Late last month, the metal music community went into mourning following the tragic passing of Polaris guitarist Ryan Siew.

If we’re shocked and sad, it’s nothing compared to how his family, friends and bandmates feel. To us, Ryan Siew was the embodiment of the rockstar dream come true – when we saw him on stage or listened to his inimitable riffs and solos on Polaris records, we couldn’t help being in awe.

The loss of someone like Ryan is a devastating, insurmountable loss, and it will take a long time for those closest to him to find light in the darkness.

Polaris don’t owe us anything when they’re facing the most terrible period in their personal and professional lives, but yesterday (17 July), the Aussie metalcore outfit assured fans that they would go on as a band in honour of Ryan Siew’s memory.

“We want to thank you all for your outpouring of love and support over the last couple of weeks in the wake of Ryan’s passing,” the band wrote on social media. Naming the last few weeks “the most difficult period in our band’s life, or in any of our own lives,” the kind words and support of fans have uplifted the band, their team and Ryan’s family and friends.

The statement continued, “This loss has shaken us to the core, but it has been so beautiful to know how loved our brother was, and to hear about the impact he had on so many. We have been blessed to be surrounded by wonderful friends and family as we try to work through this.

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“We’re truly grateful for your patience and understanding as the four of us start to figure out how we will move forward. We know there are a lot of questions at the moment, all of which we will address in good time, and we appreciate you giving us the space to do so.

“At this stage, we want to let you know that we plan to fulfil all our upcoming commitments, and to move forward in the way that we feel best honours our brother’s life and the art we created together.”

UPDATE 20 JULY 2023: Polaris have confirmed that their new album, Fatalism, will still be released on 1 September and their Australian and North American tours are going ahead as planned. Check out the Instagram statement below.

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On Friday, 1 September, Polaris will unveil their highly anticipated third album, Fatalism, which features the epic first single, Inhumane, with a fiery guitar solo from Ryan Siew. Check out the music video below.

Polaris’ new album was recorded over five months with the band and their live sound engineer, Lance Prenc (who also co-produced, mixed and mastered Fatalism). Alpha Wolf guitarist Scottie Simpson handled vocal recording duties.

Drummer Daniel Furnari said about the album, “We want people to feel a sense of connection to something outside of themselves when they hear this album. There’s a certain peace that comes with accepting that there are some things larger than yourself and redirecting that fear.”

You can pre-order Fatalism here.

Also in September, Polaris will take Fatalism to the biggest Australian venues they’ve ever performed in alongside international heavy-hitters August Burns Red, Kublai Khan TX and Currents.