Where do we start with this record? More importantly, where can we start with this band? Surrey metalcore four piece Polar have had a long road, and even as we write this it is clear that the journey’s end is not remotely considered at this point. This is a band that has such a passion for their craft, and between the four of them combined create an energy that drives their project to new heights. When Prosthetic Records released the band’s single ‘Until The Light’ six years ago, we were instantly enthralled. The emotion delivered during the five minute spectacle was incomparable – and each release since has been stepping up the levels.
Jumping back to reality in 2023, Polar are set to release their fifth studio album Everywhere, Everything via Arising Empire on the 13th of January – their first gift to hungry fans since 2019. 10 tracks of thunderous, emotive, niche hardcore subgenres all bursting from the seams begging you to lend an ear. ‘Winds of Change’ almost acts as an oxymoron for the entire record, easing us in a little too gently that you could be excused for forgetting what comes next. You won’t have to wait too long, as just over a minute in you get a dose of the Polar sonics that we’ve all been waiting for so patiently. It’s a brilliant choice for the opener, and assists in diversifying the record as a whole with its dynamics. ‘Burn’ brings up the rear as the second track in the listing, and quickly reaffirms who we’re experiencing through our headphones. ‘Gods & Heathens’ packs a punch from the start, with a soaring chorus to elevate the mood before tearing it all back down with a breakdown that brings a wave of nostalgia for your festival pitting days.
Death metal in general, has never really been accepted by the vast majority as many people know. But down south in the state of Florida, they tend to not really care what anyone else thinks. Filled with raw, unbridled emotion with a noticeably hectic and barbaric approach; death metal legends Obituary bring it all and more on their 11th release to date, Dying of Everything. And with hints of thrash metal tossed in the mix, this album saves no punches when it comes to showing the listener what has made Obituary the band they are today and then some. This 10 track LP is guaranteed to make a death metal fan out of anyone.
The album comes crashing through the gates with ‘Barely Alive’. Full of the blasting beats and shredding solos that made this band such a figurehead in the extreme metal hierarchy many a moon ago, this opening track is a beast. Tonally, there’s plenty of Slayer-esque fretwork – a welcome presence which highlights the bladed thrash element to their mix – but they don’t shy away from going a little slower on the record either with lead single ‘The Wrong Time’. A more focused and groove oriented piece, one that provides you the two sides of this LP within the first two tracks. Not only will the album appeal to the thrash metal or death metal fans but should also connect with hardcore fans to some respect. Hints of early hardcore are ever present in songs like “Without a Conscience” and “War”, adding to the musical violence that lies at the inherent crux of this album. It displays a little bit of everything a metal head or hardcore kid looks for in music without a doubt. And if you weren’t a fan of Obituary before this album, you will be once you get through this amazing piece of work.
From being isolated both within both our own homes and minds, many of us have emerged from the pandemic as entirely different people than the ones who entered it. In retrospect, that was to be expected; nobody who spends over 600 days in their own head will leave the experience unaltered. Such is the crux of the debut self-titled EP from Frightful Places; a delightfully humble release born from retrospection, laced with the sombre pine-scented woodlands of their native Connecticut.
Created from the deafening silence of the pandemic and the more quiet stillness that comes with working in cafes, bedrooms and on hiking trails, this EP is five songs of vulnerability in the key of 2010s emo revival and intricate, tender fretwork. ‘Old Frame’, the opener, introduces this with the sense of profound exposure that ultimately binds this record as a whole. Reminiscent of the more tender work of acts such as Title Fight, Basement and Tigers Jaw – bands that spearheaded the emo revivalist sound that still endears a decade on – the track marries clean, minimalist riffs with grunge-influenced bass tones and the fluttering vocals of Kevin Tiernan, the brains behind this one person project.
After an eight year long hiatus, indie-punk moguls The Subways are back, minus one member, original drummer Josh Morgan, who stepped away in 2020. Frontman Billy Lunn’s had quite the adventure in that time; from flexing his mental muscles and acquiring an English degree at the ever esteemed Cambridge University, to exploring his sexuality, coming to terms with his borderline personality disorder and expanding on his musical prowess via breaking away from the confines of traditional punk rock sets ups through the use of synthesisers. You can say it’s been a busy few years, and Uncertain Joys’ themes reflect just that.
