Performer(s) – Lorna Shore, The Black Dahlia Murder, Shadow of Intent, and PeelingFlesh
Venue – The Masonic Temple
Location – Detroit, MI
Concert Date – September 27th, 2025
Author + Photographer – Porous
I knew from the very instant this tour was announced that I needed to cover the Detroit date. I mean, who wouldn’t want to witness Lorna Shore’s epically symphonic deathcore in the flesh? Or behold this version of The Black Dahlia Murder with Brian on lead vocals?! And even though the first two openers (PeelingFlesh and Shadow of Intent) weren’t on my heavy listening rotation, they have been since the drive home that night.
PeelingFlesh
If you’re not familiar with PeelingFlesh, I’ll forgive you, but just this one time. These four hit the stage and it was a nonstop barrage of grooves, samples, and breakdowns for the next half hour. Jason and Mychal both scratched that itch in my ear with their brutally catchy guitar hooks. And then my neck was sore the next morning, which I’m going to blame on Joe’s drumming (I couldn’t stop banging my head). Another person having a great time was their vocalist Damonteal. In between those perfectly executed death metal vocals he kept the crowd hyped and was hard to take your eyes off of. The entire band gave the crowd their money’s worth, which was especially evident from how much fun people were having in the pit.
Shadow of Intent
Similar to Lorna Shore, blending orchestral arrangements into deathcore is also expertly pulled off by Shadow of Intent. Not only on their studio albums, but in-person. These musicians were at the top of their game from start to finish. Every blast beat rang true. Every tremolo riff manically in-time. And ALL of Ben’s vocals were undeniably brilliant. The way he flawlessly shifts from lows to highs is one of my favorite techniques death metal vocalists employ. The crowd was feeding off it all too. With this blend of ferociously fast and technical death metal, blended with symphonic moments and hardcore, there was something for everybody to love throughout their performance. Some of my favorite photos I captured were of them (especially Ben), which you can view more of here.
The Black Dahlia Murder
The first time I saw The Black Dahlia Murder was back in 2001. It was immediately apparent to all of us at the time that Trevor and Brian were creating music that would emanate beyond our local Michigan metal scene. There was an energy and technicality to their sound which seemed unmatched at the time. Many of my most cherished memories from those early years relate to that band, which included me trying out on bass! It’s been such a joy watching this band progress.
The last time I had seen The Black Dahlia Murder live, Trevor was still with us. I truly consider him one of the greats and was excited to see what Brian would do with the role. And holy hell, I loved every minute of it. Not only did he deliver those growls and shrieks with a passion that’d make demons wonder what they’re doing with their life, his banter with the crowd was hella fun. And of course any time they bring out their mascot in the gorilla suit for “Statutory Ape”, that’s hella fun too (and they did at this show)!
The rest of the fellas performed at their peak as well. Ryan and Wes playing those absurdly well-crafted melodic death metal riffs. Max and Alan kept the low-end and beat perfectly in time and absolutely crushing. And besides incredible musicianship, The Black Dahlia Murder shows are simply a great time. They’re not ultra serious or pretentious, they just want everyone to have the time of their life. I certainly did.
Lorna Shore
The first three bands had a fairly standard stage setup, but when Lorna Shore came out, just… whoa. Their vocalist Will even took a moment to appreciate this being their biggest and most impressive stage production yet. Austin (their drummer) was perched atop what felt like a 30 foot tall platform, which also served as a screen to project incredible visuals throughout much of the set. This was definitely one of the most impressive uses of that technology I’ve seen lately and it elevated it from a regular deathcore show to a gorgeously immersive experience.
They opened up with “Oblivion”, which is the second track off their latest album I Feel The Everblack Festering Within Me. Lorna Shore always pour a ton of emotion into their music, but this new album and the songs they performed live from it felt especially relevant and cathartic. Speaking for myself (but probably also most of the crowd), their performance of “Glenwood” that night was really inspirational. Whatever it is that Will summons to get those vocal performances in the studio, he also brings to the stage.
Before their encore, they played one of my favorites “To the Hellfire”. I fell in love with that song the first time I ever heard it. And it was even better live. You could feel the darkness as Adam and Andrew on guitars picked through those harrowing riffs and palm-muted chugs. Austin and Michael on drums and bass made sure you physically felt the darkness. But my goodness, those growls, grunts, and squeals from Will are some of the best vocals I’ve ever heard in this genre. But also one of the best concerts I’ve seen in this genre.
Lorna Shore will be on this tour through the end of October and I really hope you get to experience it! Visit Lorna Shore’s website for dates near you. Follow @porousphoto on Instagram to see more photos from the show.
Biography: Porous has been possessed by heavy music for the vast majority of his life. For a good chunk of it, that love was exorcised by playing metal, punk, and hardcore with other musicians. Nowadays Porous writes/records music mostly on his own, but engages with the community by supporting/encouraging other artists, and one of those ways is through writing! In early 2025 he joined MoshPitNation to contribute album/show reviews, concert photography, and hopefully an infectious love for sincere heavy music. For more photography, visit his digital portfolio.
