One of the several bands vying to
be crowned as the current ‘Kings’ of UK hardcore are Guildford quintet POLAR,
whose furious and relentless heavy music is influenced by ‘big beats, strong
booze, loose morals and good times’, which is evident by their debut full
length release ‘Iron Lungs’. The band, signed to ‘A Wolf At Your Door Records’
(who also have Lower Than Atlantis and Deaf Havana on their books), have hit
the nail on the head with this album, delivering all that is expected from a
hardcore album and so much more.
Feedback drones before opening
track ‘K.C.M.’ gets going, kicking in with furious riffing and screamed vocals.
Valid passion is present as the band continues where they left off from the
debut EP, ‘This Polar Noise’. This first track is a stormer, with all
instrumentals coming at the listener full forces and the added elements (such
as gang shouts) thicken the sound even more. It’s an upbeat no-frills hardcore
smash from POLAR. ‘Sick Old Buzzard’ has distorted vocals, killer hooks along
with thrashed guitars. The track sways back and forth, occasionally drifting
into overdrive and back again. It rarely lets up and the full, bouncing beats
are jam-packed with energy.
Next up is ‘Eighteen’, another
mosh-worthy track, keeping the beginning of this album at incredible velocity.
More of the same welcome elements go though the intense motions before a soaring
chorus arrives and brutality builds. It’s short, snappy and elegantly enraged. ‘H.E.L.L.’
is the first single to be taken from the album and it’s arguably the strongest
track (which makes it the perfect choice for POLAR to showcase). A wall of
noise is created with pounding drums, catchy guitar battering and incessant wrath
while melodic chords add extra substance to the chaos. There is a brief pause
before a final blast through, increasing the impact of an already crushing
song.
‘Lifeboats’ continues the
devastation, with yet more incessant guitars (with each lick feeling original
and new). No clean vocals to be found on this album and POLAR don’t need them
at all, with all hooks perfect as they are and an abundance of melody in the
right places. This is a fast and beautifully crafted heavy song. ‘Bruiser’ puts
punk centre stage with adrenaline fuelled insanity. It’s aggressive, a
shout-along anthem that is both noisy and messy that still manages to remain
tight. ‘The Dead Travel Fast’ is another chunk of heaviness, with yet another
hearty does of energy and passion. It’s a song of complete mayhem and another
highlight in an overwhelmingly strong album.
‘Iron Lungs’, the instrumental
title track, is one of the best ‘sit up and listen’ moments of the album,
partly because it is so unexpected. It’s a welcome break from the anarchy,
building slowly with a pulsating beat, layered guitars and atmospheric sounds.
When it kicks into full gear, the riffs are laden with uplifting melody and the
instrumentals of the band get a chance to be heard entirely, and the
musicianship is top notch. Epic.
‘In County’ ensures that the
intensity doesn’t let up towards the end of the record, continuing to make the
listener sweat and gasp for breath with the sheer power of punk chords, throat
burning screams and quick changes in riffing. ‘Broken Bones’ is more of the
same, hectic and furious, while final track ‘For King & Country’ arrives
with as big a roar as anything that came before it. It bounds along like an
excited dog let off the lead, with yet more hammering instrumentals. It takes
no prisoners and doesn’t dress up as anything but a ‘heavy as fuck’ song to end
a ‘heavy as fuck’ album.
POLAR have crafted an album to rival
anything in the UK hardcore scene at this present time, and while the sounds of
various artists (Gallows, Every Time I Die, etc) can be heard in ‘Iron Lungs’,
the band really do stand up on their own. This album really does pack a punch,
and with big releases arriving late this year from POLAR’s immediate peers
(Heights, While She Sleeps, Feed the Rhino, Bury Tomorrow), it’s really
something to live up to.
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