Lorna Shore

Lorna Shore is hitting The Rust Belt stage on Saturday, May 2nd. With special guests Paleface Swiss, & Signs of the Swarm

Lorna Shore

Call them heroes or hell-bringers, it doesn’t matter to the men of Lorna Shore. On their fifth album—the declarative I Feel The Everblack Festering Within Me—the New Jersey quintet are putting all of metal’s subgenres on notice. Because after one listen, you’ll wonder what motivates them and what took metal so long to evolve. You also might wonder whose truck may have hit you while you were listening.

Sure, that last sentence may sound more than a touch hyperbolic. But in the context of the myriad of metal subgenres out there, Lorna Shore—vocalist Will Ramos, guitarist Adam De Micco, bassist/vocalist Michael Yager, rhythm guitarist, synth and orchestral arranger Andrew O’Connor and drummer Austin Archey—are operating on a larger plane than ever before. They’ve hit the viral Spotify charts, racked up hundreds of millions of streams, embarked on highly successful tours and in the process, galvanized a significant fanbase that hangs onto the

band’s quest for stylistic inversion. But by virtue of physical onslaught and wanting to divine truth from their music, Lorna Shore have kept themselves fired up by torching the metal rulebook at every turn, practically demanding that other genres step up their game.

“I think a lot of bands—especially in deathcore—they write stuff that they think is cool, but they're not necessarily writing stuff that's true to them,” offers Ramos. “I think between everything that we've been through over the last couple years, those things have helped push the band to [think] bigger. We’re putting our heart and soul into it. I think it's those little experiences that we've been through that help shape that. It doesn't necessarily work for everybody, but it works for us”

Paleface Swiss

From the heart of Switzerland to the world’s biggest stages, Paleface Swiss have stormed into the global heavy music scene with unstoppable force. Known for their punishing blend of beatdown, nu-metal, and hardcore, the band have rapidly evolved from underground beginnings into one of the most talked-about names in heavy music today.

Their breakout single “Best Before: Death” turned into a viral phenomenon, amassing tens of millions of streams and setting the tone for their rise. With their latest full-length Cursed, which entered the charts and solidified their reputation as genre leaders, Paleface Swiss proved they can deliver not just brutality, but also timeless songwriting that resonates worldwide.

Paleface Swiss are not just another rising act — they are defining the sound and energy of a new heavy generation. With momentum building on every continent, their movement is only getting louder.

Signs of the Swarm

“I realized I scream things I’m too chickenshit to talk about,” admits Signs of the Swarm vocalist David Simonich.

It’s a surprising admission for a band as self-assured as the Pittsburgh titans, especially when one hears sixth LP To Rid Myself of Truth: a title that exemplifies yet sounds a hell of a lot cooler than the quoted confession, and an album that exudes confidence.

The growth is palpable as Signs of the Swarm are reunited with producer Josh Schroeder (Lorna Shore, Mental Cruelty, Varials, King 810) to continue molting their slamming deathcore exoskeleton. That metal metamorphosis reveals a band now as indebted to Meshuggah, Gojira and Fear Factory as any of the deathcore bands they grew up on—now peers.

It’s not to say they don’t still slam with the best of them—and Simonich’s gargling, acidic growls out-monster his peers—but the focus has evolved into a modern metal paradox: chorus-driven deathcore. In an era where “look-at-me” moments are prioritized to appeal to shrinking attention spans, Signs of the Swarm’s pursuit of substance over style of the month is as refreshing as it could be surprising.

“I know it’s ironic given ‘the part’ of ‘Amongst the Low & Empty’ that blew up, but we’ve never had ‘Tik Tok’ as our goal,” admits main writer (and drummer) Bobby Crow of his double bass maelstrom. “For that song, it was simply what I felt it needed, which is why there are less PARTS on the new album, but that overwhelming energy is everywhere.”