On tour celebrating the tenth anniversary of their debut album, 'Neverbloom', Make Them Suffer (MTS) brought Fit For An Autopsy (FFAA) and Ocean Sleeper to Brisbane's The Princess Theatre last Thursday (25 May).
Metalcore five-piece from Victoria, Ocean Sleeper are here to shake the sh.t out of us. If anyone was concerned about their stamina on a school night, well those pensive ponderings were eliminated by a tirade of vibrating air molecules that flooded the room with energy.Ocean Sleeper reassured the early comers they have matured into their craft. Punters head-banged to the likes of 'Light In My Dark', 'Worthless•No Purpose', 'Forever Sinking' and 'Hate Me Like You Mean It'.
We're told that we're the first crowd to get a live version of their new track 'Never The One'. A solid metalcore number that in retrospect, rivalled the penultimate song of their set, the big banger 'King Of Nothing’.
The slick slices of clean vocals from guitarist Heckenberg are a stunning contrast against the rough, raging pipes of Karl Spiessl.
Ocean Sleeper - image © Clea-marie Thorne
Next up are New Jersey's FFAA, who leave the crowd deafened with their deathcore magic with the denseness of 'A Higher Level Of Hate'.
Without so much as a chance to catch our breath we're then destroyed by 'Iron Moon' and 'Black Mammoth'. 'Savages' has pit punters moshing up a frenzy front of stage.
Joe Badolato (vocals) introduces 'Hellions' from 'The Aggression Sessions' EP compilation – I know why it made the cut. Aggressive is putting it mildly!
The crowd raise their vocals toward the close of 'Pandora' screaming: "A world driven by extinction, only ends in extinction!"; then again during their final song, 'Far From Heaven' belting out: "I saw the fallen stars descend into the sea. Reborn as fallen gods, they keep me far from heaven."
FFAA could have doubled their set time and I would still not be satiated, just like the mosh pit rowers. Ha! These dudes are heavier than a truckload of osmium – yeah! I know. That's heavy metal.
Fit For An Autopsy - image © Clea-marie Thorne
Front row fans boisterously welcome MTS to the Princess' stage. The five-piece are silhouetted in front of LED display stands and lighting rigs that could burn holes in your retina.
The drums are on a high riser with its own LED screen. It's hard to see if it's Josean Orta with the harsh backlights and micro-seconds of all consuming blackness during the strobing.
The masterpiece ‘Neverbloom' is indeed a work of art, and the self-titled track picks us up for a dark trip. We ride on the back of its haunting melodies that get smashed apart by heavy, crushing breakdowns.
Sean Harmanis' vocals flawlessly reflect the struggle and despair of the lyrics – so cutting and raw.
Make Them Suffer - image © Clea-marie Thorne
'Morrow' keeps with the contrasting arrangement. A cocktail of beauty with keys and aggression starting out with an intro of captivating ambience that gradually builds not only the energy of the song but the room, both to a point of implosion. Headbanging cannot be denied. Necks are a snapping.
Ahead of the intricacies of 'Elegies', Harmanis declares that while tonight they're celebrating the songs from the 'Neverbloom' album, these songs will be MIA from future live sets. Now this is sad if it's forever.
Still, MTS continue to hammer us with the vibrations of melodic verses littered with intense screams and rough, throaty tremors that provide punters with a vehicle from which to purge their minds of all that exists outside the room. Truly we cannot be anything but present and immerse ourselves fully in the music.
Make Them Suffer - image © Clea-marie Thorne
After 'Maelstrom', 'Oceans Of Emptiness' provides a chill leaving a disconcerting taste of helplessness in my mouth. It's an epic journey that spirals me towards what I would think the space between death and purgatory might feel like. The instrumentation and lyrics reek of desolation. Punters nearby are totally engrossed with the performance before them.
On an emotional roller coaster? Yes, we are!
'The Well' is played ahead of 'Weeping Wastelands' that kicks us in the guts with a whirlwind of relentless riffage, skull-smashing breakdowns and vicious vocals. It's an anthem for the fans in the mosh pit who cannot seem to get enough and are screaming their own parts. It's a black metal, deathcore symphony out there.
Our headliners are not done yet. 'Widower' with a helping of 'Chronicles' combine tender beauty and pungent brutality in an impressive mélange. The stunning clean vocals enveloped in forceful screams above the resounding thunder of the drums and throbbing bass is enchanting. I'm in total awe of the emotionally-charged composition of this song. It is spellbinding.
Make Them Suffer - image © Clea-marie Thorne
A short pause indicates encore time that delivers a live debut of newer song 'Ghost Of Me', a track that could make you bawl depending on your mood or circumstances – Alex Reade shines on keys and mic in this. It is a banger, and it comes before the perfect closer tonight, 'Doomswitch'.
Gentle sounds are spruced with minor electro glitches just before smashing our bodies with a wrecking ball made of condensed sonic vibrations. The beats stop and start between leaden guitar riffs, and harsh vocals bring devastation before clear vocals.
It's a song that leaves us destroyed and elated. MTS texturise metal in audible ways that causes fans to develop an insatiable addiction. Yes. We are left wanting more. Bring us more and stat!
More photos from the show.
