Make Them Suffer Make Them Suffer

Make Them Suffer, a band hailing from Perth, Australia, have set out to reintroduce themselves with their new, aptly self-titled record. Over a decade in and they’ve journeyed far from the melodic deathcore roots of their Neverbloom days, slowly incorporating more clean vocals and conventional song structures into their sound. On Make Them Suffer, we see them taking this shift to its logical conclusion, as they embrace their newfound success and attempt to make the most of it. 

Throughout these eleven tracks, we see Sean Harmanis (vocals), Nick McLernon (guitar), Jaya Jeffery (bass), and Jordan Mather (drums), along with new member Alex Reade (backing vocals, keyboard), inject trendy electronics and noticeably lower tuned riffs into their brand of groovy modern metal. Reade, picking up where the band’s previous keyboardists left off, adds her own flair to things: she plays catchy and sometimes intense synth lines that interplay with McLernon’s technical guitar passages. Her vocals provide a nice contrast to Harmanis’s lower pitched register too. She is largely responsible for the clean choruses, although this record sees Harmanis singing more than ever in addition to his usual vocal contributions. The dual vocal approach creates a nice balance to keep the songs interesting. Yet sometimes, the transitions into said choruses can feel a bit jarring, as they can halt the overall pace without leaving much room to breathe. 

McLernon has long been known for crafting consistently creative guitar parts. First single “Doomswitch” debuted a new 7 string tuning, which could've easily spelled disaster, but his signature bouncy style shone through as he jumped from djent chugs to melodic lines effortlessly. This song is a clear standout on the album, and while the chorus takes time to get used to, they're operating at a high enough technical level that you can buy into it. The issues arise when you realize that there's only so much you can do with this formula. Listening to the full album, it’s clear that they're sticking to a specific style of riff for many of the songs. I would believe it if these similarities were intentional callbacks, but I’m not sure this is the case. There's quite a lot of typical octave jumping riffs, with quick runs up and down the fretboard, which is a style popularized by bands like Architects in the late 2010s. And of course there's still plenty of syncopated chugs and tasteful low string bending, although these too tend to blend together after a while. 

Easily my favorite part of the record is the end of “Tether”, where we see an abrupt switch up into a faster riff, effectively keeping the listener on their toes. However, these moments are few and far between. It becomes difficult at times to differentiate individual tracks. While the synths and electronic background elements, including out of place Drum & Bass style breakbeats, try to give the record a cutting edge, it sadly does little to differentiate itself from the leagues of modern metal bands all chasing a similar sound. Turn on SiriusXM Liquid Metal or Octane right now and hear every other band blending random throwback Matrix synths, absurdly low tuned djent guitars, and of course a shoehorned in chorus each song. 

In a genre plagued by uninspired, single string chugging and generic vocals, Make Them Suffer benefit from having an immensely talented guitarist and two distinct vocalists to separate themselves from the rest. However, it all feels very reserved; there are short samples of more varied ideas hiding out that never reach fruition. That radio-ready recipe is still going strong. The drum production is very paint by numbers, with each hit programmed to suit the rest of the instruments, as opposed to letting them be their own entity. The bass is there, but it is hard to distinguish while firmly planted below the guitars and drums, both in a composition and sonic sense. 

Easily the most frustrating part about this record is the mix. Jeff Dunne is best known for working with countless big bands from Knocked Loose, to Fit For a King, and Currents. I have not been a fan of his approach to mixing, which usually features absurdly processed, “huge” drums and fuzzy guitars that emphasize taking up sheer volume over clarity, but Make Them Suffer suffers in particular compared to the rest. Everything is so insanely compressed and squashed together that it’s really hard to hear elements besides the kick drum at times. There is an unintentional wall of sound here, one which harshly contrasts with the pop leaning style overall. When you’ve got a dense layer of multi-tracked guitars on top of equally layered drum samples, a whole host of backing electronics, and not to mention two different vocalists, muddiness is bound to occur. The high-end is dulled too, with everything squarely occupying the mid range. 

Bottom Line: Make Them Suffer want to meet you again for the very first time. Each song on their new self-titled record was written to be a single, as was their intention, but this also means they follow a rigid formula. They rely heavily on catchy choruses, which sometimes work and sometimes fall a bit flat. The riffs are technical and sophisticated, but feel very one note. Fans will either embrace their ascent to the mainstream, or lament the loss of their weirder side from previous material.