Polar, No Cure No Saviour (2015) Album Review

The UK’s Polar are just another one of the many bands to line up with their own blend of emotive hardcore. Having released their debut, Iron Lungs, in 2012, the band blew that release out of the water with their Prosthetic Records debut, Shadowed by Vultures. Now, the statement-making, aggressively loud Polar are back with their most vicious offering yet, No Cure No Saviour.

If I say that this is the most aggravated Polar has ever been, I mean it. Where other records played with softer scales of soundscapes, Polar said, “to hell with that,” and pumped out a record that is as relentless as it is heavy. Not that the band doesn’t have its “pretty” moments, as “Until the Light” vibes on melodies and strained vocals in different pitches with choir-styled group vocals, but the music is one relentless assault after another. The three songs that come before this offering are beat downs of distorted guitar chords with crashing walls of drum patterns. The harsh vocals are enraged, furiously cutting through the instrumentals. “Tidal Waves & Hurricanes” is an example of this sonic discordance. The middle of the song is a breakdown-friendly, gnashing-guitar pit of scream-friendly anthems ringing out against the rest of the world.

And Polar’s voice is being heard. “Blood for Blood” opens the album in a fury of introspectively displaced guitars riding on kick drum-heavy compositions. The chorus backs off only to expand the atmosphere and show the depth of Polar’s crushing delivery. Album highlight, “Deus Ex. Machina,” features a vocal performance from Andrew Neufel (Comeback Kid) that tastefully contrasts Adam Woodford’s low growls with a high-ended cry for urgency. “Cold Dark Nothing” is a droning, ominous pit that spirals into “Lost Souls” — sparking a fire that keeps the album’s vigor burning even toward the end. It can be difficult for hardcore albums to keep the listener’s attention for 40 minutes, but Polar deal with this issue with their constant, abrasive pulses of songs that beat ears in.

Order No Cure No Saviour here.

The Verdict:

Polar have not only blended their own styled sound of hardcore music, but they mixed it in a way that allow them to stand out from the norm. No Cure No Saviour is a must listen for fans of the genre.