REVIEW: Lorna Shore, Whitechapel, Kublai Khan TX, Sanguisugabogg at Hammerstein Ballroom | 10.27.2024
Last Saturday night in midtown Manhattan, 8th Avenue served as an ideological dividing line. On one side, the historic Hammerstein Ballroom, which was host to a night of metal courtesy of Lorna Shore, Whitechapel, Kublai Khan TX, and Sanguisugabogg. On the other side, just a few blocks away was the iconic Madison Square Garden, where the Republican candidate for President of the United States was spewing incoherent vitriol to his supporters.
It was ironic that the metal show, which would stereotypically and ignorantly be considered a hotbed for angry folks, couldn’t have been more of a love fest; the other event, fittingly held by the political party that blames the metal genre for societal issues rather than looking at themselves in the mirror, couldn’t have been more of a hate fest. But I digress.
I had been looking forward to Lorna Shore's show ever since the tour was announced earlier this year. I have covered the band on Dangit Bee! a few times and walk away from their set each time an even bigger fan than I was before. The fact that they would be accompanied by a stacked opening lineup as well promised for an epic evening.
And with that, let’s dive in.
SANGUISUGABOGG
Sanguisugabogg may have a name that takes a few tries to pronounce correctly but their riffs will have you banging your head without a second thought. A sea of hands rose when vocalist Devin Swank asked who was seeing the band perform live for the first time, the fans' resulting cheers signifying that it would certainly not be their last. Swank then parted that sea into a massive wall of death and set about a pit of chaos that only intensified as the night went on.
KUBLAI KHAN TX
There was a power that’s presence was unmistakable in Kublai Khan TX’s set, both in the band’s music and the crowd’s reaction to it. Breakdowns were met with massive pits, vocalist Matt Honeycutt’s barks were met with raucous cheers, and when called upon to sing along, the crowd shook the room with their response.
WHITECHAPEL
Opening with “This is Exile,” the explosive single from the band’s sophomore namesake release, Whitechapel got right down to business blasting beats and melting faces. Their career-spanning set, which included new single “A Visceral Retch”, was a relentless display of masterful deathcore melodies and I was more than happy to be along for the ride.
LORNA SHORE
Though it was released in 2022, 2024 is certain to be “the year of Pain Remains” when it comes to my listening habits on Spotify and Apple Music. I listen to the album constantly; always front to back, as it should and is meant to be heard. It should come as no surprise how excited I was to hear that Lorna Shore's tour would be devoted to playing the album in full every single night. It was a sight to behold.
The explosion of “Welcome Back, O’ Sleeping Dreamer” brought hellfire and brimstone not just by way of Will Ramos’ powerful screams but with a production of pyro and flame cannons to boot. Thus began the journey of Pain Remains; performed flawlessly and passionately by Lorna Shore in front of a sold out crowd that included the bands' families and friends.
Before beginning the epic titular trilogy of "Pain Remains" to close out the album, Ramos dedicated the song to his recently departed brother who passed away weeks ago. The context made an already emotionally powerful song infinitely more so to watch and experience in a live setting.
There was a whole lot of love in the room. So much, in fact, that when the song and album in turn were finished, the crowd still demanded more. Lorna Shore was happy to oblige and broke out a masterclass in brutality via "To The Hellfire" to end the evening.