Make Them Suffer Provides Some Of The Best Metalcore Of 2024 With Self-Titled Record

Australian metalcore gems Make Them Suffer have returned with their fifth studio album, which is self-titled. This marks their first full-length since 2020’s ‘How to Survive a Funeral’. It also marks their first full release with keyboardist/vocalist Alex Reade, after her introduction in 2022. This album taps into a lot of what makes this band special, and serves as a new beginning of sorts for the band and where they can go from here. 

The intro track entitled ‘The Warning” kicks this album off, and it instantly gives me such 2012 metalcore vibes. The choir, the synth…it builds up the hype pretty well before the actual opening track. We then jump to the first full track with “Weaponized”. We get some classic type of metalcore with this song, and the guitars by Nick McLernon are sounding so crisp and great right off the bat. The chorus feels pretty fitting for an opening song, and vocalist Sean Harmanis and Reade‘s voices really go so well together. The breakdown is definitely a more fun one to end the track, as it’s bouncy and sure to be wild live. We then jump to one of the singles for the next track, with “Oscillator”. It definitely keeps the vibe of the previous track, and the main riff is absolutely bumpin’. The 808 beats during the verses going into heavy sections are a really nice touch too, it reminds me of newer Wage War. The chorus is catchy as always, and the synth adds so much levity and personality to the riffs and the song as a whole. We then jump to the very first single off the record with “Doomswitch”. I personally thought this was a great track to introduce Reade into the band in the best way, providing a solid chorus and great backing screams from her too. It’s sure to be one of their more memorable tracks overall, and a set staple for sure. The opening riff goes absolutely nutty too, as well as the outro riff for that matter. It gives off vibes of the record previous to this one also. And a big shoutout to the keytar during the outro by Reade, always a fucking blast.

We then jump to the heaviest track on the record, as well as one of the singles with “Mana God”. The riffs just keep on coming and they don’t stop, especially on this song. It’s really a testament just how well this band incorporates synths and keys into their songs, it’s impressive. The verses on this go so unbelievably hard, and both Sean and Alex are absolute beasts on this track. It’s definitely in contention for best metalcore song of the year, and one of the best on this record easily. I can see this one being a big one in their live sets going forward, just for how crazy it is experience wise. We then jump to the third single off the record, with “Epitaph”. The structure of this one feels quite familiar for a metalcore track, but it’s all just so solid all the way through that I don’t mind. It contains a great chorus, and even backed by a little orchestra for more effect. I just love the theatrical vibes of this song, it makes this one feel more memorable and fun to listen to. There’s also a sense of classic metal on this one that feels pretty distinct and cool for them to include. The drums on this one by drummer Jordan Mather are definitely a highlight here too. And Sean‘s little singing before the final chorus are also quite a nice touch. The next track starts off with a lil’ bouncy riff, in “No Hard Feelings”. I think Reade sounds incredible on this one and it’s definitely a highlight for her off this album. I get a lot of Polaris vibes on this one, especially from Sean‘s vocals. It’s got yet another super solid chorus, and I love the added parts later on. It’s also cool how well orchestral elements fit this band like a glove. Even though this one leans on the more melodic side, it’s one of my favorites off the record in retrospect. We then jump to maybe the most intriguing song on the record, with “Venusian Blues”. The contrast between the verses and chorus on this one feel pretty impeccable. I get such Muse vibes from the chorus too, which I wasn’t expecting from this band. Like the vibe feels more atmospheric on a song like this, especially for a band like this and I’m here for it. Shoutout to the guitar effects on the track as well, it’s dope how space-y this song feels to listen to.

We’re on the homestretch of the end of the record, starting with the second single with “Ghost of Me”. It’s probably my favorite out of the singles, and it’s just a perfect example of a fun and heavy track. The keytar strikes yet again throughout, and it’s oh so glorious to hear. This is definitely staying in their set for the foreseeable future, since it’s too good not to play live. Sean sounds great during the chorus and his and Reade‘s voices compliment each other so well. The bridge going into the outro is my favorite part of this track, it’s so smooth and still gives me chills to listen to. It’s easily one of this band’s best songs as a whole and I love it. We reach the penultimate track with “Tether”, and it gives off another bangin’ riff…one of the best of the album I’d say. Sean really reminds me of Jake from In Hearts Wake on a track like this, you can see the Australian metalcore scene flowing here. The chorus is once again pretty solid, and definitely quite memorable. Sean and Alex‘s back and forth screams during the second verse go so fucking hard, always love when they include sections like that. The ending caught me so off guard too, like you forget this band can throw you for a loop sometimes in the best ways. This definitely feels like one of the bigger and better tracks on the record. We reach the end of the record with “Small Town Syndrome”, and we start with a more conventional riff but it’s fun nonetheless. I think this one has one of my favorite choruses of the record pretty easily. And I wanna give a shoutout to how good the production has sounded on this album, and they bring this band to the top of their game. Reade‘s screaming in the second verse is everything honestly, I just love when they include her doing more vocal duties on top of singing. The last breakdown of the record feels so earned, and so hype as well. I definitely feel this is a strong track to end the album on, and yet another highlight overall.

To sum it up, the self-titled record from Make Them Suffer is a great example of how strong metalcore can be in 2024. They’re at the forefront of the genre, not afraid to explore different elements and incorporate them into their already undefeated signature sound. This band and this record is not to be trifled with, and the heavy music scene should be so lucky to have them.