ALBUM REVIEW: The Mortal Coil – Polaris

SharpTone Records have made a name for themselves recently signing new, upcoming and exciting bands, gaining a roster that looks set to tear the scene apart. One of these signings is POLARIS, a ticking time-bomb of metalcore originality and aggression. They also join the army of new talent bursting out of Australia at the moment, further proving that down under is the place to be for exciting new sounds in heavy music. The band is the project of guitarist Ryan Siew, well-known on YouTube for his guitar playthrough videos, which showcased his talent from an early age. The Mortal Coil is the band’s first LP effort, following their EP The Guilt & The Grief from 2016, which charted impressively in the ARIA charts in Australia.

Upon first listen, their sound may come across as generic, taking successful elements of many bands into something which gives a vague sense of deja-vu upon the surface. However, once the end of the album is reached, it becomes evident that digging under the surface reveals a layer of gold in terms of POLARIS‘ sound. Sounding like a mixture of ARCHITECTS ‘post-metalcore’ technical rawness, with the hooks and catchy choruses of those like BEARTOOTH, the band have hit the sweet-spot between crowd-pleasing melodic hitmaking, and crushing technicality and instrumentals. The album opens with two of its biggest songs – Lucid and The Remedy, both singles from the album which have received considerable attention before the release of the album.

Much like many bands at the moment, POLARIS utilise a dual vocalist system, with (aptly named) Jamie Hails handling the harsh vocals, and bassist Jake Steinhauser providing the cleans. The most notable thing about the vocals, as the lyrics do not leave a lasting impression, is the power of Hails’ screams. His voice easily has some of the most passionate and consistent moments on a metalcore release in recent times. With vocalists like Oli Sykes and Sam Carter building their sound of pure aggression and passion, this is evidently a feature that’s likely to appeal to a large fanbase.

Their sound is not all about big choruses and Sam Carter-esque screams, however. At the base of their songwriting is an extremely tight and punchy tone that hits hard with strong mids and an incredibly precise bass tone. This is most evident in songs like Casualty and Consume, where the band deliver tech-metal breakdowns heavy enough for anyone in the scene, and which skilfully balance the catchy clean vocals. The Mortal Coil runs for eleven tracks of similar length, and throughout the runtime the writing remains original. Rivalling NORTHLANE with the way in which they keep an authentic and consistent sound throughout the album, POLARIS bring the listener up and down with grooves, gentle melodies and huge breakdowns as well as the aforementioned anthemic choruses.

Some may argue that this band are just another pawn in the great chess game of ‘generic’ core music – with sounds reminiscent of many other bands. However, POLARIS are more than this. They’re the evolution of these sounds, the alpha form. Taking chart-busting songwriting, progressive grooves and a tone heavy enough to level buildings, POLARIS seem likely to totally break open one scene or another in coming months – whether that’s tech-metal or the mainstream metalcore scene, only time will tell.

Rating: 9/10

The Mortal Coil is out now via SharpTone Records.

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