Not wanting to wait any longer and give their fans new music, Aussie metal outfit Make Them Suffer have digitally released their fourth studio album How To Survive A Funeral ahead of its physical release next month. We caught up with guitarist Nick McLernon to find out more, including the recording experience, his favourite lyrics and his dream collaborations.
You’ve just released your new album How To Survive A Funeral, can you sum it up in five words?
“This – is – our – greatest – release.”
With this release, you’ve changed the release date several times and will now be releasing it on streaming services before it comes out physically next month. How are you feeling about it all?
Words can’t describe how excited we are just to have the record finally released.
Will you be doing anything special to celebrate the album release as a band?
Getting on the Zoom calls and opening a slab of Coronas, then sinking them all while properly adhering to social distancing measures!
Has the pandemic impacted any other plans that you had in the works for this year?
Lots of plans have been put on the back burner. It’s a strange time in the world but when things go back to normal we will pick up where we left off.
You worked with WZRDBLD on the release, can you tell us more about the recording experience for the album and working with him?
Drew opened up a new avenue for Make Them Suffer sonically. He let us explore our writing process from a perspective we’ve never seen before. It was really a fantastic experience working with a marvel like him. You go into a studio with a producer of his stature and you really feel the clout and the influence it has over the music you write.
Do you have any standout or memorable experiences from the recording process you can share?
Just being in Los Angeles during the entire process was in itself a memorable thing. We’re big believers in being a product of an environment and I feel this record is no exception.
What are your favourite or most relatable lyrics taken from How To Survive A Funeral?
Check out the song The Attendant – “Maybe it’s the medicine, or maybe it’s the state I’m in. Come save me from myself again, but you’d stay away if you know what’s best.“
Your releases see your sound evolve each time, but what would be your dream genre to create or artists you’d love to collaborate with?
I think it’s easy to mention any of the bands that we grew up listening to. I want to mention some of the band’s we’ve been friends with or toured with over the past few years. I would love to do a split with a band in a cross-genre and do something outside ours too. We think bands like Citizen and also Casey are really cool, something down that avenue.
Are there any bands you’ve been particularly enjoying right now who you’d recommend our readers check out?
Check out some of the younger up and coming Australian metal bands – Justice For The Damned, Alpha Wolf, Dealer, Nucleust.
Do you have any final words for the Bring The Noise readers?
Wishing you a safe journey into the next couple months as these times are strange. Buy some merch and when concerts become a thing again, buy a ticket.
How To Survive A Funeral is out now digitally via Rise Records, available to stream or purchase HERE, with a physical release scheduled for 10th July 2020.
