From day one, Polaris have been one of the bands to watch in the metalcore scene. Their debut EP, Dichotomy, was chock full of interesting, fun riffs alongside an exciting atmosphere. This sound was only improved upon in their sophomore EP, The Guilt and the Grief, which led to an explosion of their popularity in their home country of Australia. After gaining the recognition and approval of their Australian counterparts Northlane and In Hearts Wake, among others, it was clear that Polaris were on the fast track to success.
On their debut full-length album, The Mortal Coil, Polaris have given us everything that made their previous EPs so great and more. The riffs on this record are off the charts; they're seriously some of the best metalcore have seen in a while. Guitarists Ryan Siew and Rick Schneider are quickly becoming one of the top guitar duos in the entire genre. The pair are able to create riffs that are both heavy and bouncy in songs such as "The Remedy" and "Lucid", and completely switch gears to a more melodic sound in "In Somnus Veritas" without skipping a beat.
Vocals are nothing short of great as well. Screamer Jamie Hails portrays emotion brilliantly throughout the record. The loss of his low range and growls is a bit unfortunate, as the music loses some of its straight-up brutal heaviness in the process, but his midrange is better than ever. Clean singer Jake Steinhauser is serviceable, providing catchy melodies without doing anything too special, as usual.
Overall, The Mortal Coil reeks of confidence and potential, and is everything we could've asked for from Polaris' debut. Stay tuned for this group's next record, they're on their way towards great things.
Rating: B
Recommended Tracks: "Lucid", "The Remedy", "The Slow Decay"
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