The release of Without You on September 3 marks a profound turning point for the acclaimed Australian metalcore outfit Polaris. As the band’s first new material in three years, the track confronts an agonizing and inevitable question that has lingered since the sudden passing of guitarist Ryan Siew in 2023: How does a tight-knit musical collective continue to create art together when an irreplaceable piece of their foundation is gone?
For the remaining four members—drummer Daniel Furnari, guitarist Rick Schneider, vocalist Jamie Hails, and bassist Jake Steinhauser—the single is far more than a routine career milestone. It serves as a public processing of grief, a tribute to a fallen friend, and a testament to the enduring survival of a band that has become synonymous with the modern evolution of Australian heavy music. As they prepare to take the main stage as the highest-billed domestic act at the upcoming Good Things Festival, Polaris is methodically carving out a path forward, balancing a deeply personal tragedy with a steadfast refusal to let the music die.
A Legacy Forged in Tragedy: The Context of Fatalism and Siew’s Passing
To understand the emotional weight behind Without You, one must examine the timeline of events that preceded it. Formed in Sydney in 2012, Polaris steadily ascended the ranks of the global heavy metal underground through relentless touring and critically acclaimed releases. Their breakthrough 2017 debut album, The Mortal Coil, and its 2020 follow-up, The Death of Me, both debuted in the top ten of the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) charts and earned ARIA Award nominations for Best Hard Rock/Heavy Metal Album.
However, the band’s trajectory shifted irrevocably in June 2023 with the sudden death of 26-year-old virtuoso guitarist Ryan Siew. His passing sent shockwaves through the international heavy metal community, leaving grief-stricken fans, peers, and family members mourning an immense talent. At the time of his death, Polaris had already completed their third studio album, Fatalism. Released in September 2023 just months after the tragedy, the record became a poignant swan song featuring Siew’s final recorded contributions. The album resonated deeply with listeners, debuting at No. 1 on the ARIA Albums Chart and later capturing the award for Best Independent Heavy Album or EP at the 2024 AIR Awards.
Faced with the unthinkable, the band was forced to make an immediate, high-stakes decision regarding their future. Rather than retreating indefinitely into silence, the members chose to honor their commitments—most notably, embarking on the turbulent, emotionally charged Fatalism tour. According to Schneider, maintaining momentum was vital to their survival as a unit.
"If we were to put the brakes on and put us on hold, maybe it would have just been harder to come back," Schneider reflected in an interview with Billboard. The grueling tour dates affirmed a fundamental truth the band needed to realize: they remained a cohesive unit, committed to one another and to carrying forward the artistic vision they had built alongside Siew.
The Anatomy of Without You: Writing Through the Shadow of Absence
Without You arrived on September 3, shattering a three-year recording hiatus. The track offers a stark sonic and emotional departure from the aggressive urgency of Fatalism, functioning instead as an introspective meditation on absence. Crafting the song, however, was an exercise in emotional endurance.
Schneider described the creative sessions as operating beneath "a shadow in the room." The instinctive habit of turning to a collaborator for guidance, arrangement ideas, or a signature guitar lead often ended in the painful realization of an empty space. "He is kind of, in many ways, irreplaceable," Schneider stated, emphasizing that no temporary touring musician or quick fix could replicate Siew’s unique musical DNA or his profound personal significance.
For Furnari, who handled the lyricism for the track, the writing process demanded an unprecedented level of vulnerability. Capturing the magnitude of their collective grief within the confines of a single song felt mathematically impossible. "How do you say enough?" Furnari questioned. "How do you convey that loss and that pain and that grief and the weight of it all in the right way?"
Early demo sessions proved physically and emotionally taxing. Furnari recalled struggling to record his vocal parts without breaking down mid-verse. "I just couldn’t get through it without my voice cracking," he admitted, noting that certain recording sessions had to be postponed simply because the emotional toll was too heavy to manage in a single day.
