Make Them Suffer is back! I was super excited for this one. It's the first song since Contraband, they announced a new female clean vocalist, and they were hyping up the song release a lot, so I had high hopes.
The most noticeable thing about Doomswitch is, straight away, you can tell it is quite electronically infused. Whether it's the ambience or synths, there's no denying how many layers there are, and how much they add to the song. It seems like it'll be an integral part of their sound from now on, and I'm all here for it.
The riffs definitely sound like Nick's work. This time there's a lot of super bouncy and groovy ones, as well as a lot of chunky zeros. The guitar solo in the middle is super fun as well, calling back to one of their best riffs ever, the one from Contraband.
Sean's screams are as brutal as ever, with some great lows and consistently amazing mids. You can even catch him going for a goblin-like scream in the ending breakdown.
Alex is maybe the best thing to happen to the band. Not only did she bring a brilliant set of cleans to the table, she brought along some amazing screams and a diverse range of electronics as well. She even plays a keytar live, what more can you ask for?
The chorus is amazing, the clean lines are catchy and divine, the underlaying riff is super fun, the way they drag out Alex's line for Sean to scream over is so well put together, and the low "Doomswitch" at the end ties it all together.
There's so much fun stuff going on everywhere in the song, it's basically metalcore paradise. Lo-fi riffs at the start, weird effects on the vocals on the second verse, crazy chug patterns in the bridge, and an insane breakdown to end it all. The electronics are literally flying everywhere, the breakdown riff is wild and the screams are perfect. It's basically the perfect amount of sonic over-stimulation.
I'm super stoked to see what's next for the band. Doomswitch is hopefully just a taste of what's coming up, and at this rate I'm thinking they'll be able to easily top How To Survive A Funeral and Contraband, which is definitely exciting. Make Them Suffer has brought upon a new era with this song.
Rating: 4.5/5