It’s only late August, but one thing is for sure: this is the year of suffering. Perth metalcore legends Make Them Suffer have been a local staple for over 15 years now, so it’s no surprise that they’ve established themselves as one of the best.
Having supported the mighty Bring Me the Horizon on their Australia tour in April and Erra on their North America tour in May, the band also recently announced that their new self-titled album will be out 8 November via Greyscale Records and Sharptone Records. To gear up for the release, MTS have embarked on their six-date Suffer Forever national tour, supported by Bury Tomorrow, Spite and Bloom. The tour kicked off with a sold-out show at The Tivoli in Brisbane last night and we were there for it all.
Opening shortly after doors was Sydney metalcore favourites Bloom, taking to the stage with the fervour of a headliner. The humble heroes released their debut record Maybe in Another Life last February and have only gotten bigger since. No strangers to the East Coast live circuit by now, they changed up their set by playing sad singalongs “Cold” – their usual closer – and “You & I” somewhere in the middle to save the heaviest stuff for last. There were walls of death and circle pits aplenty, particularly for solid singles “Bound to Your Whispers” and “Maybe in Another Life”, leaving the crowd well and truly warmed up for the night ahead.
If moshing to Bloom felt like I was digging (and decorating) my own grave, then California deathcore act Spite were taking me straight to hell. Short and sweet songs of blistering blast beats and sludgy slams kept the crowd undulating to their relentless grooves – think that ‘bring the riff back, but slower’ vibe. It was an engaging performance of dark stage theatrics involving fingers down throats and violent fist pumps. Toilet vocals were interlaced with borderline abusive instructions to move – at one point saying ‘I wanna watch you all f***ing die’ – while regularly reminding the room who they were listening to. But! It was fun and everyone was loving it, especially the brutal closer “Free for All”.
Up next was Hampshire metalcore outfit Bury Tomorrow, who were a harsh tonal shift from their predecessors. Despite feeling a bit like easycore with gutturals, they were tight and upbeat to keep the crowd moving three bands in before the main act. There was a lot of talking between songs from the lead vocalist – without a peep from the keyboardist who carried the cleans – but they frequently built up the audience after their prior belittling in the name of throwing down. They even professed their appreciation for playing a sold-out show a decade after their first visit Down Under, where they apparently performed to just five people. Of course, “Choke” was a highlight of the set before a big circle pit to send them off.
At long last, the stage went dark as an immersive backdrop and captivating lightshow welcomed Make Them Suffer with “Epitaph”. Seeing such a large-scale production from the Western Australian OGs was super gratifying; obviously, their tireless hustle of the past year has paid off. They continued straight into the bouncy grooves of “Bones” before taking a moment to address the crowd and thanking everyone after each song. Ashamedly, this was my first time seeing them live, but I’m almost glad I got to see them when I did – at their full potential with newly appointed keyboardist and vocalist Alex Reade.
The set included fresh singles from the forthcoming record, such as “Ghost of Me” and latest offering “Oscillator”, as well as old favourites from How to Survive a Funeral and Worlds Apart. One of the more unusual additions was HTSAF deep cut “The Attendant”, which saw frontman Sean Harmanis trade his famous lows for gentle cleans. A few impressive walls of death later, they closed with instant classic “Doomswitch” and left the stage. As half the room made its way for the door while the house lights were still down (rookie error), the band returned for gloomy throwback “Widower” as a fitting encore for the day ones present.
For those who have a ticket to see Make Them Suffer on their awaited Suffer Forever tour, you are in for a bloody treat. Anybody who doesn’t have theirs yet, you better hurry because Newcastle and Melbourne are already sold out! They’re not only at the top of their game, they’re carrying the torch for bands like Bloom. This may have been my first time seeing them live, but it certainly won’t be the last.
FOUR AND A HALF STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
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