Review: Alison Gustavson
Photography: Luke Petty

Embarking upon their biggest headline tour to date, Make Them Suffer kicked things off with a bang in Brisbane last night. Selling out the Tivoli over a month ago, the line outside the venue was a sea of black long before doors. Bringing the stacked lineup featuring Bloom, Spite, and Bury Tomorrow to 6 cities, this is one tour worth ‘suffering forever’ for.

Fellow Australians Bloom were first to take the stage, and as per usual, they did not disappoint. Having just wrapped up the Polaris Australian Regional Tour that saw the band play in 13 cities, they were welcomed back to Queensland with open arms.

Some familiar favourites like ‘Bound To Your Whispers’ and ‘An Exit’ were quick to get the crowd moving and prepared for the rest of the night to come, while showcasing the perfect blend of Jono Hawkey, Jarod McLaren, and Oli Butler’s vocals. Introducing a softer element to the evening, ‘You And I’ heard the venue singing back “the sun beads off your skin reminding me of what has been”, reminding us of the beautiful community metal has created. It’s safe to say the other cities are in for a treat with an opener as tight, heavy, and mosh-worthy as Bloom.

Dialing the energy up to 20, Spite saw many moshers almost break their necks with the level of headbanging going on. Opening their set with ‘IED’, and playing songs like ‘Caved In’, ‘Dedication to Flesh’, and ‘Free for All’, I don’t believe there was a single moment the crowd remained still.

While vocalist Darius Tehrani is unbelievable live, touring drummer Travis Regnier (Carcosa, Without A Crown) is nothing short of superhuman and is comparable to the likes of Chris Turner and Luke Holland.

Returning to Australian shores after almost a year, Bury Tomorrow were next up on the bill. When I think of British metal bands with the best stage presence, this band immediately springs to mind, and they certainly delivered.

Frontman Dani Winter-Bates’ brutal vocals are just the icing on the cake, with the entire band’s performance exceeding ‘record-perfect’ status and keeping the energy levels at an all-time high. Performing a range of songs including their latest release ‘Villain Arc’, ‘The Seventh Sun’, and ‘Boltcutter’, there was truly something for everyone.

Dani’s speech about how the importance of spreading positivity not only inspired a very positive rowing pit in the middle of the mosh but is a true reflection on the band itself; a group of genuine guys who are doing their best to make the world a better place (with a smile on their face every time they take the stage).

While they are a group of incredible musicians, they have an equally incredible crew to match. From the wizard himself, Front of House engineer David Billings, to the insanely talented Lighting Tech Vicky Searson, they made sure the band looked and sounded fantastic.

Just after 10pm, it was time to suffer. Packed in like sardines, the mosh was bursting with anticipation as the intro to Epitaph began. The moment that Make Them Suffer took the stage, the crowd erupted in excitement and it was officially time to move again.

With drummer Jordan Mather and vocalist/ keyboardist Alex Reade up on a riser, vocalist Sean Harmanis, bassist Jaya Jeffery, and guitarist Nick McLernon were left free to roam around the stage nonstop. The combination of Harmanis’ and Reade’s vocals in the song highlighted how powerful this pair has become, and once again gave the audience a taste of what is to come with the new album.

‘Bones’ was next up, and seemed to be a crowd favourite as everyone banged their heads. This was the perfect opportunity to get a taste of a different side to Harmanis’ vocals, before turning back the clock to ‘Uncharted’. The mix of songs from ‘Ether’ and ‘Vortex (Interdimensional Spiral Hindering Inexplicable Euphoria)’ to ‘Ghost of Me’ and ‘Contraband’ provided something for old and new fans alike and saw non-stop moshing throughout the headliner’s set.

If you weren’t already impressed with the band’s incredibly tight performance, you were captivated by the array of stunning visuals on the LED screens behind the group and the risers. Hats off to their visual team who managed to perfectly encapsulate each song, with graphics of a terrifyingly creepy figure in ‘Blood Moon’ to an insanely detailed heart for ‘Hollowed Heart’.

We saw a handful of live debuts, including ‘Oscillator’ and ‘The Attendant’, with the latter showcasing Harmanis’ beautiful clean vocals; It is truly inspiring to get to witness firsthand the versatility of his vocals, and the depth of the emotion he conveys with every word. Before slowing the pace down too much, though, it was time to open the pit back up for ‘Hollowed Heart’ and ‘Blood Moon’.

‘Doomswitch’, as per their onstage setlists, was the final song of the night and the crowd was far from disappointed. With everyone singing along to the chorus, it was certainly an unmissable evening. As the band walked offstage and the lights went off, we all realised it was not over yet.

Many of us old-school fans had already gotten a taste of some ‘older’ (I use this term lightly) songs, but the band had one more surprise left in store. As the hauntingly iconic piano intro began, we all screamed back “will you remember me” and it was time to go back to 2012 with Widower.

For a band that almost called it quits, I can safely say on behalf of the entire Tivoli last night (and I’m sure most of the metal community), we are sure glad they didn’t. Be sure to keep an eye out for their brand new self-titled album that will be released on November 8.

SUNDAY 1 SEPTEMBER 2024 – ROUNDHOUSE, SYDNEY (LIC AA) SELLING FAST
THURSDAY 5 SEPTEMBER 2024 – FORUM, MELBOURNE (18+) SOLD OUT
FRIDAY 6 SEPTEMBER 2024 – HINDLEY ST MUSIC HALL, ADELAIDE (LIC AA) SELLING FAST
SATURDAY 7 SEPTEMBER 2024 – METROPOLIS, FREMANTLE (18+) SELLING FAST

Tickets from www.destroyalllines.com