Even though Make Them Suffer has been around for 17 years now, they continue to make waves within the metal community with their music. The love that the fans carry for this band was evident when the tour was announced, with shows quickly selling out, even after some venues upgraded the ticket count. Even though Nashville didn’t sell out, there were very few tickets left and Eastside Bowl was filled with people waiting in anticipation. When you looked around the venue, it was shocking to think that there could be any tickets left. Fans of all ages were dressed in Make Them Suffer merch, standing in the line waiting to buy new merchandise, or talking with one another about their favorite albums and what their setlist theories were. The night opened with Aviana, Windwaker, and Like Moths to Flames which were honestly the perfect openers. Aviana’s stage presence and the mystery they induce just by having everyone except their lead singer wear a mask, easily draws you in and makes you want to hear more. Even though Windwaker was heavy, they also had a lot of fun, groovy, and clean parts to their music which loosened up the crowd and got them singing along. Like Moths to Flames is a loved name within the American metal scene and to say the crowd loved them would be an understatement. Even though they only got to play 40 minutes, there were at least 6 different mosh pits that could be seen during their set.
When Make Them Suffer dropped the lights, signaling to the crowd that it was time for their show to begin, the cheers that erupted from the fans were deafening. It was once the opening for ‘Epitaph’ started, that it seemed like the crowd breathed a sigh of relief that they were finally there. The song they used to tease their 2024 album was a crowd favorite, and before the first song could even end, people were crowd surfing and had started a pit in the middle of the venue. Make Them Suffer gave us a handful of songs from their newest album like ‘Weaponized’, and ‘Mana God’ just to name a couple. Their key player, Alex Reade, stole the spotlight a few times with her amazing vocals and contagious energy. She was vital to the sound of the band, providing the lead singer Sean Harmanis with stunning background vocals and sometimes did heavier vocals to compliment him. Sean was amazing, he was constantly telling the crowd to split for a wall of death or telling them to start a mosh pit. It was clear that Sean wasn’t going to let his fans come to their show without getting a little rough and rowdy and the crowd welcomed the invitation. His vocals were on point throughout the whole night and it kept the crowd alive and energetic. Jaya Jeffery, the bassist for Make Them Suffer clearly had fun on stage.
Even though he was slightly hidden behind Alex, he made the most of the space he was given and he continuously spun around while playing, headbanged, and walked across the entire back of the stage, even occasionally making his way over to the drummer and down the riser to play beside Sean and Alex. Nick McLernon was the same way, moving back and forth between stage right and center stage. He even got a little groovy and did the moonwalk during ‘Bones” which made the crowd point and cheer for him to keep going. You could tell just by looking at him that being on stage was where he was always destined to be. Jordan Mather kept the songs going with his insane double kicks and perfect quarter notes. He easily drew you in with his passion and raw talent, and it was obvious that he was no stranger to heavy music. He never missed a beat and watching him play the drums was like watching a painter at his favorite easel. Make Them Suffer caused a complete soul decay when they exited the stage but it wasn’t long before they came back out to play one of their biggest songs from one of their very first full album, a song called ‘Widower’ which sent the crowd roaring. Even though some people had left, the ones who stayed immediately started a mosh pit and by the end of the song, there wasn’t a single person who didn’t have sweat covering their faces. It was clear that this band had brought together generations of people and they made sure to give them a night they would never forget.
- Ashlee Riggins
Photos Courtesy of Ashlee Riggins (For Bell Music Magazine)
