Review Summary: Make Them Suffer can simply do no wrong.
There’s something to be said for bands that evolve with each record. It takes guts to abandon the very sound that attracted an audience in favor of leaping into the great beyond, as a plethora of bands have shown themselves wholly incapable of sticking the landing. And yet, Make Them Suffer have made a habit of doing just that; as an entity, they remain unwilling to stagnate, determined to push the boundaries of their sound with each new release.
Worlds Apart marks perhaps their most substantial evolution to date, almost completely abandoning the band’s deathcore roots for a beefier, more riff-driven affair. It’s easily Make Them Suffer’s most straightforward record, yet this isn’t necessarily detrimental; in fact, “Midnight Run,” perhaps the simplest song they've ever recorded, could also make a compelling case as their best. With this being said, the band’s distinct sense of ambience is by no means lost, and, if anything, is expanded upon. The distant piano and occasional orchestral instrumentation that marked
Neverbloom and
Old Souls return in a softer, more shoegaze-inspired package, juxtaposing beautifully with the punishing instrumentation that envelops it.
Worlds Apart's varied sounds and influences play off one another impeccably, offering diversity while seldom clashing. This variety often manifests itself within individual tracks themselves, as is the case with the multi-dimensional “Uncharted” and “Fireworks,” ultimately resulting in an album with a sense of identity beyond a simple collection of songs. Granted, this is nothing new for Make Them Suffer, as they’ve always appeared interested in making something of an artistic statement, but it’s nonetheless impressive considering Worlds Apart’s sharp change in direction. From the brief instrumental “Contact” to the three crushing, savage metalcore tracks that follow, every song has a purpose.
Perhaps
Worlds Apart’s greatest strength lies in its concision. Clocking in at a tight 40 minutes, it never overstays its welcome or gives in to the chugging monotony that occasionally plagued its predecessors. In fact, the record is almost completely devoid of the down-tuned breakdowns and chugs of the mainstream deathcore scene, occasionally even venturing into progressive death metal territory. “Uncharted,” with its noodly riffing and dynamic songwriting, is essentially a metalcore take on Persefone, while the crushing riffs of “Power Overwheliming” are straight out of the Aspherium playbook.
Is every song perfect? No, not exactly - “Fireworks” doesn’t have much of a hook, and “Save Yourself,” though a reasonably effective closer, is a tad on the melodramatic side. But as a fully-functioning, organic unit,
Worlds Apart is damn near flawless, distinguishing itself as the defining moment of the young band’s already-impressive body of work. With this, their third consecutive gem, MTS have jostled themselves to forefront of a crowded extreme metal scene, unquestionably ready to carry the torch for years and albums to come.
