Australian metalcore giants Make them Suffer continue to build hype ahead of the release of their self-titled album, due for release in early November.
After somewhat of a hiatus since their 2020 release 'How To Survive A Funeral', line-up changes, and speculation around the band's future throughout the tumultuous '20/'21 period, the Perth-based riff 'n' rollers have been steadily feeding their diehard and adoring fans to multiple singles over the last 18-odd months.To say this release date is something the greater-metal community is excited for is an understatement and in true MTS form, they have maintained the full-velocity hype-train by touring the country on their Suffer Forever tour – consisting of a stellar bill comprising some of the hottest heavy acts from around the globe: UK's Bury Tomorrow, US's Spite, and Sydney's own Bloom.
Opening the Brisbane leg (and all stops on this tour, actually) at The Tivoli (30 August) was Sydney metalcore up-and-comers, Bloom.
While still a relatively young band – releasing their first EP 'Past Tense' in 2018 – Bloom have manifested the Australian alt-music ethos in their steady grind, and respectable climb to their current position as an act not to be missed, and difficult to when considering their tireless work ethic.
Bloom have become somewhat of a staple over the last several years, supporting numerous local and international headliners, and building their own dedicated fanbase. Celebrating their 2024 full-length album 'Maybe In Another Life', the quintet took to the stage to a near-packed room early in the evening, truly representative of the pull this act's modern melodic take on metalcore resonates with their energetic fans.
Bloom - image © KealiJoan Studios
With an unsurprisingly short set considering their placement on this line-up comprising of only seven songs, Bloom left nothing in the tank playing favourites such as 'Bound To Your Whispers', 'An Exit', and 'Siren Song'.
It would be truly surprising to not see these guys back on the road in the near future, and I implore you to check them out now while more intimate encounters may still be on the cards – this will surely not be norm for much longer.
Next was Southern Cali locals Spite – arguably, one of the biggest drawcards to this tour package (if I may be so bold as to make such an outlandish claim).
The reason? Spite have an irrefutable, almost cult-like following. The quartet burst onto the deathcore/ extreme-metal scene in 2016, with the release of their self-titled album; although it could be argued their true breakthrough record was 2017 release 'Nothing Is Beautiful'.
Regardless of what record you care to attribute to their impressive trajectory, 2022 saw the goliath that is 'Dedication To Flesh'. Spite's punishing, heavy, and destructive sound has peaked the interest of extreme metal fans from across the globe, with an absolutely crushing sound that I have heard referred to on multiple occasions as 'caveman music'.
From high velocity blast beats accompanying aggressive guitar tremelo and shrieking screams, to low and downtempo chugs and guttural vocals akin to the deepest depths of hell, Spite embodies a balls-to-the-walls, zero-Fs-given approach to delivering an audible onslaught to their listeners ears; and back this up with a stage performance only fitting for such violence.
Spite - image © KealiJoan Studios
Whether it's the sheer destructive energy and performance power of vocalist Darius Tehrani or the bopping and grooving (but like, make it deathcore) of guitarist Alex Tehrani and bassist Ben Bamford, Spite is easily one of the highlights of my personal 2024 punter experiences.
With a nine-song set list, Spite left nothing in the tank. Opening with 'IED', 'Snap', and my personal favourite track 'Caved In', then closing with 'Dedication To Flesh', 'Kill Or Be Killed', and 'Free For All', this set list packed in as much as you could possibly ask of the act considering their relatively early position on the bill.
There is no doubt in my mind that Spite will only continue to grow and evolve, and it will only be a matter of time until they return and are headlining venues of this size themselves (or maybe we'll see them on a festival line-up – who knows; the world is their oyster).
Heading into the pointy end of the evening we were met with UK riffers Bury Tomorrow. With over a decade of history as a collective, Bury Tomorrow are no strangers to playing alongside some of the largest names in modern metalcore, bringing their own flavour reminiscent of artists such as August Burns Red, Miss May I, and similar with technical guitar riffage, syncopated rhythm sections, and diverse and versatile vocals through their dual-vocalists.
