Live Review: Make Them Suffer, Far West Battlefront, Pridelands, 23/19

Local moshcore outfit 23/19 were first to take the stage and, while the band are relatively new, their stage presence and live performance was of quite a high calibre. The small crowd, however, was made up of presumably a lot of 23/19's friends who continuously invaded the stage to be guest vocalists on tracks such as Jackknife and Instigator. Sadly, the band did not have a really diverse set of songs in their arsenal. With obvious influences shining through 23/19's formula — think Confession and Bury Your Dead — it was the closing track Nothing But Trust that stood out the most, with its clear Terror influence. With a bit more versatility 23/19 could be nationally recognised, but for now, they're a suitable opener.

Melbourne via Mount Gambier progressive metalcore quintet Pridelands were a last minute replacement due to Ohio's The Plot In You pulling out of the line-up. From the outset, the five-piece were clearly elated by the opportunity to be part of this tour. There is no arguing that the band are superb in their music delivery, but they bear such a similarity to the UK's Architects that they could be a cover band. The Inkwell, Destitute, Devil's Snare and Coffinbound were the highlights, but the excessive use of a backing track lessened their impact in a live setting. Nevertheless, the young men must be complimented for their commitment to a tour of this scale at such short notice.

Adelaide's Far West Battlefront thankfully had the role of main support and their version of deathcore was instantly imposing from the first note the quartet struck. The four-piece were detached from the audience — which was at times compelling, adding to their intensity, but occasionally came off as poor crowd engagement hurting their performance. Their Misery Signals-meets-Chelsea Grin concoction had a certain elegance that the band's members portrayed; they had clear adoration for their art form. Tiberian Sun was monstrous, the next step is potentially there for FWB to take; hopefully this happens soon.

Perth's Make Them Suffer had a lot to celebrate with this tour — firstly, a pivotal festival appearance at Unify Gathering and, more impressively, a recent worldwide distribution deal with USA heavyweight label, Rise Records. So it was more than understandable that the six-piece came out all guns blazing when they finally hit the stage at Enigma Bar. What followed was a mix of swinging guitars and bodies, the heavy vocals of enigmatic frontman Sean Harmanis, and hauntingly beautiful vocals and a graceful gothic vibe provided by Louisa Burton and her keyboard theatrics. Widower, Let Me In, Neverbloom and Fake were frantic and elegantly chaotic. Although the venue was not near capacity, there was an intimacy that added to the intensity of the show. It was very sad to see the end of Bleeding Through recently, but the void left by that OC metalcore juggernaut may potentially be filled by this Australian sextet... Beware, world, you have been warned.