This is Polaris’ first appearance in Manchester since their now semi-legendary show at the Academy 2 back in September ‘22. In the intervening eighteen months the band has had drastic highs, including opening While She Sleeps’ massive headline bash at Ally Pally and snagging a main stage berth at Download ‘23, as well as drastic lows with the tragic passing of lead guitarist Ryan Siew in June 2023. But they have dusted themselves down and they are now back keeping his memory alive touring their amazing new album “Fatalism”. 

First up tonight is Paledusk who describe themselves as a progressive metalcore. They hail from Japan and emerge on stage to the strains of Eminem.  The drummer and both guitarists jam along to Lose Yourself before vocalist Kaito takes the stage as a hooded figure. The rapidly growing crowd takes to these very quickly with flailing arms throughout the venue. The two guitarists exhibit some of the craziest movements seen this side of Wes Borland, as they constantly jump, spin, and gyrate like deranged Duracell bunnies. 

Musically they ply a rather intense version of metalcore with plenty of breakdowns and a flurry of synth that would send Motionless in White fans into ecstasy. They fly through their seven-song set with ‘Palehell’ standing out as a highlight as it mixes together everything that is great about this band. I certainly think they got some new fans here this evening, me included.

Next up on the three-band undercard are Australians Thormhill. They are an act who always impress, and we actually covered them in this very venue last November (review here) when they occupied the main support slot for Holding Absence. They take to the stage sizzling with style, adorned in black trousers and shirts. From the roar that greets them, it is obvious that they have a lot of fans in the building tonight. Musically you wouldn’t think that they fitted with the patent aggression of tonight's show, but much like ROCKFLESH favourites Don Broco they are a different band live to studio. Vocalist Jacob Carlton even throws in a guttural scream here and there.

They fly through their allotted time with the tightness and professionalism of bands twice their age. The highlight of the set for me and judging by the response of everyone else as well, is the recent track ‘Obsession’. Even though it only recently came out, the crowd sing along to every word and even a circle pit breaks out. Thornhill also bring the first crowd surfers of the evening. By the final song of the set, ‘Where We Go When We Die’, the whole venue is screaming the words back to the band and they leave the stage with massive grins on their faces.

By now the atmosphere has reached fever pitch and we are not yet anywhere near the headliners. Special guests for tonight are Silent Planet, and surprise surprise, they are also metalcore but this time hailing from America.  When they take to the stage they are greeted by the biggest cheer of the night by far. The lights go out, a projector creates their backdrop casting an eerie atmospheric spell over the entire venue. Musically they reside at the heavier end of metalcore with numerous sojourns into tech metal territory. The nearest similia I can find are Novelists and Periphery as those djent moments keep popping up. 

More crowd surfers start coming over the barrier as the intensity just ratchets upwards. Luckily, reserve battalions of security have been enlisted to deal with the now constant flow of bodies. About halfway through the set they ask fans in the crowd to turn the torches on their phones on, a majority of the crowd do this and light up the whole venue. It's a gimmick we've seen countless times, but boy does it work and just adds to that frizzing energy in the air. Silent Planet may be toiling in the bridesmaid position this evening, but they really do rule the roost.

Last but most certainly not least Polaris take to the stage. They follow in the footsteps of fellow Australian bands such as The Amity Affliction, Northlane, and the now stratospheric Parkway Drive by making aggressive but accessible heavy music. The clean vocals of bassist Jake Steinhauser beautifully juxtaposes with the harsh guttural tones of Jamie Hails. The balance of the two means that they embrace commerciality without ever losing any of that potent rawness.

Every band will tell you that their new release is special, but this feels doubly so when it comes to “Fatalism”. Released just months after Ryan’s untimely and unexpected death, they have spoken with brutal honesty about how playing these tracks is both cathartic and incredibly emotionally draining.  We get seven of the album's 11 tracks and whilst smiles are bound for the majority of the set you can still tell the band are playing through the pain.

Rather than avoid it they grasp the emotion and Jamie Hails makes an impassioned speech about Ryan.  As the whole crowd chants their fallen comrade's name, Jamie pleads to anyone who’s lost loved ones to don’t ever let the world forget about them. He rallies the audience to keeping telling their stories of those that have left us and through that, they’ll live on forever. They then play ‘Martyr (waves)’ and dedicate it to those we’ve lost and once again the Ritz is bedazzled by the lights of our cellular devices.

Polaris are a band that wears their hearts on their sleeves, and not just about their recent bereavements. You can tell the fevered audience reaction means so much to them as they all exhibit huge smiles on their faces while playing. The notoriously bouncy floor of the ritz is even bouncier than ever this evening, with the entire crowd off their feet for the entire set. An emotional and technical masterclass of a show that culminates with their break-out hit ‘The Remedy’.

If tonight has proven anything, it’s that Polaris are following in the footsteps of fellow tour mates from back in 2019, Architects, in that they are sticking with fans and going from strength to strength after losing an integral member of the band. It makes you wonder how long till Polaris themselves can ascend to arena and festival headlining status after selling out a majority of this tour. Time will tell.

Check the “In The Flesh” page for more photos!
Polaris, Silent Planet, Thornhill, Paledusk