Photo Credit: Kane Hibberd
In the 12 years since Make Them Suffer released their debut album, Neverbloom, we have witnessed the Australians traverse the metal realm, from blackened and symphonic death metal to deathcore and progressive metalcore. While their sound has evolved extensively, their creative, heavy and boundary-slaying essence remains. The band’s decision to make their fifth full-length a self-titled album marks the years of hard work and exploration they have undergone to discover the sound that best portrays their soul and vision.
The self-titled album is Make Them Suffer’s first with Alex Reade on keyboards and vocals. Reade’s clean vocals are silky smooth, with a pure quality that compliments Sean Harmanis’ screaming range. The skilled clean and unclean vocals offered by both singers add an exciting layer of unpredictability to the album. Nick McLernon on guitar, Jaya Jeffery on bass and Jordan Mather on drums make up the five-piece musically, in addition to the electronic and synth elements employed particularly well on this album, as they cover lyrical themes of the impact of technology on mental health and humanity on the world.
They have had a Prologue, a Foreward, The First Movement and Step One, so what is the logical next intro title for Make Them Suffer’s fifth album? The Warning. Chronological names and the predictability of logic are no longer welcome as we are ushered into the album deemed worthy of eponymy by a church-style choir. After only a moment of unaccompanied vocals, ominous synths and electronic scales dart up and down and remain at the forefront of the track, even as soft screams and growls echo in the background.
The groovy guitar riffs and slow kick drums that set off Weaponized call out to the mosher within; Harmanis’ deadly combination of screams mixed with Reade’s injections of silky clean melodies, accompanying the tempo increase, promise chaos. Oscillator is a track that drills right through your ear canals to flood those dopamine receptors. The impassioned screams, prominent drum beats and intergalactic-esque sound effects make it a most addictive drilling; it is music befitting of its lyrical message about screen addiction and the consequent mental health problems.
The first single released off this album, Doomswitch, almost falls into the ‘oldie but a goodie’ category, having been out for over two years. Harmanis’ vocals are cut-throat as he screams out “toxic cycle, suicidal,” softened only by the welcomed vocal and keyboard melody that was Reade’s debut with the band. Mana God is the only track on the album lacking clean vocals from Reade, but that is not to say it is lacking. Reade and Harmanis screaming and growling, side-by-side, that “everything’s fucked,” is a duet we didn’t know how badly we needed. The bass is deep, the growls are deeper, and the drums ever so not-subtly lead us to join Make Them Suffer in their anger at the current system.
The keys and synth-tinkling intro to another of the pre-released singles, Epitaph, creates an eerie atmosphere smashed through by the onslaught of quick drum beats and guitar, but drawn-out, monosyllabic growls. Reade’s angelic voice provides, yet again, the message of hope: “they came in chariots to come and carry us.” One thing that can be said of Make Them Suffer is that they love to belt out the song title in a random, slightly haphazard way: did they think we had forgotten it mid-song and wanted to remind us?
No Hard Feelings and Venusian Blues have a greater focus on the clean vocals from Reade and Harmanis, respectively. Mather also displays his ability to masterfully tug on the reins of heavy drumming and aggressive kicks. Ghost of Me, the single released last year when Make Them Suffer signed with SharpTone Records, has amassed nearly 20 million streams on Spotify. Laser beam sound effects overwhelm the intro, creating a brutal modern backdrop to the hopeless, fallen angel lyrics. This track has the impact of entering a room and being attacked by strobe lights: intense, exciting and dizzying. The choked-out melodic chorus and ethereal bridge provide light relief in this beautiful, yet brutal, soundscape.
The album rounds off with Tether and Small Town Syndrome; however, the back-and-forth screams, catchy choruses and guitar riffs, boomy bass work and headbang-inducing drum beats ensure the energy remains pulsing until the final second.
We cannot wait to see Make Them Suffer support Bury Tomorrow at London’s Roundhouse on 24th November 2024; not one word of complaint will be uttered when the inevitable post-gig hangover makes us suffer on the following Monday.
8/10
Standout Tracks: Oscillator, Epitaph, Ghost of Me
For Fans Of: Architects, Alpha Wolf, Crystal Lake
Written by: Lucy Dunnet
