^{Review by Kayla Hamilton (@kaylazomboid)}
_{MAKE THEM SUFFER w/ Justice For The Damned, The Gloom In The Corner and RUN.
District 14, Narre Warren, Victoria, Australia
July 3rd 2025}

There is just something special when a band puts together a regional tour of Australia. More intimate, more opportunities for those who may normally not be able to hit the city centres. Bands that make this effort tend to be rewarded by not just reaching new fans- but the result is often the most off the chain live shows. That was certainly the case when Make Them Suffer’s regional tour landed in Narre Warren, Victoria Thursday night.

Opening the show was Melbourne’s RUN. Like the other bands on the bill, this band is a bit of scene mainstay. Giving us that blackened post-metalcore goodness. Between the march desk and being the first band, it took a while for punters to roll in but the band caught the attention of those in attendance. Frontman Lochlan Watt delivered a ferocious performance, while the guitarists really owned the stage. Despite a few technical difficulties, with the mic and guitars dropping out- it was a pretty tight set. Performing seasonal themed songs from last years EP True Heaviness Is Time along with their new single ‘Ash + Soil’. The response was a little timid but spurred on from a few more vocal enjoyers, the band continued on. The timidness was not from a lack of interest, rather you really saw the audience taking in the band that man had not seen before. Finishing off with the stirring ‘Everyone’s Cancelled, Everything’s Cancer’, I’m almost positive the band won themselves some new fans. 

As RUN finished, the sound of Nickelback filled the room. I knew in that moment that it was The Gloom In The Corner up next. Proudly boasting a hometown show as their drummer was from ten minutes away, and let’s face it, we weren’t too far from the Melbourne inner suburbs. So it was easy to see before they even played their first note they were the hometown heroes. Going from Nikki Webster’s ‘Strawberry Kisses’ into the bands absolute wall of sound level of cinematic metalcore was a welcome shock to the system. This is where the mayhem started. 

The crowd was loud, proud and passionate and were 100% awarded for their efforts. The Gloom In The Corner never disappoints and seem to just keep levelling up their set. Celebrating the beauty of metalcore, frontman Mikey Arthur led us on a journey into the epic heavy universe of Gloom. Smashing through bangers like ‘Misanthropic’, ‘Ronin’ and ‘Behemoth’, the punters barely had time to catch their breath. In a little treat for those who have yet caught the band this year, they also played the unreleased ‘Assassination Run’. Overall, The Gloom In The Corner in their short but sweet set, showing us that the material they are working with is just the beginning of what they will bring to the table as one of the future greats of Aussie metalcore.

With equal energy and gut-crushing intensity, Justice For The Damned took to the stage next, delivering their powerhouse metallic hardcore anthems. Leading the band, Bobak Rafiee was grinning ear to ear as they delivered a sonic pounding to a thirsty audience. One fan sat upon his friends shoulders, pledging his love for the Sydney singer and honestly, I don’t blame him. Starting with ‘Guidance From The Pain’ it was a 30 minute beatdown mosh session. Any coldness from the freezing Melbourne weather was long forgotten as Narre Warren’s finest took the pit to another level.

There is just something so addictive about this band. Their live show delivers unlike any other I’ve seen before. From a massive circle pit, to spin kick central and a wall of death, its the kind of sanctioned violence that you crave from a set like theirs. All smiles though, as the adrenaline from Justice Of The Damned‘s music seeps into your body almost on a cellular level. If you have are yet to catch the Sydney titans, make sure you do so ASAP.

Of course though, it was then time for the main event. MAKE THEM SUFFER. Just when you think that no band could build on the energy in the room, as the lights when out and the opening of ‘Epitaph’ filled the room, there was barely room to move. This sold out show felt like an arena with sheer stage presence and anticipation that the Perth metalcore masters carried and caused. You could not help but allow yourself to be dragged into the pit, joining the choir of voices singing back to the band. It was in that moment where I realised just how special this band truly is.

The dynamic vocal abilities of Sean Harmanis and Alex Reade are hauntingly beautiful, fitting together like jigsaw pieces. Along with the rest of the members, they put on a masterclass of performance. From their latest songs off their recent self-titled album, to older ripper tracks like ‘Hollowed Heart’. On a personal note, I almost lost all composure hearing ‘Mana God’ live for the first time, but it was singing ‘Erase Me’ with a sea of passionate hearts that truly brought a tear to my eye. Ducking off for a quick moment, before coming back to truly tear us up one last time with ‘Widower‘.

This line-up had me making the trek over from South Australia to witness and I am so glad I did. As I look back on the twenty years of attending metalcore shows in this country, these are the shows that become etched in my memory and make me feel so privileged to be able to witness the rise of so many incredible bands. That’s why these regional tours are so special. Not just giving a chance for those outside of the city centres to experience some incredible talent- but also giving us an opportunity to create fond memories.

Because from what I witnessed from this show, the future and the now of our heavy music scene in Australia is not just in good hands on a local level, but our reputation of being ‘metalcore’ island will be firmly intact for decades to come.