Polaris are an Australian

metalcore Metalcore (also known as metallic hardcore) is a fusion music genre that combines elements of extreme metal and hardcore punk. As with other styles blending metal and hardcore, such as crust punk and grindcore, metalcore is noted for its use ...

band from

Sydney, New South Wales Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

. The band consists of vocalist Jamie Hails, guitarists Ryan Siew and Rick Schneider, bassist/clean vocalist Jake Steinhauser and drummer Daniel Furnari. They released their debut album ''The Mortal Coil'' on 3 November 2017 to critical acclaim and it was nominated for the 2018

ARIA Award The Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (commonly known informally as ARIA Music Awards, ARIA Awards, or simply the ARIAs) is an annual series of awards nights celebrating the Australian music industry, put on by the Austr ...

for Best Hard Rock. On 14 November 2019 Polaris announced their second full length titled ''The Death of Me'', released on 21 February 2020 through

Resist A resist, used in many areas of manufacturing and art, is something that is added to parts of an object to create a pattern by protecting these parts from being affected by a subsequent stage in the process. Often the resist is then removed. For ...

/ SharpTone records subsequently earning their second

nomination. Polaris are known for blending elements of

with

progressive Progressive may refer to: Politics * Progressivism, a political philosophy in support of social reform ** Progressivism in the United States, the political philosophy in the American context * Progressive realism, an American foreign policy pa ...

post-rock Post-rock is a form of experimental rock characterized by a focus on exploring textures and timbre over traditional rock song structures, chords, or riffs. Post-rock artists are often instrumental, typically combining rock instrumentation ...

soundscapes, electronics and melodic hooks, intertwined with personal lyrics — often dealing with anxiety, depression and loss.

History

Early career & ''Dichotomy'' (2012–2013)

Polaris was formed in 2012 by drummer Daniel Furnari and Jake Steinhauser on guitar after meeting at their high school battle of the bands, quickly discovering a mutual love for metal and alternative music. The two then recruited guitarist Rick Schneider and vocalist Jamie Hails through mutual friends and word of mouth. Matt Steinhauser, Jake's brother, was brought on board to handle bass duties and completed the line-up with James West on synth/keys. The group began working on music together writing and recording their first single "Summit" and the majority of the ''Dichotomy'' EP in early 2012. In late 2012, Polaris announced the departure of both Matt Steinhauser and West. Guitarist Jake then switched onto bass to focus on his singing, as the band was pushing towards a more progressive sound. The band began looking for a new guitarist, holding public auditions. On 18 November 2013, the band announced Ryan Siew, as their new guitarist, who was 15 years old at the time. Shortly after joining the ''Dichotomy'' EP was released on 29 November 2013 independently.

''The Guilt & The Grief'' (2014–2016)

On 3 March 2015, the single "Unfamiliar" was released; it was the first track to feature Siew as lead guitarist. Polaris continued to write and finished an additional 5 tracks to complete their second EP titled ''The Guilt & The Grief''. The EP was recorded with Sonny True Love and Evan Lee at STL studios on the North Coast of NSW, and it was mixed by Carson Slovak and Grant McFarland of Atrium Audio in Pennsylvania, USA. ''The Guilt & The Grief'' was released independently by the band on 29 January 2016 and landed at #34 on the ARIA charts.

''The Mortal Coil'' (2017-2018)

On 3 November 2017, Polaris released their first studio album '' The Mortal Coil'' through Resist Records and Sharptone Records. The album was nominated for the 2018

ARIA Award for Best Hard Rock or Heavy Metal Album The ARIA Music Award for Best Hard Rock or Heavy Metal Album, is an award presented at the annual ARIA Music Awards, which recognises "the many achievements of Aussie artists across all music genres", since 1987. It is handed out by the Austral ...

as well as for the Australian Album of the Year award at the

J Awards The J Awards are an annual series of Australian music awards that were established by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's youth-focused radio station Triple J and which are judged by the music and on-air teams from radio stations Triple ...

