Last month, Perth metalcore act Make Them Suffer were announced as headliners for Chinese music festival East Sea Metal Festival. As I peered at the line-up, I looked for a sign from the universe as to whether I make the trek over to China to attend.

Lo and behold, the new self-titled album from the band hit my inbox. I opened the email, clicked the stream link and by the time I was halfway through- my flights were booked.

That’s how powerful this album is.

Starting with atmospheric, anthemic introductory track- there is almost a sense of trepidation that washes over. Fittingly, the track is called ‘The Warning’ and as it leads you into the opening riff and drumbeat of ‘Weaponized’, you will quickly realise that you are in for a hell of a ride.

‘Weaponized’ could have easily been a single, but I quickly realised that almost every song on this album is a worth contender in that department. It’s full bodied, melodic and the chorus is intense as it is catchy. It has a Spiritbox meets Polaris kind of feel, while still taking on a personality that is uniquely Make Them Suffer. Leaning into deathcore styles vocally while displaying a wicked blend of modern metalcore guitaring and a nu-metalesque rhythm section- it balances beautifully with the vocal harmonies in the chorus.

This style of writing has become synonymous with this evolved iteration of Make Them Suffer’s style. Catchy choruses, intricate but easily digestible riffs, intense breakdowns and bordering on funky rhythm sections- not only have they developed their own unique flair, but they have mastered it. ‘Oscillator’ displays this wonderfully. Vocally- the verses are vicious. Further enforcing the rage and discontent in the lyrics, something that frontman Sean Harmanis does oh so well. That stop start riff will have you head banging until you pull something. There is an almost old school Parkway Drive ghost haunting the vibe of this track, making it clear that this band is a clear example of the evolution of Australian metalcore.

From ‘Oscillator’ onwards, we are hit with back-to-back tracks that were single releases. As ‘Doomswitch’ was released in 2022, it is obvious now that it has set the foundation for this album. It was our first introduction to Alex Reade and oh boy, it still feels just as anthemic as it did when it came out two years ago. Slotting into the album perfect, it is littered with moments of ear catching riffs. The keys switch from beautiful to epic, with a fun little time change to take us out in the breakdown. A brilliant segue way to into the next track, the rifftastic ‘Mana God’.

This was the track before it was released that had me booking a flight to China. To put it simply; it just slaps so hard. It has the soul of a classic metalcore track, with the production and heaviness of an evolved style. Going from the catchiness to unrelenting heavy hits the soul so hard. While the guitars outdo themselves, there is no denying that it is a group effort to put together a song that is so layered but, on the surface, feels so simple. Lyrically poignant- it is just a goddamn all around great track.

Speaking of all around great tracks, ‘Epitaph’ also falls under that umbrella. That introduction sets up an epic feel that is met with a wall of just sheer intensity. Leaving you breathless until the reprieve of a delicately weaved chorus, you get a moment of rest before you are hit again. Not just heavy though, once again those out of the box riffs from guitarist Nick McLeron shine- giving us those little hooks that find their way into your brain, confusing your body on whether you want dance or headbang. This song is the sonic embodiment of if you took fantasy movies and made them a metalcore song.

Now as we dip into the songs, we have not been privy to yet, ‘No Hard Feelings’ is brought in by Alex. Her hypnotic voice luring you in and the keys dancing over a riff that has an old school heavy metal flavour. As Sean’s vocals kick in, the intensity ramps up but once again, brings back a more melodic, traditional metal feel for the chorus. It is an interesting track. Once again, layered and full-bodied. At the risk of having too much going on- Make Them Suffer toes that line expertly.

They do this also with ‘Venusian Blues’– a song that also shows they are not afraid to play. Adding in some more EDM samples and clean male vocals this time, it dips out of the heavy for moments but never for too long. The guitars are interesting- giving us a few bars of almost noise music style experimentation. It is a glaring example of the bands versatility.

As fun and as light ‘Venusian Blues’ feels for the band, it is backed up by the ferociously heavy ‘Ghost of Me’. Deep gutturals, distorted bass and a chuggy verse- it doesn’t sit in that pocket long before it throws itself into that signature gang vocal, melodic chorus. This track is chaotic in the best way. Dipping in and out of viciousness and pop-rock structures, leading into a soul wrenching breakdown. It does not stay still and as quickly as it flings to that melodic chorus, it throws right back to that gut-kicking brutality.

Just when you think there cannot possibly be anymore catchy riffs, ‘Tether’ comes out the block. The nu-metal flavour is bold which this one, resembling an evolved early-mid-00’s action movie soundtrack addition or WWE PPV theme (I mean this in the highest regard as this set the foundation of my musical taste back in that time frame). When I mentioned that Make Them Suffer have developed a formula for their songwriting, it is on display here once again. Those little moments and interesting tempo changes are what gives it their own unique flavour. From the breaks between the verse and chorus, to those leads into the breakdowns- it is just fun to listen to.

While the track finishes abruptly, you don’t notice because you are quickly hit with the final track ‘Small Town Syndrome’. Being from Adelaide, which has a similar vibe to Perth, I was immediately intrigued by this song title. I am determined to not overuse the word catchy, but honestly, there is not a word that can describe how I feel about the riffs throughout this album. Perhaps scratching my brain in all the right places, overtaking my body, forcing it to move in this hybrid headbang/groove? Especially in this track, in the bridge, Alex’s vocals hit a sultry element that add further into that infectious groove. It bucks the trend of a typical final track in metalcore, until that final epic soundscape hits on those last two bars- leaving you still reeling over what you just experienced.

I started this review explaining how this album was so good I booked a flight to go see them in China, but that still downplays what I feel the importance of this album will be in the landscape of Australian metalcore. It has both the mastery, intricacies and sensibilities in its songwriting to make it new listener friendly and the daringness to tetter the line of experimentation. There is a noticeable blend of signature Australian metalcore sounds but it is still so uniquely belonging to Make Them Suffer.

I don’t know what my peers think, and honestly, I don’t care- because for me, it is perfect.

I believe firmly that this album will be one that we will be talking about in decades to come.

Rating: 10/ 10
Review by Kayla Hamilton (@kaylazomboid)
The album is out on November 8th through Greyscale Records/Sharptone Records, presave/preorder here.