Carnifex, Despised Icon, Lorna Shore, The Glass House, April 2, 2017

Carnifex at The Glass House

Carnifex, Despised Icon, Lorna Shore, The Glass House, April 2, 2017

The mighty co-headlining assault force of Carnifex and Despised Icon made their way into the Los Angeles area, playing the final date of their tour at The Glass House in Pomona. The show was completely sold out, with fans absolutely raging to the sounds of these two very iconic and innovative bands. Also on the bill and leaving their own indelible impressions were Fallujah, Rings Of Saturn, and Lorna Shore. Fortunately The Glass House is a sound and sturdy structure, as these five bands left a massive amount of sonic devastation within their wake.

Carnifex

Carnifex was in the City of Angels supporting Slow Death, their sixth diabolical magnum opus now available on Nuclear Blast Records. Imagine the pure evil of Dimmu Borgir colliding with the tough guy cynicism of Hatebreed, and you are only just beginning to envision the punishing auditory journey Carnifex has in store for you. Opening with the pulsating refrains of Dark Heart Ceremomy, Carnifex instantly grabbed the audience by the throat with their gripping, sinister take on extreme metal.

Drown Me In Blood was a wondrously wicked highlight, showing Carnifex at their most sinister and imaginative. Another glorious revelation was when the band burst into a deliciously rapturous rendition of Slipknot’s The Heretic Anthem, with The Glass House crowd absolutely going through the roof with fiendish admiration. Carnifex is truly one of the most exciting collectives on the extreme music scene today, and their live performance is a mind blowing experience that is not to be missed!

Carnifex on Facebook

Despised Icon at The Glass House

Despised Icon

Despised Icon was also in the house, performing selections from all over their vast and epic career. The mosh pit went into sonic overdrive when classics such as Bad Vibes, In the Arms Of Perdition, and Doomed were performed. And at the end of their set when MVP was presented, the throngs at The Glass House went into an all-out rage.

An infinite favorite in the hardcore scene and well beyond, it was great to see Despised Icon on the road once more, pummeling the masses with their lethal tunes and exhilarating live show. Especially compelling are the impassioned dueling lead vocals  of Steve Marois and Alex Erian, bringing the gripping lyrics to an ultra-vivid life! Their latest slab of sonic monstrosity Beast is now available from Nuclear Blast Records!

Despised Icon on Facebook

Lorna Shore at The Glass House

Lorna Shore

Opening the show much earlier in the evening was Lorna Shore from New Jersey, whose own pulsating brand of unearthly deathcore entreatries were mesmerizing to behold. Unleashing diatribes from their recently issued Flesh Coffin full length on Outerloop Records, Lorna Shore presented a commencement that sent the early arrivals into a frenzy. In addition to their superbly intensive newer songs, selections from their previous EP Psalms also left a lasting impression on the senses.

Dynamic musicianship was witness from all involved, including Adam De Micco on guitar, Connor Deffley on guitars, and Austin Archey on drums. And then there was vocalist Tom Barber, unleashing the chilling lyrics with an all-out vengeance. With sets this wondrously impressive and well received, expect Lorna Shore to be headlining their own shows at The Glass House  and all over the country in no time at all!

Lorna Shore on Facebook

(Review by Ken Morton – Photos by Jack Lue)