Lorna Shore - Unbreakable

Look, let’s be real .. deathcore is a genre that isn't exactly known for it's uplifting and motivational content.  It’s heavy, it’s aggressive, and it’s usually about as cheerful as a funeral dirge. So when a band like Lorna Shore, who have undoubtedly risen through the ranks to master the genre, decides to drop a song that sounds like it was written during a particularly inspirational yoga session, you know something’s up.

For the uninitiated, deathcore is basically what happens when someone looks at death metal and metalcore ... two already extremely aggressive genres ... and thinks "yeah, this could be louder". Lorna Shore have been making exactly that happen since forming in New Jersey in 2009, and their road to the top was anything but smooth.  The band saw multiple vocalist departures, enough lineup turbulence to make your head spin, and at least one moment where the whole thing looked like it might just collapse entirely. Then 2021 happened.  With new vocalist Will Ramos on board, "To the Hellfire" appeared and went viral, and suddenly everyone knew who they were. The rest, as they say, is history.

Anyway, enter our selection for this week, "Unbreakable".  The second single off their most recent (and in this humble author's opinion, strongest) album to date.  It still delivers the brutal eardrum shredding assault you'd expect from the band, but with something surprisingly, almost suspiciously optimistic lurking underneath all that glorious noise. It's the sonic equivalent of screaming motivational affirmations into the abyss. And honestly? It works, and fits beautifully into the context of the album that spawned it.

The world is a lot right now. Sometimes chirpy, everything-is-fine positivity just doesn't quite cut the mustard .. sometimes you need your optimism delivered at volume, with breakdowns. Lorna Shore get it, so turn it up!