Hello, friends. It’s been a minute since I’ve covered a concert. It’s been two minutes since I’ve been to a Make Them Suffer show and three minutes since I’ve been to Preserving Underground. What better way to start off 2025 (almost three months in) than seeing one of my favorite bands at one of my favorite venues? I present to you fine readers my review of Make Them Suffer’s North American Tour stop at Preserving Underground.
The Swedish metalcore band Aviana was the first act of the night. Led by frontman Joel Holmqvist, this mostly mysterious quartet started the night swinging with “Delirium,” one of their heavier tracks. Their masterful mix of metalcore and nu-metal riffs have electronic undertones and samples that gives the band a uniquely heavy sound. Who doesn’t love the “Interstellar” quote to start off a banger like “Rage”? “Rage” is a great song to check out if you want to hear Homqvist show off his growls and cleans. Overall, Aviana’s set blew me away. They’ve gone through a major line up change, but I feel they’ll recover just fine and we’ll be seeing them headlining back in the US soon.
The Australian metalcore band Windwaker was up next. Yes, they are named after my favorite “Zelda” game, thank you for asking. Windwaker is one of those bands that really bends the definition of metalcore. Their set was synth-heavy, vocalist Liam Guinane spent a lot of time rapping, and the heavy pop influence also wasn’t lost. I love bands like Windwaker who make the music they want and don’t conform to whatever genre they get lumped into. Some Windwaker tracks are heavier and more focused on rapping, as heard in their opening song “Dopamine Freestyle.” Other Windwaker tracks swing to a more pop-filled sound, which “SIRENS” showed off nicely. Regardless of which genre was the base of the song playing, the crowd was up off their feet.
The hometown favorites Like Moths to Flames took the stage next. Guitarists Cody Cavanaugh and Zach Pishney both hail from Pittsburgh. Even though the band claims to be from Columbus, Ohio, we’ll give Pittsburgh the win since 50% of the band came from the Steel City. Like Moths to Flames wasted no time getting the crowd moving. If you haven’t noticed from the previous photos in this article, there was no barrier at this show, which isn’t uncommon at Preserving Underground, and the crowd quickly started hitting the stage. That’s one of the best things about Preserving Underground. Regardless of who is playing, the shows always feel like the old-school shows that I grew up attending.
Like Moths to Flames played a nine-song setlist, which consisted of songs like “Habitual Decline,” “Burn in Water, Drown in Flame,” and “Bury Your Pain.” The set hit five of their albums, so fans received a nice mix of new and old tracks.
This next band is no stranger to my mediocre concert coverage. I say “this next band” like you have no idea who it is, like it’s not in the intro of this review or even in the title. I’ve covered Make Them Suffer three times now and have seen four of their shows. Each time I’ve seen them has been better than the previous show. Could they keep up this momentum?
… and I am not the least bit surprised.
Now here’s where the mediocre part of my concert coverage comes into play. I can’t really tell you what the secret sauce is that makes a Make Them Suffer show so much better than other high-profile metalcore shows. Other bands are also engaging, high energy, bring a setlist of bangers, and all the other cliché things you’d expect in a great set, but Make Them Suffer just pushes all that over the top. Guitarist Nick McLeron pulls off his signature complex riffs while performing the Running Man. Bassist Jaya Jeffery has no off button, not even a mid button; he’s full throttle from start to finish. Vocalists Sean Harmanis and Alex Reade hit you with their “best in show” vocal pairing of unmatched cleans and screams. Drummer Jordan Mather is a sneaky little fella. He isn’t flashy, but he’s tight and a technical drummer. I should know with my three years of drumming experience from 20 years ago. If you throw that all on stage it just works and leaves you wanting more.
Their setlist was the perfect mix of old and new songs that showed off their expanding soundscape. The deathcore purists should appreciate early tracks like “Blood Moon” and “Hollowed Heart.” Oh, and – spoiler alert – “Widower.” I just gave away the encore. I was happy to see “Worlds Apart,” one of my favorite albums of all time, represented by “Uncharted.” If I can’t get the “Power Overwhelming” riff, then I’ll take the keyboard runs in “Uncharted.” “Bones,” “Soul Decay,” and “Erase Me” held down “How to Survive a Funeral” and the rest of the set was more than half of their new self-titled album. I loved getting the extra headliner time, but it still wasn’t enough. That’s saying a lot. I’m over 30, it was a four-band bill, and it was after 9 pm. I’m old and out of shape. My bones hurt and things crack when I move. My legs were dead because I hadn’t left my spot all evening, but I wasn’t ready to call it a night. I guess you could say they made me suffer.
I’ll show myself out.
I loved this lineup so much that I’ll be seeing it again in Baltimore. I just ended my review complaining AND I’m going to tack on a over three-hour drive onto an already late night. That’s got to count for something.
Make Them Suffer’s headlining North American tour is running through the end of March. Click here to get more information and find a date near you.