Polaris honors Ryan Siew with ‘Without You’ and ‘Good Things Return’
In the world of heavy music, some losses shift the landscape entirely. For the Australian metalcore band Polaris, the absence of guitarist Ryan Siew has not just left a void on the stage; it has become the subject of their most profound artistic journey. Now, in a poignant move, the band is navigating the complex territory of creation, grappling with the impossible question of how to make music together without him.
Released on September 3rd, their new track, “Without You,” stands as their first new material in three years. This release comes as a deliberate contrast to their 2023 album, Fatalism, which was the final project the four members recorded together before Siew’s passing. The song immediately confronts the lingering question that has followed the band since 2023: How do you continue the work when a piece of your foundation is gone?
Speaking about the release and their upcoming performance at the Good Things Festival, Rick Schneider shared the band’s intention: their first step forward was meant to acknowledge both Siew’s irreplaceable place within Polaris and the impossibility of ever filling it. “There is no quick and easy fix to get someone in there to replace what his significance was,” Schneider noted. “The years since his death have given us time to acknowledge and contextualize the significance he held for us as not just bandmates, but as friends.”
For drummer Daniel Furnari, putting the track into the world proved to be both “bittersweet” and “cathartic.” He reflected on the challenge of articulating profound grief through music. “How do you say enough?” he asked. “How do you convey that loss and that pain and that grief and the weight of it all in the right way?” He described the experience as a shared journey of learning to speak about their emotions publicly and through their art.
Despite the emotional weight, the band found a sense of pride in their survival. Furnari expressed a powerful feeling that despite the absence, their identity as artists remained intact. “There’s a sadness, and there’s also a real pride in the fact that we can look at each other and say, like, we’re still here, we’re still standing as a band,” he said. “We might be missing somebody really important, but we still know who we are as artists.”
This sense of resolve was tested when Polaris continued their Fatalism tour after Siew’s death. The decision to keep moving forward affirmed their bond, proving that they were still fiercely committed to each other and to honoring Ryan.
The creative process for “Without You” was not without its difficulties. Schneider described the absence as a “shadow in the room” during writing sessions, highlighting the difficulty of finding guidance when a key contributor is missing. Yet, the melody and the lyrics—born from that difficult space—managed to carry their first message back to the audience. The process taught them that they could find their voice, even when the words felt impossibly heavy.
While they are actively creating more music, the band wisely resisted the expectation that a new album must follow immediately. Schneider emphasized that the song needed time to settle with listeners before moving onto the next release. The journey of Polaris, which began in 2012 with hits like The Mortal Coil and The Death of Me, has been marked by resilience. Today, they stand ready for a significant moment: at the Good Things Festival, where they will take the stage as the highest-billed Australian act, proving that their commitment to their sound and their community remains unbreakable.
The music of Polaris continues to resonate, not just as a record, but as a testament to the enduring strength of an artistic family navigating loss and forging a future, one powerful note at a time.
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