Make Them Suffer Dominate a Sold-Out Night at The Opera House, Toronto

The Opera House in Toronto played host to an unforgettable night of metalcore as Make Them Suffer headlined their first North American tour in support of their latest self-titled album. Sharing the stage with Like Moths to Flames, Aviana, and Windwaker, the sold-out crowd was treated to a high-energy show filled with crushing riffs, massive breakdowns, and nonstop crowd movement. Fans packed the venue, and judging by the excitement that spread through the crowd, this was the kind of lineup Toronto had been eagerly waiting for.

Windwaker, hailing from Melbourne, Australia, kicked off the night with their signature blend of metalcore and alternative rock. Early on, guitarist Justin Keurntjes ran into a technical issue but resolved it quickly, keeping the momentum going. Midway through, the band had the audience lighting up the venue with their phones, adding a captivating visual element to their powerful blend of melody and aggression. From start to finish, Windwaker’s set was exciting, and their recent album HYPERVIOLENCE makes me eager to see what’s next from them.

Sweden’s Aviana took the stage next, bringing an air of mystery with their masked members—a dramatic touch introduced in 2022 that has since become a staple of their live shows. The exception was frontman Joel Holmqvist, whose unmasked presence made for a compelling focal point. Their performance was as theatrical as it was crushing, with the crowd erupting into non-stop waves of crowd surfers during “Anomaly.” At one point, Holmqvist orchestrated a mass sit-down, only to have everyone explode into a jump on his command, creating one of many memorable moments during his set.

Like Moths to Flames brought the chaos to another level, with the Ohio-based band keeping the audience in constant motion. Frontman Chris Roetter’s commanding stage presence had everyone jumping from the first note, and he made sure the crowd followed his every move. Before ‘Kintsugi,’ he humorously demonstrated the fundamentals of concert etiquette—jumping, moshing, and all—with an animated reenactment that had everyone laughing before diving headfirst into the madness. When they launched into ‘Burn in Water, Drown in Flame,’ Roetter declared it to be his favorite song, and the intense vulnerability in the lyrics, particularly the desperate plea for release from suffering, made it one of my personal highlights of their set.

By the time Make Them Suffer hit the stage, the crowd was fired up and ready to go. The Australian metalcore heavyweights wasted no time, launching into “Epitaph” as the crowd erupted. From the very first note, the energy was at an all-time high. Girls in the front screamed, “OMG!” repeatedly as frontman Sean Harmanis and the rest of the band commanded the stage. The band’s stage setup included a wide front platform and two raised platforms at the back—one for bassist Jaya Jeffery on the left and the other for drummer Jordan Mather on the right—giving the performance a dynamic, layered visual impact.

The light show was nothing short of insane, with strobes and smoke accentuating the band’s crushing breakdowns. Harmanis, feeding off the crowd’s energy, joked about needing “more bodies up here” and promised to high-five every crowd surfer. The response was immediate—what followed was an endless sea of bodies making their way to the front, faces lit up with exhilaration as they landed before being whisked away by security, only to do it all over again.

Keyboardist and backing vocalist Alex Reade added another layer of showmanship, playing her Roland AX-Edge keytar, which remained on a stand for most of the night—except for the encore, where she took it in hand for a dramatic finish. The band closed with ‘Widower,’ delivering a powerful and heavy ending to an already explosive set. With its intense lyrics like ‘I’ll always remember you as the telltale spider,’ the song left a lasting impression, wrapping up the night with a perfect mix of aggression and emotion.

Post-show chatter among fans revealed just how impactful the night had been. Some were overheard saying it had even surpassed the previous night’s show at the Axis Club in Toronto, where ABORTED headlined with Ingested, Peeling Flesh, and Necrotic Gore Beast. Others, who had traveled from Buffalo, noted the strong out-of-town presence in the crowd. Regardless of where they came from, whether from the high-energy ABORTED show the night before or from other parts of the region, everyone left with big smiles, knowing they’d had an unforgettable time.

A big thanks to Taylor Palmby at AtomsplitterPR for the accreditation—shooting the show was an absolute blast!

Make Them Suffer

Like Moths to Flames

Aviana

Windwaker

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Drew Osborne

I’m Drew, the founder and editor of Front of the Stage. I have a strong love for music and photography, which started at a very young age. There’s just something I love about experiencing live music and capturing memories that will last a lifetime, and that’s how Front of the Stage came to be.