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When Polaris announced the sudden death of their guitarist Ryan Siew, who passed away the week after the band opened the main stage at Download, we thought that it was the end for the Australian metalcore giants. Cancelling their summer tour dates, in the autumn they unleashed Siew’s final lasting legacy, their third release ‘Fatalism’. The album, now retrospectively a eulogy and celebration of the band, is one of their most cathartic releases to date. At Manchester’s O2 Ritz, frontman Jamie Hails addresses the crowd “Ryan wanted us to continue and we will.”
Polaris swept through Europe on their headline tour, supported by Paledusk, Thornhill and Silent Planet. For newcomers Paledusk, hailing from Kyushu island in Japan, their association with the Australian metalcore scene signing to both Sharptone and Greyscale Records is unfaltering. Releasing their new EP the week previously, ‘PALEHELL’ showcases the off-the-wall brilliance of harajuku pop infused with abrasive breakdowns. Despite some sound levelling issues, they carried the crowd, even as the opening band, demanding our full attention with intermittent thrashy guitar solos. Finishing with their fan favourite ‘SLAY!!’, they are definitely a band that is a fresh and exciting addition to lineups, anticipating the best and the unexpected.
Sometimes you catch a band on the cusp of their breakthrough, and for Melbourne post-hardcore five piece, later hailed by Polaris later as ‘our Australian boyfriends’, this is their time. It's that moment before a band goes big, like when Sleep Token released ‘Chokehold’ or Loathe put together ‘I let it in and it took everything’, that magic is created in the room. With only two tracks released from their upcoming album ‘Obsession’, they commanded the entire crowd and then some. Frontman Jacob Charlton has the most versatile voice in metalcore, going from dreamy choruses to full on Chino Moreno raptor screams. Pausing in anticipation of their monumental breakdowns, the full ensemble unleashes a hellish inferno of sound. It was an unnecessarily short set, but a cathartic one, leaving onlookers to audibly comment ‘Why haven’t I heard about this band sooner?’ At the moment, this is the scene’s best kept secret.
Silent Planet graced the stage shortly after, with a tight and energetic set, primarily based around their new release ‘Superbloom’. It was a refreshing update to their sound, pulling away from their emotionally-driven post-hardcore sound, and provided a sticky pit, perfect for thrashing around in. The Texan metalcore collective have a fanbase of diehard fans, who made their presence known during ‘Antimatter’ and ‘Nexus’. However, it wouldn’t be a Silent Planet set without their inaugural monologues, bringing attention to the devastation of war with ’Panic Room’ and the invasion of indigenous American soil in ‘Native Blood’.New staging accompanies the band with their DIY projector backdrop. Watching on from the sidelines, the band are beginning to grow into potentially performing their own headliner slot in the UK.
Polaris took to the stage opening with the almighty ‘Harbinger’ the opening track of their current album, followed by its standout track ‘nightmare’ High energy anticipation continued through fan favourite ‘Hypomania’, amassing in a gigantic circle pit. Hailing the UK as their ‘second home’ they pressed on to some of their classics, ‘All Of This Is Fleeting’ and ‘Landmine’ Technically tight, the combination of sound from guitarist Rick Schneider and bassist Jake Steinhauser carried the band into ‘Overflow’.
With a brief pause and reflection, Jamie Hails broke into a monologue about the passing of Siew, stopping for a minute to reflect upon the uproar in adoration from the crowd. Chanting ‘Ryan’, the whole band are emotionally raw leading into the cathartic ‘Martyr’.
Then, snapping back into action, Hails’ commanded the audience to “snap their necks” to ‘Parasites’ and then performed the most impressive windmill in all of metalcore. With some vocal issues mentioned previously by the frontman, it didn’t matter. The entire set was epic and the atmosphere in the Ritz was kinetic and unapologetic. With a final encore from ‘Pray For Rain’ and ‘Remedy’ it was a spellbinding end to a spectacular performance for all acts, in a celebration of modern heavy music. Most importantly, it was a show you could throw yourself into and just party, and that's exactly how everyone felt that night, leaving to the sound of ‘We Like To Party’ by the Vengaboys.
Words: Amber Brooks
Cover Photo: Nick Davarius
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