People will always say, “Better late than never.” When Polaris were forced to cancel their last North American tour due to illness, it seemed like a dagger to fans eager to see the band play live. Luckily, fans didn’t have to wait too long before their next announced tour, simply dubbed “North American Tour 2024.” The tour kicked off on August 28th in Berkeley, California, with support from Blessthefall, Thousand Below, and NERV. Between the announcement and tour, the Australian-based metalcore band was honored with the Australian Independent Record Labels Association award for this year’s “Best Independent Heavy Album” for Fatalism. It marked their second time winning said award, with the band also taking home the accolades with their 2020 release The Death of Me.
With the extra months of waiting and the band continuing to churn out award-worthy albums, it’s no surprise that many fans arrived early at The Paramount in Huntington, NY, on September 12th as the tour reached its halfway point. Eager fans funneled into the building and up the stairs, many lining up to get an early pick at the merch while others claimed their spots as close to the stage as possible. The hour that passed by between door time and show time flew by as fans sang along with a rather odd eclectic choice of music blared over the loudspeakers before opening act NERV came to the stage. Fans didn’t miss a beat as the venue played everything from classic rock anthems to pop singles
As the lights went down, opening act NERV took their places on stage. The four-piece band consisting of Dillon Jones (Vocals), Scott Buchanan (Guitar), Jordan Grokett (Guitar), and Tyler Clark (Drums) came together to form a genre-bending Rock band based out of Sacramento, California. From the opening track, “Low,” to their closing track, “Bad Habits,” NERV had fans taking notice. The band’s own social media refers to NERV as a “Music group of idiots,” but it’d be a smart move for fans to check them out, whether it be live or online. They were the perfect choice to kick off the night.
NERV
Photo Credit: Spooky Media
The second band for the night was the post-hardcore band Thousand Below. The San Diego, California natives James Deberg (Vocals), Josh Thomas (Guitar), Josh Billimoria (Bass), and Max Santoro (Drums) were no strangers to fans of Blessthefall, having toured with them in the past. The group came out to much fanfare, opening with “SHAKE” before pushing through “Tradition” and “Silent Season.” New to the band for this tour, “Wrong Again” turned out to be an oh-so-right addition. The eight song setlist ended with “Sabotage,” with the nearly full venue roaring in delight as the band closed out their set. Thousand Below could have easily played twice the tracks without outstaying their welcome. It’s clear there are bigger things on the horizon for this band.
Thousand Below
Photo Credit: Spooky Media
It wasn’t long before Phoenix, Arizona’s Blessthefall, graced the Paramount’s stage. The Metalcore group has been on fire since their return to the scene last spring. Beau Bokan (Vocals), Jared Warth (Bass, Unclean Vocals), Elliot Gruenberg (Guitar), and Erik Lambert (Guitar) broke a five-year radio silence with a new single, “Wake The Dead,” before they embarked on a ten-year anniversary tour for their Hollow Bodies Album. The train kept on rolling as the band released new single “DRAG ME UNDER” (feat. Lochie Keogh of Alpha Wolf) shortly before their current tour with Polaris on August 22nd of this year.
Clearly excited about their new cuts, “Wake the Dead” was used to kick things off for their set for the night”. The 11 song set consisted of tracks new and old. “Cutthroat “ and “Hollow Bodies” were enough to get the crowd going. The band was running on all cylinders when they decided to slow it down a little with “Wishful Sinking.” Halfway through the set, they asked longtime fans if anyone had seen them back in the day at the former venue Crazy Donkey. The band had toured there in 2009 in support of Silverstein. The small venue was a staple of the Long Island rock and metal scenes in the early 2000’s that also featured the likes of then-up and coming local bands such as Taking Back Sunday and Brand New. Despite closing in 2011, many fans in attendance cheered the mention of the long-gone venue.
Bokan then asked the newer fans to make some noise before going into their second single, “DRAG ME UNDER.” With only three tracks left on the night, the band took the time to highlight tracks off of three different albums. “Promised Ones” off of Awakening (2011) was the first of the three, with fans opening up the pits a little extra for the track. The band then decided to flash forward to 2013’s “You Wear A Crown, But You’re No King” off of Hollow Bodies before dialing it back again to finish off the set strong with the classic banger, “Hey Baby, Here’s That Song You Wanted.” Blessthefall’s return to action since last year shows the band still has the fan base and the talent to be a force of nature. Once their current tour with Polaris concludes, the band makes their way South of the border for Ciudad De Mexico’s We Missed Ourselves Fest 2024. The festival is a one-day affair headlined by Falling In Reverse, featuring acts such as Killswitch Engage and Escape The Fate.
Blessthefall
Photo Credit: Spooky Media
The stage crew didn’t take long to reset the stage for the headlining act of Polaris. The band, out of Sydney, Australia, features Jamie Hails (Vocals), Rick Schnieder (Guitar), Jake Steinhauser (Bass), and Daniel Furnari (Drums). The band’s unique sound covers a multitude of genres, from progressive metal to electronicore, and its lyrics handle themes such as anxiety and depression. Fans were ready to scream out their feelings and wreak havoc as the band came out to a huge ovation.
Throughout the night, signs that prohibited moshing and crowd surfing could be seen behind both bars and in rotation on the projection screens on either side of the stage. Polaris came to the stage seemingly hellbent on making sure every fan in attendance broke those rules quickly. From the first riffs of the opening track, “The Crossfire,” the energy in the building is turned up to 11. “All of This Is Fleeting” saw Hails demanding the crowd open up the circle pits while wildly circling his hand in the air. One song later, he split the fans down the center for a Wall of Death for “Hypermania.”
Of course, not everything was in the name of chaos. “Overflow” came early in the set, and the band tributed the track to their fallen guitarist, Ryan Siew, who passed away in June of last year. They followed that up with a deep-cut, playing “Sonder.” The Long Island crowd had the pleasure of being the first crowd in the States to hear the song played live, with it still being played under 50 times since its 2018 debut. All of this happened before the band even hit the halfway point of their set. It was clear Polaris was pulling out all the stops for this tour.
“The Masochist” and “With Regards” were just some of the songs keeping fans moving in the back half of the set. “Nightmare” took the honors of being the penultimate track on this evening before the band closed out the night with “Inhumane.” Sadly, no encore tonight with the band thanking fans and handing out some setlists, guitar picks and drumsticks before calling it a night and retreating backstage.
The four bands performed their last show on September 28th in Davenport, Iowa, with NERV and Polaris going on to be a part of the last day of Kentucky’s Louder Than Life Festival on a day that also featured the likes of KoRn, Judas Priest, and Jinjer headlining different stages throughout the day. Polaris then wasted little time before heading overseas to support Beartooth through the UK and Europe alongside Landmvrks for a tour that seems just as can’t miss as their current one.
Polaris
Photo Credit: Spooky Media
