Polaris Honour Late Guitarist Ryan Siew With Emotional Track

Grief is messy. Working through it in front of thousands of screaming fans is even messier. But Australian metalcore heavyweights Polaris are doing exactly that, and they are doing it with total honesty.

The Sydney five-piece went through every band's worst nightmare in June 2023 when their lead guitarist, Ryan Siew, died at just 26 years old. Now, speaking to Billboard, the group shared how they managed to pick up their instruments again, write their first fresh track in years, and step out onto massive festival stages without their mate beside them.

What happened with Polaris and their new music

Polaris just dropped "Without You", marking their first brand-new release in three years. Let's be real: releasing music after losing a central bandmate is a massive hurdle.

For drummer Daniel Furnari and vocalist Jamie Hails, stepping back into the studio was never going to be simple. The band had pushed through the release of their 2023 album Fatalism, which they finished just before Ryan died. But writing from scratch without him was an entirely different beast.

As the band explained to Billboard, "Without You" directly tackles the ache and confusion of carrying on when someone vital is gone. It is raw. It is loud. It pulls zero punches about the grief they are still carrying every single day.

The emotional return to Good Things Festival

Playing live again was another mountain to climb. Polaris made their big return to the Good Things Festival lineup, drawing massive crowds across Melbourne, Sydney, and Brisbane.

Walking onto that stage brings a heavy rush of memories. The last time they played the festival circuit, Ryan was right there on stage left, ripping through guitar solos. This time, the band had to look across the stage and face the empty space.

Frontman Jamie Hails has never hidden his emotions from the crowd. He told the audience straight up how much the festival shows mean to them now. The band explained to Billboard that feeling the crowd sing Ryan's riffs back at them gives them the strength to keep playing. It turns a painful reminder into a shared moment with tens of thousands of fans.

Why the band chose to keep touring

Plenty of groups would pack it in after a shock like that. Nobody would have blamed Polaris if they had quietly walked away.

So why stay on the road? According to the band, playing live is where the healing actually happens. Sitting at home alone with your thoughts is tough. Getting on a tour bus with your closest friends and pouring your heart out into a microphone every night gives the pain an outlet.

The group told Billboard that the decision to keep going was about honouring what Ryan helped build. They spent a decade grinding from tiny community halls to world tours. Giving up would have felt like throwing away everything Ryan poured his life into.

How fans are rallying behind the group

If you have been to a Polaris gig lately, you know the atmosphere is electric. Fans are not just showing up to headbang; they are turning out to hold the band up.

Tributes to Ryan have flooded every single show. Fans bring custom flags, wear memorial shirts, and scream every single lyric like their lives depend on it. When the opening notes of "Without You" ring out, the reaction is deafening.

The band made it clear that the community's support is the only reason they are standing upright. Heavy music fans take care of their own, and the Polaris faithful have wrapped the band in total love since the day the news broke.

What comes next for Polaris

Polaris are taking things one step at a time. They are not rushing into a giant album rollout or pretending everything is back to normal.

They have proved they can still write monster riffs and deliver jaw-dropping live sets. With "Without You" out in the world and major festival sets under their belt, the Sydney outfit is showing how to process loss with dignity and grit.

They are carrying Ryan's legacy with them into every studio session and every festival pit. It is heavy, it is heartbreaking, but Polaris are not going anywhere.