SharpTone

Perception within music can be a very ethereal concept. We all know certain musicians predicting their deaths through the lyrics explicitly, but Polaris’ Fatalism conveys this through their lyrics but also the emotion throughout the entire record. The record followed three months after the sudden death of guitarist Ryan Siew. This album as a whole conveys the message of fatalism to the point of nihilistic tendencies. Whereas Polaris has always been a very emotionally driven band,  this album takes this to the next level. But to understand these messages, we need to go track by track and see whether I am. Of course I am, and be ready to hear a lot of gushing over the guitar work, because Siew IS one of the most influential rhythm guitarists within this generation of metalcore.

Harbinger: 5 

Harbinger is a smaller song that serves as an interlude for the rest of the album. As reflected through the title, it’s a signal for the themes of Fatalism and a warning of the more nihilistic outlook of the following tracks. It takes on another meaning, with the challenges of mental health and trying to get help. The guitarwork takes a more methodical approach with the lower chugging, but really suits the song and helps boost the lyrics and the emotions it is supposed to deliver. As seen throughout the rest of the record, Jamie Hails and Jake Steinhauser hit ear-piercing highs throughout this song, but keep a very touching melody that speaks to the importance of the message. This track may be one of the best album openers within the past decade.

Nightmare: 4

The second track (the first full-length track) pretty much gives a presentation of the common structure and overall sound they established throughout the decade. The faster and somehow more emotional take on Polaris songwriting shines here in Nightmare. The biggest deviation in the song is its lyrical concept. So the obvious face value illustrates and comments on a Fallout-esque or post-apocalyptic world that has seen a massive decline. But looking inward, you find a commentary on the idea of fear, and the unknowns of the future. 

Parasite: 4

The following track, Parasites, sets up the other “sound” Polaris is known for with a more hardcore-esque approach to songwriting, with less of melodic choruses and more groove-driven riff downs. As shown through this style, Seiw and company flex their muscles via a fast but comprehensible approach to guitarwork and other instrumental elements.

Overflow: 5

The song Overflow is one one the three singles the band put out, and this flexes their emotional muscles. The mixing reminds me of early 00s anthems, obviously conveying the emotionally charged track while also keeping the energy reflective of its counterparts. The guitarwork does kind of get melded behind the mix, but they do their job while also keeping the “Polaris style” of guitarwork. But the main forerunner is the drums and vocals. I’ve always loved when bands emitted emotion through the mixing of their drums, especially through the tonalities and the standing of the snare within the mix. This is one of the songs that hits the feels, with the obvious themes of mental health and the resilience to keep oneself up.

Within Regards: 4

Probably one of the more underrated tracks on the album, especially via the lyrics. The instrumentation is one of the weaker ones with a heavier instrumentation with little to no flash in comparison to future entries within the album. I’m not sure if it creates a dissonance but the mixing and just overall writing feels off, not bad by any means, it just doesn’t fit. The reason I highly respect this song in comparison to the odd arrangements is the lyrics.  The lyrical concept is about a decaying friendship that is a product of both parties having a hard past and a violent home life. It’s super beautiful and creates a nice breath of fresh air, in comparison to the more mournful presentation of Overflow.

Inhumane: 4

Inhumane does a great job at breaking up the more emotionally driven and very deep writing to the more heavy posture within their hardcore sound. I love this style with more anthemic feeling choruses and a faster nu-metal-esque attitude put on display. One of the factors that prop up this punchy track is the story shown through the lyrics. It’s a very simple commentary on the condition of society during and post-COVID, especially whilst being in Australia.

The Crossfire: 5

So the second-to-last song that really did a great job of carrying the sound of Polaris is The Crossfire. It brings back the more jarring mixing of Harbinger while fleshing it out into a full-length song. They keep the sound of the normal style while also keeping it different by changing the more common metalcore structure but mixing and matching the presentation of it. Another reason why I love this song is due to the theme of helplessness and being in the middle of a situation one cannot control. It applies to the world’s climate, but also the helplessness the loved ones feel when someone takes their life. I think it’s very important to comment on the heart of said victim, also the effect it has on people around them.

Dissipate: 5

The last track that truly spoke to me was Dissipate, which begins with a really great sounding scale riff on the guitar, which does a great job of establishing the key and overall structure of the song. It’s a great combination of the more emotional side of this album, while keeping the same structure as tracks like Nightmare, It has so much substance, especially for being a non-single. This is a commentary about the social fallacies we see every day, no matter if it’s isolated figures speaking upon broad subjects (often being affected by said problems), or whether it’s contrarianism and the dangers of social-individualism. These are the basis of a lot of the world’s problems, and less about the subjects themselves, but the figures who speak on them. It’s a great reflective theme.

Aftertouch: 3

So after listening to this song a couple of times, there aren’t any substantial or effective concepts within this song, or at least any differential elements that pop out to me. I think this is a me problem, so I graded it a 3 just to show it has some sort of stability in comparison to the album. 

Fault Line: 4

Fault Line does a really good job at combining the instrumentation and overall bass-heavy production of Inhumane with the similar key and structure of your vanilla Polaris song. I like how they slowly regress into a more pop-punk sensibility. So this song’s meaning is kind of up in the air for what the meaning is behind this song, but here are the two cases. The first one is the basic commentary of how bad the world has become. But the other is of panic attacks, and how they affect the victim and those around them.

All In Vain: 4

This song establishes the Nihilistic Fatalism that is underlined throughout the album. They applied a progressive metal style with their approach to metalcore.

Overall, this album is awesome, it’s also one of the very few bands that have released a junior album that has been substantial while also being profitable.