Polaris have released their first new music in three years with ‘Without You’, a deeply personal song shaped by the death of guitarist Ryan Siew in 2023.
by Paul Cashmere
Polaris have returned with ‘Without You’, their first new music since 2023, turning the grief surrounding the death of guitarist and bandmate Ryan Siew into one of the Sydney metalcore band’s most emotionally exposed recordings. Released through ADA in Australia and New Zealand and SharpTone Records internationally, the single is accompanied by a video that connects the band’s history with the future they are now building without Siew.
‘Without You’ was written in the aftermath of Siew’s death and represents the first new recording from Polaris since the release of their third album, ‘Fatalism’, in September 2023. Siew died suddenly at 26 in June that year, only months before the album’s release.
The band said the song reflects the continuing process of dealing with the loss.
“Never did we imagine that we would one day have reason to write this song,” Polaris said. “But three years on, we find ourselves still making sense of this immeasurable tragedy, and what it has meant to be left in the wake.”
The recording moves between harsh vocals, heavy rhythmic passages and melodic sections before building towards a guitar solo and a particularly forceful breakdown. Its emotional centre is found in lyrics dealing directly with loss, rather than treating grief as an abstract theme.
The accompanying video places the four surviving members in an empty cathedral, intercutting the performance with archival imagery from Polaris’ career. The visual approach acknowledges the band’s past while keeping its focus on the musicians continuing forward.
The release comes during an unusually extensive touring period for Polaris. The band have spent much of 2025 and 2026 performing internationally, including appearances at Knotfest Australia, Download Festival in the United Kingdom, Rock Am Ring, Rock Im Park and Jera On Air.
They also supported Linkin Park on their Australian arena tour in March and recently completed the North American leg of Electric Callboy’s TANZNEID World Tour. In September and October, Polaris are scheduled to tour the United Kingdom and Europe with I Prevail.
Their next Australian performances will come in December when Polaris join the 2026 Good Things Festival bill alongside Limp Bizkit, Simple Plan, Spiritbox and The All-American Rejects, among others.
The timing gives ‘Without You’ a significant place in the band’s continuing story. ‘Fatalism’ was released only months after Siew’s death and subsequently became Polaris’ first number one album in Australia. It also earned recognition at the AIR Awards, ARIA Awards, J Awards and Australian Music Prize.
Polaris formed in Sydney in 2012 and spent their first years developing a sound that combined melodic metalcore with post-rock textures and electronic elements. Their debut album, ‘The Mortal Coil’, arrived in 2017 and reached the Australian Top 10. The record also received an ARIA Award nomination for Best Hard Rock/Heavy Metal Album.
Three years later, ‘The Death Of Me’ repeated the Top 10 chart result and another ARIA nomination, establishing Polaris as one of the leading Australian bands within the contemporary heavy music scene.
‘Fatalism’ extended that trajectory while carrying the circumstances of its creation. The album debuted at number one on the ARIA Albums Chart, was selected as a triple j Feature Album and won Best Independent Heavy Album at the 2024 AIR Awards. Its success placed Polaris at the centre of a wider international audience at a time when the band were confronting profound personal upheaval.
Since then, Polaris have continued to perform rather than retreat from the stage. Their own Life’s A Beach event at Melbourne’s Riviera Beach Club in February 2026 gave the group an opportunity to curate a bill featuring We Came As Romans, Thy Art Is Murder, Ocean Sleeper, Caskets, Terminal Sleep, Reliqa and Headwreck.
That activity has continued with major festival appearances and international support slots, demonstrating that the band’s post-‘Fatalism’ chapter has been defined by sustained live work as well as reflection.
‘Without You’ therefore marks a new stage rather than a return to the circumstances of 2023. Polaris have acknowledged that the loss remains part of their identity, while the recording itself places the band back into the creative process. Their December Good Things Festival appearances will provide the first Australian festival setting for the new material as Polaris continue to establish what comes next.
Tour Dates
4 December 2026, Melbourne, Flemington Racecourse
5 December 2026, Sydney, Sydney Showground
6 December 2026, Brisbane, Brisbane Showgrounds
Ticket Details
Good Things Festival tickets and information are available through the official festival website.
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