sun\/\/Eater.<\/p>\n

\u201cNick\u2019s our unofficial-official-secret bandmate,\u201d Will grins. There\u2019s a palpable sense that none of them can quite believe how big things have got. \u201cHonestly, we were just hoping we\u2019d be able to keep it together for another five years,\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam admits of Will\u2019s arrival. \u201cWe as a band have already passed everything that I ever wanted to do. Everything, to me, feels like a bonus.\u201d<\/p>\n

Image 1 of 14<\/p>\n

\"Lorna(Image credit: Nick Chance)<\/p>\n

Backstage with Lorna Shore at the O2 Victoria Warehouse, Manchester<\/p>\n

\"Lorna(Image credit: Nick Chance)\"Lorna(Image credit: Nick Chance)\"Lorna(Image credit: Nick Chance)\"Lorna(Image credit: Nick Chance)\"Lorna(Image credit: Nick Chance)\"Lorna(Image credit: Nick Chance)\"Lorna(Image credit: Nick Chance)\"Lorna(Image credit: Nick Chance)\"Lorna(Image credit: Nick Chance)\"Lorna(Image credit: Nick Chance)\"Lorna(Image credit: Nick Chance)\"Lorna(Image credit: Nick Chance)\"Lorna(Image credit: Nick Chance)<\/p>\n

While Will\u2019s vocal cords have been the topic of much discussion among their fanbase, he helped push the band to the next level in other ways.<\/p>\n

\u201cI remember Will would ask, \u2018Oh, what should I write about?\u2019 None of our other vocalists had ever asked us that before,\u201d Adam explains. \u201cThat collaboration didn\u2019t happen. We\u2019d just find out about the lyrics once they\u2019d been written.\u201d<\/p>\n

Will\u2019s question was rooted in anxiety (\u201cThe EP was so much pressure \u2013 I didn\u2019t have my own identity yet!\u201d he cries), but it made Adam and Austin realise they\u2019d never developed a coherent artistic vision for the band.<\/p>\n

\u201cOn the first few records, even me and Adam weren\u2019t on the same page,\u201d Austin admits. \u201cEveryone had a personal agenda, writing the craziest music ever, even if parts didn\u2019t work together.\u201d<\/p>\n

The more honest you are with your emotions and your feelings, the more you connect with the people listening<\/p>\n

Will Ramos<\/p>\n

Following 2022\u2019s Pain Remains album, Will fully settled into the band, and felt more comfortable expressing himself on I Feel The Everblack Festering Within Me. He dug deep. Not only does the record\u2019s title allude to Will\u2019s family history with dementia, the nauseatingly heavy Prison Of Flesh reflects the fear, confusion and pain experienced by someone with the condition.<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel like, the more honest you are with your emotions and your feelings, the more you connect with the people listening,\u201d Will notes.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a similar situation with Glenwood, Will\u2019s bittersweet ode to the father he cut off for years. The song references the time he lost while stubbornly refusing to reach out \u2013 it\u2019s his attempt to mend old wounds.<\/p>\n

\u201cMusic really got me through those hard times,\u201d he says. \u201cEven if something hurts, it\u2019s good to get those feelings out. I don\u2019t think anything should ever be off limits. As far as I\u2019m concerned, the more emotion that you put into your music, the better it will be.\u201d<\/p>\n

He picks out Unbreakable as a case in point, which was written to be a shining beacon of hope on your worst day.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s such a powerful moment,\u201d Will smiles, a little giddy. \u201cHearing a whole room sing it back to you is like therapy. It\u2019s the heaviest catharsis possible.\u201d<\/p>\n

While making the record, they felt some pressure. They knew they were being touted as the biggest thing in deathcore \u2013 a band able to open it up to a wider audience.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re an extreme band for people that don\u2019t normally tap into the genre,\u201d Austin explains of their appeal. While the writing process initially had guitarist Adam staring at the wall for hours, losing his mind while hoping to find inspiration, the answer came in the form of eight-minute single Oblivion.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe shut out all the outside noise, and locked in on this hunger, this angst \u2013 that\u2019s when it all fell into place,\u201d Adam explains. \u201cThat track was the first song that didn\u2019t just feel like noise. Afterwards, everything felt right.\u201d<\/p>\n

Considering the hordes of fans queuing up outside, their approach has worked. From giddy 14-year-olds in corpse-paint to seasoned deathcore elders with Lorna shirts peeking out from under bushy beards, they span generations. The band\u2019s gear is covered in stickers fans have made them, while Will shows off a gifted SpongeBob Squarepants Patrick Star badge on his bag.<\/p>\n

The guys even recall how fans embraced Wilk, an in-joke \u2018cocktail\u2019 consisting of red wine and milk, which led to venues believing that the band genuinely enjoyed it. When red wine and milk started appearing on their riders, they knew it had to stop. We suggest whipping up a glass \u2013 everyone traumatically yells \u201cNO!!!\u201d<\/p>\n

As showtime approaches, the band decide to have pre-show shots, and even Moke \u2013 who has been slaving away on his laptop, trying to get an infernal cape on RuneScape \u2013 is willing to be torn away from the grind. He walks over with a warm, disarming grin. He\u2019s wearing a green camo cap \u2013 apparently his 80th one, because his sweat essentially \u201cdeteriorates\u201d them \u2013 and a contrasting pair of classy, pointed boots made from Italian python leather. He downs his J\u00e4gerbomb and makes a face. Considering his last name is Yager, he notes how, ironically, he\u2019s not mad about that liquorice sting.<\/p>\n

\u201cOnce a rep left us boxes of the stuff,\u201d he recalls. \u201cI really didn\u2019t want any of it\u2026 We drank it all, obviously.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lorna Shore – Glenwood (Official Video) – YouTube
\n\"Lorna<\/p>\n

Watch On <\/a><\/p>\n

It\u2019s time for the main event. Will bids us farewell as he adjusts his in-ears \u2013 the case of which has a massive sticker of his face slapped on it. He shares some parting words of guidance: \u201cLook for the \u2018wizard.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite any backstage tomfoolery, the show is all business and utterly compelling, and we miss the \u2018wizard\u2019 entirely. Unbreakable is just as powerful as Will explained, fans howling back the words, while Sun\/\/Eater once again sees photographer Nick emerge, him and Will screaming into one another\u2019s faces with shiteating grins, embracing like brothers at the climactic end.<\/p>\n

Will addresses thanks to \u201cthe crowdsurfers, the fire, and the crowdsurfers not being on fire!\u201d Unfortunately, he takes Pain Remains III: In A Sea Of Fire a bit too literally, flinching when his hand passes through a blast of pyro.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, if someone\u2019s gonna set themselves on fire, it might as well be me!\u201d he laughs.<\/p>\n

After the show, we head backstage. Will\u2019s jittery \u2013 he\u2019s just avoided being barbecued.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy sweat saved me, I was just too wet to get burnt\u2026\u201d he says, before snapping back to his usual excitable state. \u201cSick show though, right?!\u201d<\/p>\n

Right. Judging by tonight, Lorna Shore could be heading for arenas and headlining festivals. If fire can\u2019t stop Will Ramos, nothing can.<\/p>\n

Lorna Shore play Welcome To Rockville on May 8 and Sonic Temple on May 15.<\/p>\n

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