Words by Jamie Shepherd.

Four years after their last full-length album release, Perth metalcore prodigies Make Them Suffer have made their return - not only reviving their signature sound but pushing their creative boundaries to new heights. With production guided by Jeff Dunne (Disturbed, Ice Nine Kills), their new self-titled album holds far more musical complexity than their last release, revealing the culmination of the band’s creative exploration over their break. 

The album begins with the brooding track, The Warning, setting the stage for the ferocious tracks to follow. The following track, Weaponized, immediately erupts into the band’s signature riffs and surging melodies, featuring the aggressive vocals of Alex Reade and Sean Harmanis. The two tracks mesh incredibly well, and when played together, would make for an incredible lead-up to a brutal mosh at a live show.

The third track on the album, Oscillator, was released as a single and captures the sound of the album incredibly well, showcasing a broad array of synth elements throughout. Reade’s clean vocals mixing with Harmanis’ unclean vocals on this track alluringly capture both the aggression and vulnerability of the lyrics, heightening the emotional depth Oscillator holds. 

Following Doomswitch, Mana God is easily the heaviest track featured on this album, with no clean vocals. This vocal choice highlights the contempt that the band (and I would assume the whole world) feel as a result of authoritarian control, a recurring theme explored throughout the album. The best part of this track in my opinion is how it sounds like The Prodigy had a baby with early Architects, marrying synth with heavy riffs flawlessly. 

Continuing with the belligerent breakdowns, Epitaph unleashes heavy, palm-muted riffs alongside melodic leads, with Reade’s softer vocals carrying the choruses. No Hard Feelings, the subsequent track, follows up with a far more haunting sound. Keys and melodic riffs display the raw emotion of the lyrics - “The cycle never ends, a spiral of descent / and I don’t want to watch you kill yourself / you know it cripples my bones every day just to save you.”

Venusian Blues stands as an outlier in the track list, as it harbours a little less aggressive sound than the rest of the songs. That being said, it’s probably one of my favourites on this release. Sean Harmanis demonstrates his clean vocals, singing “But I just want to be like them / Yeah I just want to be like them.” This track allows the listener to resonate with the theme of comparison – it’s an emotionally stunning song. 

In a similar vein to Venusian Blues, the album comes to a close with Small Town Syndrome, also making social commentary. The vast difference between the two tracks, however, is that Small Town Syndrome is far more ruthless, both musically and lyrically. The frenetic energy of the closing track sees the album out with some dramatic flair.

Make Them Suffer are indisputably a leading force within metalcore. Their self-titled album has added new levels to their already strong discography, and has proven to be their most polished work to date.