As someone who discovered this act throughout the period surrounding their 2018 release 'Black Flame', armed with leading single of the same name, the opportunity to experience these catchy and exciting riffs first-hand was one to be remembered.
Bury Tomorrow - image © KealiJoan Studios
The sextet – comprising of lead/ heavy vocals, two guitars, bass, drums, and keys/ synth/ production/ vocals – pull together the expected elements of modern metalcore to their favour or otherwise, depending on personal tastes.
While it could be argued the UK act may rely a little too much on the metalcore cookie-cutter method of songwriting (think cool riffs accompanied by heavy vocals during verses, then big chords and clean vocals during the choruses), their particular flavour very apparently resonates with a whole bunch of people – from this punter's eyes, it was apparent some other patrons were here for them, unsurprisingly.
Between a flack jacket-adorned Daniel Winter-Bates (vocals) delivering wholesome talks of inclusivity, love, and individual accountability for greater change (the juxtaposition was interesting, although obviously not interdependent factors), and the unrelenting technical, high-end riffing of Kris Dawson (seriously, this man's fingers did not stop the entire set), this truly was a live set of a world-class band.
With a set list entailing songs such as 'The Seventh Sun', 'Black Flame', 'Boltcutter', 'Villain Arc' and a personal favourite of mine, 'Choke', the group did incredibly well to cover an array of their different eras (no, not you Tay-tay) across an eight-song performance.
Bury Tomorrow - image © KealiJoan Studios
Having only been in Australia as recently as 2023, headlining their own sold-out national tour in support of their seventh studio album 'The Seventh Sun', I think it's unlikely we will see them return to Australian soil within the next 12 months or so; yet I'm excited to see what comes next for this band.
Finally, after a truly impressive evening featuring a diverse line-up of 'core acts, the moment of truth was upon a sold-out venue, as Make Them Suffer prepared to take to the stage.
Keeping relevant to the recent news of Oasis' reunion, MTS commenced their set with 'Wonderwall' blasting across the venue's PA leading to a crowd sing-along of the chorus. With the memes out of the way, MTS exploded onto the stage delivering a newer single, 'Epitaph'. As lead vocalist Sean Harmanis pointed out, "we've got a long night ahead of us".
While the Perth locals are always highly anticipated, it could be argued this set held a special place in many people's hearts with the live debut of several of their recent singles including 'Oscillator' and 'The Attendant'.
Make Them Suffer - image © KealiJoan Studios
I would be remiss to not mention the absolutely captivating visuals and production the MTS team have put together to support their multi-faceted sonic onslaught, with my review notes stating 'this would be very cool to see on drugs' (don't come at me, my review notes are interesting to say the least).
For the sake of brevity and avoidance of 'fan-boying' too much, there was not a single moment during this 70-plus-minute set wherein the act did not feel refined, tight, excited and exciting, and professional (not to understate any of the earlier acts).
Be it the crushing moments experienced during 'Hollowed Heart', 'Contraband', or 'Doomswitch' ('that' riff has eternally lived rent-free in my head since the moment I first heard it), through to the a truly heartfelt performance by Harmanis during ' 'Ghost Of Me' and haunting performance of 'The Attendant', the dynamics displayed by the quartet was truly a moment in time that I'm certain many will treasure for many years to come.
To truly top off a phenomenal evening, MTS returned to the stage after the conclusion of their set post-'Doomswitch', to perform the truly iconic death-core banger that is 'Widower' to the absolute jubilation of punters – those iconic introduction keys threw The Tivoli into a whirlwind as fan's took this final opportunity to dance, scream, and swing limbs (if so inclined).
Make Them Suffer - image © KealiJoan Studios
With the release of their self-titled album within the next several months, all signs are pointing to MTS only continuing to strengthen their stranglehold on modern metalcore – both at home and on the international stage.
- written by Kerry Rowe
More photos from the concert.