On a basic level, the album is pretty much split into two sections: love and war. The first track ‘You Kill My Cool’ really reflects that, bursting in with a tension building march featuring their brand new toy, synthesisers, that comes to an extremely quick climax before launching into a bright, punchy riff, paired with smashing drums and potent bass which one may say is classically ‘The Subways’. We then sink our teeth into the real flesh and bones of the song, which, to put it bluntly, is about climaxing. Sexy themes follow suit, with cheery, optimistic synth driven and infectiously poppy ‘Love Waiting On You’ touching on the “absence makes the heart grow fonder” proverb, albeit through slightly masochistic lyrics like “why does it taste so sweet when you’re unkind?”.
The titular track takes its name from the line “with flattering prospects of uncertain joy” in Sarah Dixon’s poem ‘To Stephon’, and juxtaposes a bittersweet tale of learning to let go of toxic romantic behaviours and someone you loved with twinkly, 80’s shimmy-inducing instrumentals and soft, reverb-soaked vocals from bassist Charlotte Cooper. On the track, Billy said he wanted to write something that reflects the scope of his love for music, citing Madonna and Blondie as one of the many influences. Mission success, Billy. This track beautifully reeks of those artists’ golden days. ‘Uncertain Joys’ and sunshine are going to be a match made in heaven.
The alluring theme picks back up on ‘Incantation’ with Billy baring his bisexuality, calling out for a man he fancies to cast a “hex” on him through a seductive groove and a tasty light fry scream finaliser. Succeeding is ‘Black Wax’, an ode to Billy’s perpetual romance with music, brimming with pure rock ‘n’ roll energy, and you’ll never guess what it was recorded with. A guitar made from reclaimed wood taken from the bar of the first venue they ever played. Nothing screams punk like a DIY guitar made from once sticky, beer-ridden bar material.
The production on this album is stellar throughout (no thanks to it being mixed by Adrian Bushby and mastered by Kate Tavini), but it stood out especially so in this song through the exceptionally clean vocal panning. ‘Lavender Amelie’ is a more stripped down track that sees them return to peppy synths, but will have you double taking, thinking “is this R.E.M?”. The acoustic guitar tone and vocals are uncannily alike. This track is a touch autotune heavier than it needs to be, but is still well executed, and acts as a welcomed interlude between the album’s thematic switch up.
It also left frontman Ville Valo wondering, after processing the end of the band, what to do next and what the music he wanted to make in future would sound like. As it turns out, it sounds remarkably like the HIM people knew and loved – with a few new twists along the way.
His debut album under the moniker VV, Neon Noir, showcases his immediately identifiable baritone croon as he regales us with tales of love, heartbreak and loss. The opening duo of ‘Echolocate Your Love’ and ‘Run Away From the Sun’ are pure goth rock melancholia, suffusing that beloved sense of melodrama throughout. The title track, as well, features the soaring, heartstring-tugging chorus and raw melodicism that brought an entire generation of fans to tears time and time again.
But crucially, it never feels like a rehash of HIM; clearly the roots of that sound clearly ran deep within, and Valo has had time to ruminate on them and expand on them further in his own solo work, encompassing new paths that HIM never tread. It’s notable that this wasn’t deliberate; prior to writing the EP Gothica Fennica Vol. 1 and now Neon Noir, he’s made clear that even he didn’t know what he wanted his solo music to sound like. That it’s so close to what fans have loved for decades is testament to what a idiosyncratic musical force Valo has always been.
With such a star-studded lineup of fantastic musicians and songwriters, and a ready made fanbase of emo and alternative fans, it was definitely difficult not to be swept up in the hype of L.S. Dunes over this past month or so. Their arrival and announcement was initially shrouded in mystery, with the members of the band announced one by one in teaser videos across their socials. Frank Iero (My Chemical Romance) and Travis Stever (Coheed and Cambria) take guitar duties, with a rhythm section provided by members of Thursday (Tim Payne on bass and Tucker Rule on drums). Finally, Anthony Green of Circa Survive lends his distinctive vocal cords to the project which rounds the whole thing off very nicely.
But if you’re expecting a My Chemical Romance, Coheed and Cambria, Thursday or Circa Survive record, Past Lives is not that. Instead, the members draw on their own strengths and styles to create something new and clearly have a lot of fun doing it. The album has many lovely moments and some hints at greatness. It isn’t an immediate earth-shattering classic, but instead, one of those that grows on you.
