Polaris have taken their first musical step forward following guitarist Ryan Siew’s death, releasing “Without You” on Sept. 3 as the Australian metalcore band’s first new song in three years.
The track is also the first music Polaris have created since Siew died in 2023. It follows Fatalism, the final album the four remaining members recorded with him, which arrived only months after his death.
For Rick Schneider, the band’s return needed to recognize both Siew’s lasting place in Polaris and the reality that no one could simply take his spot.
“He is kind of, in many ways, irreplaceable,” Schneider said. “There is no quick and easy fix to get someone in there to replace what his significance was.”
Schneider said the intervening years allowed the group to process Siew’s importance not just as a bandmate, but as a friend. Drummer Daniel Furnari described finally sharing “Without You” as both “bittersweet” and “cathartic,” after years spent considering what the first post-Siew release should communicate.
“How do you say enough?” Furnari asked. “How do you convey that loss and that pain and that grief and the weight of it all in the right way?”
Finding a way to continue
According to Furnari, “Without You” is the beginning of Polaris learning how to address that grief publicly and in their work. No single track, he acknowledged, could encompass everything the members had experienced.
The release also carries a sense of pride that the band remains together. “We might not look the same, we’re missing somebody really important, but we still know who we are as artists,” Furnari said.
He explained that the central uncertainty was not whether Polaris would survive, but how and when the group could move ahead while caring for themselves, honoring their shared history and leaving room for a future. The band, he said, had committed both their lives and hearts to Polaris.
That determination was tested when the members proceeded with the Fatalism tour after Siew’s death. Schneider said they first gave themselves space and then made sure each person felt ready to return to the stage. Everyone agreed to continue.
“If we were to put the brakes on and put us on hold, maybe it would have just been harder to come back,” Schneider said. Touring ultimately reaffirmed that the members wanted to carry on for one another and for Siew.
Fans have regularly thanked Polaris for making that decision, but Furnari said continuing never entirely felt like a choice. The band had become too closely connected to the members’ identities. “I think we knew Ryan would never forgive us if we stopped,” he said.
The emotional making of “Without You”
That resolve did not make the creative process straightforward. Schneider described Siew’s absence during writing sessions as “a shadow in the room,” particularly in moments when the group instinctively wanted his advice, help or contribution.
The foundations of “Without You” included a heavy riff from Schneider and lyrics Furnari had written after the loss. Although some of the early music and words came together quickly, Furnari struggled with the responsibility of expressing the band’s experience properly.
“There is so much to say here, and I want to say it the best I can,” he said. “I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to say it enough.”
Recording the song’s most direct expression of grief was especially difficult. Furnari said his voice repeatedly cracked while singing an early demo, forcing him to step away and return the following day.
Polaris have additional music written and underway, but the band is not treating “Without You” as an automatic launchpad for an immediate album. Schneider wants the song to have time to settle with listeners, while Furnari said more music would arrive “in the not too distant future.”
From a side stage to Good Things’ main stage
The release comes as Polaris prepare for a major Australian festival return. At Good Things in 2022, the group performed on one of the smaller stages before a crowd Furnari recalled extending to the back of the space. At the time, he said, it was among the largest audiences Polaris had played for.
Four years later, Polaris will return as the highest-billed Australian act on the 2026 lineup and make their first appearance on the main stage of a major Australian festival. Schneider called the move from side stage to that position “incredible,” crediting the fans who filled the band’s 2022 performance and continued supporting them afterward.
Good Things 2026 is led by Limp Bizkit and also features Simple Plan and Spiritbox. The festival will visit Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne on Dec. 4, Sydney Showground on Dec. 5 and Brisbane Showgrounds on Dec. 6. All three dates are designated for attendees aged 16 and older.
The appearance adds to a period that has included Polaris’ Knotfest Australia debut in 2025, an Australian arena run supporting their self-described “lifelong heroes” Linkin Park in March, and a North American tour with Electric Callboy.
Formed in 2012, Polaris broke through with 2017’s The Mortal Coil and 2020’s The Death of Me. Both albums debuted in the Australian Top 10 and received ARIA nominations for best hard rock/heavy metal album. Fatalism became the group’s first No. 1 on Australia’s ARIA Albums Chart in September 2023, later winning best independent heavy album or EP at the 2024 AIR Awards.
What Happens Next?
Polaris intend to release more music, but not before allowing “Without You” to stand on its own as the beginning of a new chapter. First, the band will bring that chapter to the Good Things main stage, with Furnari hoping they can give the festival crowd something as special as the support Polaris received there in 2022.