Make Them Suffer – Make Them Suffer
Release Date: 8th November 2024
Label: Sharptone Records
Order/Stream
Genre: Metalcore
FFO: ERRA, Polaris, Currents.
Review By: Trina Julian Edwards
Australian metalcore favorites, Make Them Suffer deliver their self-titled full-length album on November 8th via Sharptone Records. It’s the 5th full-length album for the band, coming on the heels of not only a grueling tour schedule across the U.S., Europe, and Australia, but also a line-up change. The new incarnation of the band includes Sean Harmanis on vocals, Nick McLernon on guitar, Jaya Jeffery on bass, and Jordan Mather on drums beginning with the 2022 single Doomswitch, which also showed them joining forces with Alex Reade as backing vocalist and keyboardist.
Make Them Suffer was self-produced along with previous collaborator Jeff Dunne (Disturbed, Ice Nine Kills, Fit For A King) assisting with mixing and mastering. Promotional materials for the band proclaim Make Them Suffer is a return to a heavier sound, reinforced by fresh elements that represent this new era. So let’s find out what this new and improved Make Them Suffer has to offer.
The opening track, The Warning, begins with a huge orchestral choral symphony that morphs into a synth-y, electronic beat. It’s a very futuristic, sci-fi soundscape, beautifully setting the stage for the industrial-leaning Weaponized.
Weaponized begins has a predominantly steady beat, livened by some strategically placed rests. It’s definitely got some significant groove, but it also has that underlying djenty metalcore chunkiness. The harsh and clean vocals from both Harmanis and Reade provide an interesting sort of call and response aspect, and the melodic chorus from Reade is a lovely contrast to the grittiness of the rest of the track. There’s also a nice little breakdown, taking the track out with a bang.
Oscillator keeps that chunky metalcore riffing at the forefront, but their trademark synthy elements keep that ebb and flow flowing. The instrumentals in the verses are sparse and the lyrics are almost spoken, which immediately put me in mind of Within Destruction, whom I love. These vocal stylings added some interesting texture to Harmanis’ work on this track, which were an excellent complement to the groove they’ve got going. The melodic chorus from Reade is huge, singable and catchy as all get out, and I’m not even a clean singing kind of gal. This is an unexpected favorite for me.
Although Doomswitch is about two years old now, it’s worth revisiting for having ushered in this new period for the band. That hammering groove never gets old, and the techy flair in the leads is superb. Never mind the blistering guitar solo taking it up a notch. There are some Old Souls vibes here if I’m not mistaken. This was the band’s first track with Reade, and it was a good day’s work when they talked her into joining. Her keyboard work is expertly integrated, her harsh vocals are first-rate, and her gorgeous, harmonized cleans effortlessly float over the top of the furious barrage underneath. Harmanis’ vocals are ferocious, and when he hits that “Doomswitch” around 2:54, even I wanted to throw down in the pit. The tempo drops around 3:21, building in intensity until all of the instruments rush in and create glorious chaos. I can’t say I expected to see Reade tearing it up on the keytar here, but as a child of the 70s and 80s, I’m all for it. I saw them perform it live earlier this year, and the crowd predictably went nuts.
The intro to Mana God is very Prodigy-like with those electronic elements. This track uses a bit of a different formula, deviating from the typical metalcore harsh verse/clean chorus. It begins fast-paced but drops in tempo for the verses. Reade offers some backing screams to accompany Harmanis, but there is no clean singing at all from her in this one. The chorus isn’t particularly melodic, but the rhythmic patterns and tempo changes keep things moving. I’m getting some ERRA Scorpion Hymn vibes from this one in the slower sections.
Epitaph also has a synthy opening that you’ll hear elements of throughout, but it’s much more atmospheric. The verses pummel your brain with that relentless rhythm, and the moving leads are so interesting and unexpected. The riffs would not be out of place in the band’s earlier releases, but they’ve developed an intriguing soundscape that sounds really fresh. They’re definitely living up to their word by skillfully melding the old and the new. The clean chorus is another singable gem, with Reade’s angelic tones the perfect foil to Harmanis’ growls. This was another track that I was particularly drawn to.
No Hard Feelings seems more like the band’s earlier works, lyrically and musically. I love the frenetic pace in the intro and the legato lines in synth elements. Reade comes into her own on the verses, followed by Harmanis on both harsh vocals and yells. The chorus was much more typical of what I tend to think of as metalcore, with a predictable melody and Harmanis accompanying Reade with higher register yells. This is not as much to my taste as some of the other tracks, but the give and take on the vocals is very well done, and I liked the dynamics of the instrumentals.
Harmanis gets a chance to showcase his own cleans in Venusian Blues. The band is channeling some alternative rock until the verse proper, where screams and techy metalcore become the order of the day. They return to the happy, poppy sound in the chorus, giving this track a more ethereal feel. With Reade coming in on the “ahs” like Kim Deal behind Harmanis’ cleans, I couldn’t unhear late 80s-era Pixies. This song is a little more laid back, but it’s engaging and enjoyable.
Ghost Of Me is another fast-paced monster. The rhythm is punching at breakneck speed while the synth is throwing out sounds like old school video games. Reade and Harmanis trade screams, and Harmanis’ lows here are some of the best on the album. Additionally, the two harmonize on the cleans in the chorus, giving us the best of both vocalists in this track. Reade’s solo cleans are also highlighted, drawing attention to the narrative:
“So you really want to hurt me now?
We both know it’s cause you hate yourself.
Can’t be you it’s everybody else…”
This track may seem a bit chaotic at first with all of the dynamic shifts, but it feels intentional, and musically it makes sense.
Synthy elements usher in Tether, which is lively and fierce. Harsh screams and techy leads make up the verse, before the tempo drops at the chorus. The melody is unpredictable but still quite catchy. Reade sounds lovely per usual, and her screams are a nice touch, offsetting that pretty chorus. The keyboard is the star beginning around 3:04, amping up the tension until the tempo takes off like a rocket to push the track home.
The final track is Small Town Syndrome. The intro guitars, which reappear throughout the song, called to mind ERRA’s Cure in the repeated riff with that little bend. The verses are fast-paced with more yelling than screaming in the first verse, gradually becoming more brutal. Reade and Harmanis swap screams, then Reade comes into the chorus cleans with “Everybody knows you’re a mess…” The two also combine on the chorus, with yells and cleans, giving the vocals another layer of texture. There’s a lot going on in this track, but I like that the structure gives the band room to expand on the typical formula. The gorgeous symphonic section beginning around 3:18 flowed seamlessly from the previous mayhem, providing a suitably dramatic ending.
Despite the significant stretch of time between Doomswitch from 2022 and the rest of Make Them Suffer, the album is still cohesive. While they have utilized a form of the metalcore formula of harsh verses and clean choruses in the majority of the tracks, each song has a number of distinctive features, so it never becomes too repetitive. Make Them Suffer have managed to dodge that bullet with clever vocal arrangements and interesting compositions. I think the fact that both Reade and Harmanis are well-rounded vocalists has allowed the band to layer harsh and clean sounds to great effect.
I agree with the press releases noting that this is a return to a heavier sound. They’ve shown they can still be brutal, regardless of how lovely and catchy their choruses are. Fans will find elements of their older works sprinkled throughout Make Them Suffer, but this new dynamic seems to have revitalized the band. Reade has been an exceptional addition in every way. Without a doubt, this is another entry in my album of the year list, and it reinforces my belief that self-titled albums tend to be some of a band’s best work. Don’t miss Make Them Suffer, out this Friday, November 8th.
(4.5 / 5)
