Polaris on Honoring Ryan Siew With ‘Without You’ & Their Good Things Return

Artists

Polaris’ very first brand-new tune in 3 years faces a concern that has followed the Australian metalcore band given that guitar player Ryan Siew’s death in 2023: How do they make music together without him?

Launched Sept. 3,”Without You “is the band’s very first brand-new music made after Siew’s death– and a significant contrast to 2023’s Fatalismthe last album the 4 staying members tape-recorded with him, which got here simply months after he passed away.

Speaking to Signboard of the release and ahead of their look at Australia’s Good Things Festival, Rick Schneider stated the band desired its initial step forward to acknowledge both Siew’s location in Polaris and the impossibility of filling it.

“He is type of, in numerous methods, irreplaceable,” Schneider stated. “There is no fast and simple repair to get somebody therein to change what his significance was.” The years considering that his death, Schneider stated, had actually offered the band time “to acknowledge and contextualize the significance that he had on us as not just a bandmate however likewise a good friend.”

For drummer Daniel Furnari, putting the track into the world has actually been”bittersweet”and “cathartic.”He stated the members had actually invested years thinking of what their very first brand-new release would require to communicate, understanding one tune might not consist of the complete experience of their loss. “How do you state enough?” he asked. “How do you communicate that loss which discomfort which sorrow and the weight of everything in the proper way?”

“It’s actually us simply starting to find out how to discuss this, both openly and through our music,” Furnari stated. He likewise explained a sense of pride in the band’s survival. “There’s an unhappiness, and there’s likewise a genuine pride in the reality that we can take a look at each other and state, like, we’re still here, we’re still standing as a band,” he stated. “We may not look the exact same, we’re missing out on someone actually crucial, however we still understand who we are as artists.”

Whether Polaris would continue was never ever the main concern, Furnari stated. “This band is something we’ve sort of devoted our lives to and devoted our hearts to,” he stated. “I do not believe there’s a part of any of us that ever would have let this go.” The unpredictability lay in how to take care of themselves, honor that history and make area for a future. “Not if, however how and when.”

That willpower was evaluated practically right away, as the band proceeded with the Fatalism trip after Siew’s death. Schneider stated the members provided themselves area, then examined whether everybody felt comfy going back to the phase. They all stated yes.

“If we were to put the brakes on and put us on hold,” he stated, “perhaps it would have simply been more difficult to come back.” The trip verified something they required to understand: “We are still here for each other, and we wish to keep this going not just for each other however likewise for Ryan.”

Furnari stated that in the years given that, fans had actually typically thanked the band for picking to continue– which the phrasing offered him stop briefly. “The weird thing is, I practically do not seem like we had an option,” he stated. “This band is excessive of a part of who we are as individuals. It’s so connected to all of our identities.” Preventing, he included, would have been unimaginable: “I believe we understood Ryan would never ever forgive us if we stopped.”

The experience did not make composing “Without You” simple. Schneider stated Siew’s lack seemed like “a shadow in the space” throughout composing sessions. “You wish to turn to somebody for their viewpoint or their assistance or their support or their contributions, and they’re not there,” he stated. When the tune started to take shape– a heavy riff from Schneider, lyrics Furnari had actually composed in the duration after the loss– the members felt it might bring their very first message back.

Furnari remembered that a few of the tune’s early music and lyrics came together rapidly, however composing words that might justify their experience was another matter. “There is a lot to state here, and I wish to state it the very best I can,” he stated. “I do not understand if I’ll ever have the ability to state it enough.”

Singing its most direct expression of loss showed more difficult still. “I simply could not survive it without my voice breaking,” he stated of an early demonstration. “I believe I needed to return to it the next day since I simply could not manage it.”

The group has actually more music composed and in development, though they are withstanding the expectation that a brand-new album should follow right away.

“This tune requires a long time to sit with individuals,” Schneider stated. He desires its significance to settle in the past Polaris moves straight onto another release. Furnari stated more music will come “in the not too long run,” however the band does not wish to hurry the procedure. “For us to even be here in this minute and be lastly launching brand-new music is such a considerable thing,” he stated.

Formed in 2012, Polaris broke through with 2017’s The Mortal Coil and 2020’s The Death of Meboth of which debuted in the Australian Top 10 and made ARIA elections for finest tough rock/heavy metal album. Fatalism ended up being the band’s very first No. 1 on Australia’s ARIA Albums Chart in September 2023, and won finest independent heavy album or EP at the 2024 AIR Awards. In the years because, Polaris made their Knotfest Australia launching in 2025, supported their self-described “long-lasting heroes” Linkin Park on an Australian arena run in March and visited North America with Electric Callboy.

Polaris’ next Australian celebration look uses another step of that journey. At Good Things in 2022, the band played among the smaller sized phases to a crowd Furnari kept in mind extending to the back of the area– “among the most significant crowds we ‘d ever played to at that time.” This December, Polaris is the highest-billed Australian act upon the lineup.

“We’ve never ever really used a primary phase for, you understand, like a pillar Australian celebration,” Schneider stated. “For this chance to be lastly placed on the primary phase … it sort of offers you a possibility to take stock.” The leap in 4 years from side phase to the highest-billed Australian band on the lineup, he included, is “amazing.” He credited the fans who loaded that 2022 set and kept appearing because, thanking the broader Australian scene– specifically the fans. “The punters guideline.”

Advantages, led by Limp Bizkit and likewise including Simple Plan and Spiritbox, sees Melbourne on Dec. 4, Sydney on Dec. 5 and Brisbane on Dec. 6. For Polaris, the larger slot shows up along with a brand-new tune made by itself terms– a primary step instead of a last word. When it comes to the Good Things crowd, Furnari stated: “Hope we can bring them something that’s simply as unique. We still understand who we are as artists.”

Advantages Festival 2026

Dec. 4– Melbourne– Flemington Racecourse (16+)

Dec. 5– Sydney– Sydney Showground (16+)

Dec. 6– Brisbane– Brisbane Showgrounds (16+)