Album/EP

Polar- »Five Arrows» (Album Review)

Nov 20, 2024

7 min read

Polar – »Five Arrows»
Released: November 22, 2024

Lineup

Adam Woodford // Vocals
Stefan Whiting // Bass
Bruno Consani // Guitar
Simon Richardson // Guitar
Max Flohr // Drums

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UK metalcore act Polar returned earlier this year in May with a new lineup, fresh inspiration and a readiness to bring in a new era of the band. A culmination of this effort is their brand-new album »Five Arrows».

The album starts with ‘We Won’t Sleep’, one of the already released singles that sets up the expectations from the start. It is a catchy encapsulation of a more current metalcore sound that has incorporated nu-metal elements, rather than the death metal and heavy metal influences that most bands like Polar would have been around when they formed in 2009. It has an energetic bounce that will get you moving. The prominence of the rhythm section combined with the punchiness of the vocals gives it a fun flow that you can’t be mad at.

‘Unkillable’ follows a similar flow, but the vocals kick in with more aggression than the rowdiness of the previous track. Vocalist Adam Woodford puts in an almost Corey Tayloresque vocal delivery with raspiness and anger, giving the lyrics solid weight and believability. The guitars are given a little more room to shine here, a trend that ‘A New Mentality’ continues. The licks in this one are catchy as hell, giving us a little more dynamics than the previous two tracks. This is where we start to hear a decent blend of modern and foundational metalcore influences. ‘A New Mentality’ gives us a glimpse into the songwriting potential of this band. It is more complete and follows a more mainstream, broader listener friendly type structure. Which is not inherently a bad thing (just don’t ask the purists).

Basically, Polar have gone the route in this one of less breakdowns and more melodies- something I’m not mad at.

‘House of Cards’ though takes another turn in energy- giving us a more two-stepping beat with some layering grooves. The bass is thick in the second verse, and we get a little of play of effects from the guitars that keep this track from being lumped in as a more generic sounding track. The solo is clean and the ambience leading into the breakdown is a nice little touch- especially with that D&B sample lead into the marching beats.

I may though just be a little sucker for a well-placed electronic sample, because ‘Dawn Of A New Age’ also hits the spot. It is giving the more melodic style of late 90’s- to mid ‘00’s sound that sat on the brink of numetal and heavy metal, ala Sevendust and Machine Head. What I am enjoying is the freedom and attention that is being put onto the guitars. Bruno Consani and Simon Richardson sound like they are having fun, giving us a blend of old school style riffs and solos, but also chuggy breakdowns.

Too much of a good thing though can be an issue, because while I like to think my attention span for listening to an album is pretty solid ‘All Hail The Tyrant’ is where my attention started to slip. This song is not bad, not at any stretch of the imagination. It is catchy and would be a great listen live- but the pattern recognition in my brain went into overdrive and the repetitive structure of the songs started to wear a little thin. It was not helped by The Jack and the Beanstalk reference in the breakdown lyrics, coming across a tad cringey. I am willing to forgive that though because the sheer intensity of the vocals is impressive.

Sensing my need for something a little different, ‘Swimming With Sharks’ came through for me. That sample gave a breath of fresh of air before launching into a fast-paced pit moving type of verse and with the recall of the sample before launching into a melodic chorus? Lovely. This is metalcore in such a classic fashion, especially as an Aussie listener (the water references am I right?) and it shows the bands determination to keep it’s roots but also adapt to the new.

‘Soak It In Tragedy’ though threw me for a bit of a loop. While this spoken word track was again, a nice little break-up of the songs, it did seem more like an opportunity for the guitarists to have a little play. My only criticism is that it would be have been a good interlude if left as an instrumental only or if you kept the spoken word, it would have felt more in place as the album intro or the outro.

Any issues I have though are quickly resolved with ‘The Hills Are Alive With The Sound of Violence’. This track gets points for the song title. It’s short. It’s fast. It’s heavy and it delivers everything the title promises. It was like everybody just decided to cut LOOSE on this track. No rules, just straight up catchy, heavy and with a lot of bounce. Ferocious and raw vocals. Not to mention, a sick breakdown.

Tucked deep into the album is the gem that is ‘Paranoia’ which features Rachel Aspe from Cage Fight. One of the last released singles- it hits you right in the jaw. Most definitely my favourite song on the album and it does its job in setting us up for the final few tracks of the album. It switches at all the right times, taking you on a rollercoaster and this is where we see the most diversity in the vocals. Lyrically speaking about how mental health issues can lead to paranoia, the emotional in the vocals hits you right in the heart.

I’ve touched on the impact of the vocals and shouted out the guitarists, but in ‘Need_Want’ bass player Stefan Whiting is the hero of this track. His contribution gives the song such a solid back bone and beefs it up in a way you cannot ignore. While the acoustic interlude is pretty and needs to be acknowledged, the minute that bass kicks in again, you feel it instantly. Sonically, it feels drenched in emotion while keeping the intensity and viciousness.

‘Closing Curtain’ reminds me that I should not have got this far in without mentioning how much I love the tone of the guitars throughout the album. As the final track, it gives us one last chance to soak in what this new iteration of Polar has to offer. Lyrically, it is very emotional and vulnerable, and it is sung with such an honesty permeating throughout.

With the only remaining founding member of the band being Woodford, it was interesting to see how this change in musicianship would impact the bands overall sound. Not a ground-breaking metalcore release, and at times my interest would wane a little- there is so much rawness that cannot be ignored. So, while the album is worth a few good spins, I do not think we have seen the full potential of what this lineup can offer.

If this is only the beginning of a new era of Polar– then this is a magnificent foundation of what could be yet to come.