Polaris have revealed their long-awaited third studio album, ‘Fatalism’, welcoming fans to the new era with the release of its first single: a fierce metalcore rager titled ‘Inhumane’.
In a press release, drummer and songwriter Daniel Furnari explained that ‘Inhumane’ “reflects on the feeling of growing desensitised to death, violence and tragedy due to overexposure”.
He expounded on the sentiment: “I think for a lot of people over the last few years, when you’re facing a constant barrage of horrible news coming from every corner on a literal daily basis, eventually you reach a point where the initial shock and sadness wear off and you find yourself becoming almost numb to it.
“It’s like a subconscious defense mechanism – when caring too much becomes too taxing, we stop caring at all. That hollow feeling, or lack of feeling, can come with a lot of guilt, making you question whether your empathy and your humanity have been erased, and in a strange way almost wishing you could feel that pang of fear or sadness again.”
Have a look at the accompanying music video for ‘Inhumane’, directed by Ed Reiss, below:
According to Furnari, the above clip takes the narrative concept of ‘Fatalism’ to “a fantastical extreme”, with the band’s members “falling through the floors of a collapsing apartment building to find that new horrors (literally) await us on each level”.
He added: “It’s one of the wackiest (and bloodiest) ideas we’ve ever put on screen and I’m still kind of in disbelief that it came together!”
‘Fatalism’ will be released on September 1 via Resist, following up on their 2020 album ‘The Death Of Me’. Writing sessions for the album began after they toured that last record overseas, with Furnari and co. inspired by the feelings they experienced during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
He explained: “For us, fatalism is the resignation to the idea that you have no control over certain things – that some things are almost pre-determined and inevitable – which seems like a negative and almost fearful notion. But one of the reasons I was drawn to it as a concept and as an album title was that there’s almost a freedom in that idea too. Once you can accept that there are certain things you simply can’t control, it’s actually very liberating.
“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 see the cover art and tracklisting for ‘Fatalism’ below, with pre-orders for the record available here.
1. ‘Harbinger’
2. ‘Nightmare’
3. ‘Parasites’
4. ‘Overflow’
5. ‘With Regards’
6. ‘Inhumane’
7. ‘The Crossfire’
8. ‘Dissipate’
9. ‘Aftertouch’
10. ‘Fault Line’
11. ‘All In Vein’