''The Death of Me'' (2019-present)

On 21 February 2020, Polaris released their second studio album '' The Death of Me'', also through Resist Records and Sharptone Records. The album was nominated for the 2020 ARIA Award for Best Hard Rock or Heavy Metal Album. On 3 July 2020, the band released the instrumental editions of their albums, ''The Mortal Coil'' and ''The Death of Me''. In an interview with ''Wall of Sound'', Jamie Hails confirmed the band have been working on new material during the pandemic, which they will not be releasing until they have toured '' The Death of Me'' internationally. On 27 July 2022, Australian electronic artist and producer PhaseOne released a collaboration track with the band entitled "Icarus", marking the first time the band have collaborated with another artist on new music. On 4 November 2022, Polaris announced via social media "We have entered the studio to begin assembling our next body of work" with their live sound engineer Lance Prenc at Kinglake Studios in Melbourne.

Members

Current *Daniel Furnari – drums (2012–present) *Jamie Hails – unclean vocals (2012–present), clean vocals (2017–present) *Rick Schneider – rhythm guitar (2013–present), lead guitar (2012–2013) *Jake Steinhauser – clean vocals (2012–present), bass (2013–present); rhythm guitar (2012-2013) *Ryan Siew – lead guitar (2013–present) Former *James West – synthesizer, keyboards (2012-2014) *Matt Steinhauser – bass (2012−2013)

Timeline

Discography

Studio albums

EPs

Awards and nominations

AIR Awards

The Australian Independent Record Awards (known colloquially as the

AIR Awards The Australian Independent Record Awards (commonly known informally as AIR Awards) is an annual awards night to recognise, promote and celebrate the success of Australia's Independent Music sector. History The inaugural 2006 awards were held at ...

) is an annual awards night to recognise, promote and celebrate the success of Australia's Independent Music sector. ! , - ,

2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October 2021 coup in Sudan; Crowd shortly after t ...

, ''The Death of Me'' , Best Independent Heavy Album or EP , ,

APRA Awards

The APRA Awards are presented annually from 1982 by the

Australasian Performing Right Association APRA AMCOS consists of Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) and Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society (AMCOS), both copyright management organisations or copyright collectives which jointly represent over 100,000 songwr ...

(APRA), "honouring composers and songwriters". They commenced in 1982. ! , - ,

, "Masochist" (Jamie Hails, Daniel Furnari, Rick Schneider, Ryan Siew, Jacob Steinhauser) , Song of the Year , , , -

ARIA Music Awards

The ARIA Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony that recognises excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of

Australian music The music of Australia has an extensive history made of music societies. Indigenous Australian music forms a significant part of the unique heritage of a 40,000- to 60,000-year history which produced the iconic didgeridoo. Contemporary fusions o ...

. , - ,

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...

, ''The Mortal Coil'' , Best Hard Rock/Heavy Metal Album , , - ,

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global social and economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, worldwide lockdowns and the largest economic recession since the Great Depression in ...

, ''The Death of Me'' , Best Hard Rock/Heavy Metal Album , , -

J Award

The

are an annual series of Australian music awards that were established by the

Australian Broadcasting Corporation The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is the national broadcaster of Australia. It is principally funded by direct grants from the Australian Government and is administered by a government-appointed board. The ABC is a publicly-own ...

's youth-focused radio station

Triple J Triple J (stylised in all lowercase) is a government-funded, national Australian radio station intended to appeal to listeners of alternative music, which began broadcasting in January 1975. The station also places a greater emphasis on broad ...

. They commenced in 2005. , - , J Awards of 2018 , ''The Mortal Coil'' , Australian Album of the Year ,

Rolling Stone Australia Awards

The

Rolling Stone Australia Awards The Rolling Stone Australia Awards are awarded annually in January or February by the Australian edition of ''Rolling Stone'' magazine for outstanding contributions to popular culture in the previous year. The awards initially commenced in 201 ...

are awarded annually in January or February by the Australian edition of ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its co ...

'' magazine for outstanding contributions to popular culture in the previous year. ! , - , 2021 , ''The Death of Me'' , Best Record , , , -

References

{{Authority control Musical groups established in 2012 Musical groups from Sydney Australian metalcore musical groups 2012 establishments in Australia