Review: Make Them Suffer, Worlds Apart

Make Them Suffer - Worlds Apart
Rating: 8.4/10
Preorder (Release on June 28th 2017)

Make Them Suffer is without a doubt one of Australia’s most popular metal bands of the past decade, with their debut record, Neverbloom, making serious waves in the deathcore scene. Old Souls took a different approach and was greeted by fans with a vastly different attitude as people wondered what came next. Would they revert to the sounds of the first record or grow from here? With the worldwide release of their third album, Worlds Apart, on June 28th, Make Them Suffer are finally ready to answer that question.

The first single was greeted by fans as “underwhelming” and not what they wanted, but I found the track to be a ton of fun, so I was excited to get hands-on with the new album and see if they had polished the experimental sound on Old Souls. I was surprised by the first track, “The First Movement,” in a good way. For the most part, the song feels fresh compared to the current metalcore scene, resembling the new Northlane record but maintaining its own character. I’m happy to say Make Them Suffer are back on their feet and hitting the ground running, picking up a new clean vocalist and keyboardist in Booka Nile, as well as bassist Jaya Jeffery. I can almost say they have never sounded better. “Uncharted” is a wonderfully energetic and moving track packed with both insane groove and some beautifully placed chorus passages. It sits perfectly next to “Grinding Teeth,” one of the most standout tracks on this record with its equally melodic and crushing guitars pounding through the snare drums and complemented by the heavy vocal patterns in the verses. “Grinding Teeth” definitely starts to ramp things up for listeners as they proceed into one of the heaviest tracks on the record, “Vortex,” a must listen for old school Neverbloom fans. Certain parts of this song feature almost Stray From The Path-style screams that are relentless and brutal, and fit well in the instrumental. I can only say that the band chose what’s actually the weakest track for the record as their single, “Fireworks” (which I still love, but is now overshadowed by other tracks).

“Fireworks” just doesn’t seem to pack as much of a punch as the other songs on Worlds Apart, but it does work well as a transition from the first to the second half of the record. This part of the album kicks off with an interlude track made up of ambient noise and “extraterrestrial” sounds, titled “Contact.” “Power Overwhelming” feels mildly out of place preceding the last three tracks. “Midnight Run” is the second best track on the record following “Vortex.” It’s not as crushing, but it heavy and melodic, and is probably the best example of the progress the band has made. “Dead Plains” is the last heavy track before “Save Yourself,” making for an amazing pair of finale songs.

Make Them Suffer have really perfected their sound. Following this album, I’m really excited to see them tour North America with Enterprise Earth and Spite this July, now knowing how they crush the stage following their tour with August Burns Red and Silent Planet last fall. Whether you accept it or not, Worlds Apart is the best Make Them Suffer record yet, and I can definitely see myself revisiting this more than I did Old Souls or Neverbloom. ​

​FFO: Northlane, While She Sleeps, Parkway Drive

- Dakota G.