Despite these trials, the resulting track stands as a monument to resilience. The song combines Schneider’s signature heavy riffing with Furnari’s harrowing lyrics, creating a sonic landscape that honors their history while acknowledging their altered reality. Rather than signaling an immediate rush toward a full-length album, the band has chosen to let Without You resonate with their audience. The members stress that future music is actively in development, but it will be released on their own terms, giving both the band and their supporters adequate time to absorb the emotional impact.
A Cultural Anchor: Fan Response and the Inevitability of Survival
In the wake of Siew’s death, Polaris has experienced an outpouring of support from fans across the globe. Many followers have expressed gratitude to the band for choosing to carry on under such heartbreaking circumstances. Yet, for Furnari, the notion of choice is complicated.
"The strange thing is, I almost don’t feel like we had a choice," Furnari observed. "This band is too much of a part of who we are as people. It’s so tied to all of our identities." He added with conviction that stopping their creative journey permanently was never a viable option, noting wryly, "I think we knew Ryan would never forgive us if we stopped."
This perspective underscores the deep-rooted camaraderie that defines the modern heavy music community. For Polaris, music-making is not merely a profession; it is an existential necessity. The band’s determination to preserve their identity—even while missing a vital component of their lineup—has transformed them from standard-bearers of Australian metalcore into symbols of endurance and collective healing.
Over the past two years, this survival mindset has translated into milestone live performances. Polaris made a triumphant debut at Knotfest Australia in 2025, served as direct support for their self-described "lifelong heroes" Linkin Park during an Australian arena run, and embarked on extensive touring cycles across North America alongside Electric Callboy. These performances have served as living memorials, proving that the spirit of the band remains unbroken.
Scaling New Heights: The Journey to Good Things Festival 2026
The physical and emotional journey of Polaris over the past four years will be brought into sharp focus this December as the band takes on their highest-profile domestic festival slot to date. At the upcoming Good Things Festival, Polaris stands proudly as the highest-billed Australian act on a massive lineup headlined by alternative heavyweights Limp Bizkit, alongside other prominent acts such as Simple Plan and Spiritbox.
This placement marks a dramatic contrast to their appearance at the same festival in 2022. Just four years prior, the band performed on one of the event’s smaller side stages, playing to a packed crowd that stretched far beyond the physical boundaries of the tent—a watershed moment for the group at the time. Returning now as a main-stage heavy hitter offers the members a rare opportunity to reflect on their trajectory.
"We’ve never actually played on a main stage for, you know, like a mainstay Australian festival," Schneider noted. "For this opportunity to be finally put on the main stage… it kind of gives you a chance to take stock."
The rapid ascent from side-stage favorites to main-stage mainstays is viewed by the band not as a personal triumph, but as a shared victory with the community that supported them through their darkest hours. Schneider was quick to direct praise toward the loyal fan base and the broader Australian heavy music ecosystem, declaring simply, "The punters rule."
Broader Implications and Industry Outlook
The return of Polaris with Without You and their upcoming main-stage festival appearances carry broader implications for the heavy music landscape. In an industry where commercial pressures often demand rapid content generation and continuous album cycles, Polaris has chosen a deliberate, trauma-informed approach to their career progression. By refusing to rush their creative output, the band sets a healthy precedent for how artists can navigate grief, mental health, and public vulnerability in the digital age.
Furthermore, their continued prominence demonstrates the robust health of the Australian heavy music scene, which has increasingly punched above its weight on the global stage. As international touring resumes at full capacity, domestic acts like Polaris prove that emotional authenticity and technical proficiency can build fiercely loyal, multigenerational fan bases.
As Good Things Festival prepares to roll through Melbourne, Sydney, and Brisbane this December, the spotlight will inevitably fall on Polaris as they test new material and older anthems on a grander scale. For Jamie Hails, Rick Schneider, Jake Steinhauser, and Daniel Furnari, every chord struck and every lyric sung will carry the weight of memory. Yet, as Without You proves, the band is no longer defined solely by the tragedy of their loss, but by the courage of their continuation.
Good Things Festival 2026 Tour Dates
- December 4: Melbourne – Flemington Racecourse (16+)
- December 5: Sydney – Sydney Showground (16+)
- December 6: Brisbane – Brisbane Showgrounds (16+)
