Review Summary: Make Them Suffer - the only people suffering are the people who haven't yet listened to this album!
The 2012 debut album 'Neverbloom' by Make Them Suffer showcased potential to craft unique symphonic deathcore (Winds of Plague anyone?) but the album fell short due to overused breakdowns, uncreative keyboard parts and a difficulty to understand the lyrics through the vocals for the most part. The 2015 sophomore album has shown much improvement to the technique in their work and has stepped closer to creating their own symphonic deathcore.
Whereas in 'Neverbloom', Sean Harmanis (lead vocalist) continually switched between extreme highs and lows, in Old Souls he has a adopted a mid-range scream with the highs and lows used less excessively making for a more stable feel for the album - sounding similar to Telle Smith of The Word Alive in some parts. His diction has also improved a great amount allowing the lyrics to be heard clearer.
Lachlan Monty and Nick McLernon (guitarists) have compromised a set off captivating riffs between them and breakdowns are used more sparingly and tactfully, shifting the repetitive feeling in 'Neverbloom'.
Tim Madden proves to be a more than capable drummer, often using creative fills and being a driving force of the music rather than a mere base for the other instruments to play over.
Chris Arias-Real (bassist) is not often heard in the mix - supposedly this is to be expected of a deathcore album - yet he does provide the heavy drive throughout the entire album, never seeming to be out of place.
Louisa Burton can be said to have made the most improvement of all the members, she utilises synths and keyboards cleverly within the music so they create a dark, eerie atmosphere, unlike in 'Neverbloom' where she basically pressed single keys in succession which did not add much to the music. In addition to this she provides occasional sweet sounding clean vocals which do not stand out much but more so contribute to the atmosphere her keyboards create.
The album's lyrics constantly bring about a feeling of sadness and pain which should be noted as a success considering the music is meant to provoke this, especially being screamed agonisingly by Harmanis. The songs 'Let Me In' and 'Old Souls' in particular convey such emotion.
To summarise, Make Them Suffer have taken a huge leap of progression since the release of 'Neverbloom' and while it does not revolutionise deathcore as a collective, they have solidified their niche in this genre with their unique style which has improved in all areas.
