The Yuengling Center normally hosts action featuring the University of South Florida’s basketball teams. But tonight, a much heavier, louder, and destructive force took to the floor of the 10,000+ seat arena. Lorna Shore, alongside fellow death metal legends in The Black Dahlia Murder, were in town with openers Shadow of Intent and PeelingFlesh, and each band made sure to leave their mark before the night was over.
Yuengling Center is cavernous inside, and the stage setup was a towering monolith. The floor was jammed wall-to-wall with rowdy metalheads, equally entertained by the bands as they were by belting out ’80s ballads over the PA between sets. Everyone came ready to mosh, crowd-surf, and throw themselves into the chaos.
Oklahoma City’s own PeelingFlesh were the first to take the stage, bringing their signature blend of slam, hardcore, and a sprinkling of hip-hop flair. Honestly, I knew from the jump this was going to be a highlight set for me, even for an opener. 2025 has been their year—clips from their wild live shows go viral on the regular, and YouTubers like Rob Scallon keep putting them on new radars. Right now, you can’t escape PeelingFlesh, and that’s a very good thing.
In the words of vocalist Damonteal Harris: “We’re serious about our music, but if you’re not having fun, it’s not slam.” So it’s no surprise that their set was exactly that: fast, heavy, and fun as hell. It’s almost impossible not to have a good time watching these guys rip through their songs, while Harris hyped up the crowd in between hilarious sound bites. PeelingFlesh is one of those rare metal bands that has the potential to escape the event horizon of the underground scene and achieve mainstream success because of their unbelievably entertaining live performances. It’s like watching prime “Stone Cold” Steve Austin: when you hear the glass shatter, you don’t know what to expect, but you know you’re leaving with a smile on your face. They just released their latest EP, PF Radio 2, last week, and it’s getting heavy rotation in my office.
Next on the bill was deathcore outfit Shadow of Intent. Started as a studio project way back in 2013, they have evolved and proven that they can perform alongside the torchbearers of the modern metal scene. Fresh off the release of their latest album Imperium Delirium back in June of this year, the boys in Shadow of Intent were ready to unleash their unique brand of brutality.
They burst from the shadows playing “Prepare To Die,” which set the tone for the rest of their set. Their setlist was frantic, fast-paced, and punishing. Vocalist Ben Duerr put on an absolute clinic throughout the set. Shrieked highs, guttural lows, and horrifying pig squeals; he was impressive to watch fronting the rest of the band. For the first time that night, the stage lighting was pushed to its full potential with strobes, fog, and floodlights filling the arena. It was impressive (and blinding) up close, and it really elevated the atmosphere of their songs.
The band ended with “The Heretic Prevails,” a track rooted in the Halo universe, which got a big reaction from the nerds in the crowd (mostly myself). It’s proof that you can create meaningful art out of your obsessions, whether the listener “gets” the source material or not. Casual fans get crushing riffs, and nerds like me get to turn to their friend and say, “Hey, remember in Halo: Combat Evolved when Master Chief and 343 Guilty Spark are fighting over the Index in the library?”
The energy they brought was infectious and fun, made all the more impressive that Shadow of Intent continues to self-release all of their material independently without major label backing.
Finally, we arrived at the heavyweights of the night, first up being The Black Dahlia Murder. For more than two decades, they’ve been a benchmark in melodic death metal, with Miasma (2005) and Nocturnal (2007) most notorious for inspiring an entire wave of copycat riffs in every local scene for at least a decade. Their influence on the genre is undeniable, and to continue touring and writing new music after the tragic death of their vocalist Trevor Strnad has been nothing short of admirable, as they keep pushing the envelope and evolving instead of dwelling on past successes.
They came out of the gate absolutely swinging with “What a Horrible Night to Have a Curse” and they refused to let up over their ten-song set. They played a ton of favorites, including some off their 2003 debut Unhallowed, and the crowd even caught a cameo from their favorite gorilla for “Statutory Ape.” They ended their set with a personal favorite of mine, “Deathmask Divine,” which the crowd celebrated to the tune of a huge circle pit.
It was a punishingly tight set for a band going on 25 years in the game, proving they’ve got plenty left in the tank. I can only hope this newfound energy leads to a quick follow-up to 2024’s Servitude sometime next year.
Last, but certainly not least, was the main event everyone came to see: Lorna Shore. The crowd was consistently rowdy all night long, but they were almost bubbling over with excitement for the headliners. From the curtain drop until the final encore, Lorna Shore were absolutely unrelenting.
Will Ramos is well-known for his otherworldly vocal range, and experiencing it live was absolutely mind-boggling. Maybe more impressive than his arsenal of inhuman noises was the stage set design that the band had surrounded themselves with. Drummer Austin Archey was perched above the band on a two-story riser, which was comprised of LED video boards that synced perfectly with the tracks and provided eye-catching visuals to go along with the auditory assault. Everything about the band’s presence and stage show was mesmerizing from a technical standpoint, and I couldn’t help my brain from getting distracted thinking about how it all worked behind the scenes.
On stage, the band was nearly flawless over the course of their hour-plus set. They played plenty of crowd favorites alongside new material off of their latest release, I Feel the Everblack Festering Within Me, from this past September. After their nine-song set, the band returned for a three-song encore, performing the “Pain Remains” trilogy in full to a huge response.
Each band gave everything they had on stage, every set was absurdly tight, and the stage crew deserves credit for lightning-fast changeovers that kept the night rolling. The packed arena got exactly what it came for, and judging by the long merch lines afterward, this tour already feels like a victory lap. It won’t be long before these bands return to pack the house again.
